Truth Isn't Always the Right Answer
Truth isn't always the right answer.
I am walking through a deep forest. Actually, I'm not even sure if it's a forest. But if a place densely packed with trees and grass fits the definition of a forest, then a forest this is.
I keep walking. As if blindly searching for something.
The same scenery seems to loop endlessly. Just as I lose all sense of where I am—
Thud.
My foot catches on something blunt, and I pitch forward. My forehead slams directly into the dirt. It hurts. Wait, does it? I have the cognitive awareness that falling over should hurt, but I don't actually feel any pain. Why doesn't it hurt?
I push myself up and check my palms. Even though they clearly hit the ground, there isn't a speck of dirt on them. My clothes are pristine, without a single smudge. Wait, why am I in a forest in the first place? I was definitely... looking at my phone, got tired, and fell asleep.
I fell asleep. That realization flashes through my mind like lightning.
“Ah, this is a dream.”
I don't feel pain when I fall. Debris like dirt doesn't cling to my clothes. Most of all, until just a moment ago, I was walking aimlessly, guided entirely by my subconscious. Just to be sure, I pinch my cheek. Still no pain. A dream... or is it a lucid dream now?
The moment the words lucid dream cross my mind, my heart begins to race. In here, I am God, the Administrator, the GM. What should I do first? Money? Girls? Or maybe an isekai reincarnation? Before diving into the deep end, let's start by fulfilling the most primal, basic human desire. The one thing every single human being has fantasized about at least once!
“Fly!”
Pointing my index finger toward the sky, I shout with all the longing I've harbored since childhood.
“...Huh?”
Forget flying, my body doesn't even lift a single centimeter—no, not even a millimeter—off the ground. Is this not a dream? No, that can't be right either. I still don't feel any pain. Then why can't I fly?
“Is it because my brain has never experienced it, so there's no data?”
Things I've never experienced firsthand, like soaring through the sky, are impossible to render.
“Sigh, this is a problem. What's the point of realizing it's a dream if I can't do anything?”
Most of the things I want to do require data I simply don't have. That includes 'sex', 'doing the deed', or any other act meant for the preservation of the human species. Even if I tried, my brain would undoubtedly throw an error.
“Can't my imagination just fill in the blanks?!”
But complaining is useless; it's my own brain, after all. Blaming my own lack of imagination won't change a thing.
Just then—
Oink, oink.
An incredibly familiar sound echoes from somewhere in the distance.
“A pig? No way, is this a pig dream?!”
I've heard that seeing a pig in a dream means you'll win the lottery or suddenly strike it rich. This is no time to stand around gaping! Run! I sprinted at full speed toward the source of the oinking. Despite the dense trees, I didn't bump into a single one—probably because it was a dream. I ran, ran, and ran some more. Only after running for what felt like ages did something finally appear through the thicket.
“A pond?”
And a wooden sign? Written on the wooden sign were the words:
“A wish, huh... I don't know what this is about, but I might as well try.”
I stepped right up to the edge of the pond and pressed my hands together in prayer.
“Please let me make a ton of money!”
I made the wish, but I was praying without even knowing who I was praying to. Ideally, I'd love for a perfectly legal ten billion won to suddenly drop into my bank account... but that's probably asking for too much.
Splash!
Bubble, bubble, bubble...!
A loud splash echoes as if a massive boulder has been hurled into the pond, followed by a sudden eruption of bubbles. It feels like something incredible is about to happen. Maybe my ancestors heard my prayer and are coming to give me the winning lottery numbers...! Then, a faint silhouette begins to rise from the depths of the pond.
Pffft-ha!
Long, flowing white hair and a matching beard. He even wears a set of pristine white robes.
“He looks exactly like a Mountain God.”
He was the spitting image of the Mountain God everyone has seen in children's storybooks at least once. Well, whatever. It's just a dream anyway.
“Is the wish thou hast cast into this pond, 'Please let me become a beautiful gender-bent girl'?”
The Mountain God asks an utterly absurd question. I should probably deny it, just like in the fairy tales, right?
“No, it is not.”
“Hmm. Then, is the wish thou hast dropped this one: 'Please send me to a gender-reversed world with a male-to-female ratio of 1:30'?”
“No, that's not it either.”
What kind of bizarre, messed-up dream is this? Well, not like it matters. The Mountain God closes his eyes, lost in thought for a moment, before looking at me with a benevolent gaze.
“Then, is this wish, 'Please let me make a ton of money', the one thou hast made?”
“Yes, that's right. That is indeed the wish I made.”
Wait, how did the fairy tale go after this? The honest woodcutter who answered truthfully received all three axes... received them...?
“What an honest youth! I shall grant thee all three of these wishes.”
“Huh...?”
“Wait, why are you granting all of them?!!”
“There is no need for modesty. This is a reward for thine honesty.”
The Mountain God rubs his nose sheepishly.
“You crazy old man!! That's not what I wanted!”
As I scream, I feel my body rapidly sinking. Desperate to throw one last word at the Mountain God, I force my eyes wide open against the rushing torrent. What enters my blurry vision is...
Nothing but a white ceiling.
Sunlight filtering through the curtains drapes across my body.
“A dream...?”
Of course it was a dream. Even though I knew it was a dream while I was in it.
“But it felt so real...”
No way! Panicking, I quickly look down to check my chest. Two voluptuous, protruding mounds...
...were nowhere to be seen.
Thank goodness. It really was just a bizarre dream. Just in case, I feel my hair. It's a bit long since I haven't cut it in a while, but there's no change in length. Yep, just an unusually vivid, weird dream. Still, maybe I should buy a lottery ticket just in case? With that thought, I sluggishly drag myself out of bed like any other day.
The clock on the wall already points to 9:00 AM. If I were an office worker, I'd be frantically rushing out the door, screaming about being late. If I were an office worker, that is. But for someone like me—labeled as unemployed, a "resting youth," a "gold-farmer," and so on—it is still far too early to even think about starting the day. Should I lie down for a bit longer? My recurring goal of "waking up early" is already a lost cause today. What should I eat for breakfast? I've had soy sauce egg rice all week, so I'm sick of it. Instant ramen first thing in the morning feels a bit much. But opening a can of tuna... man, canned food prices are insane these days. As I ponder these options like an alchemist searching for the ultimate truth, I suddenly feel a nagging, bothersome sense of emptiness.
What is this feeling? It's like having five fingers but mistakenly feeling like you have six. Rationally, everything seems fine, but my instincts are screaming that something is wrong, that I've missed something. Like... there's something I usually do every morning, but I skipped it? I look down again. Only then do I realize there is no "tent" pitching up my blanket. I mean, sure, depending on my physical condition, it might not always be there. But this feeling right now... It feels as though the sensation itself has vanished along with the body part.
...No way, right?
I reach for my phone charging by my pillow. As I go to press the power button, something alien catches my eye. Were my fingers—no, my entire hands—always this slender? My skin tone seems paler, too. Praying that my suspicions are just a trick of the mind, I open the camera app. I tap the front-facing camera button, and what appears on the screen is...
“Ah... that son of a bitch Mountain God.”
Skin as smooth and flawless as porcelain. A small face with perfectly arranged eyes, nose, and lips. Features so balanced they practically define the golden ratio. Perfect? An elf? No, how do I even describe this? It's not exactly "cute," but there is an incredibly strong sense of beauty. More than just pretty, it actually radiates a distinct aura of being handsome. It is a face that effortlessly leaps over the boundaries of the human species. And right now, that is my face. "Handsome" fits much better than "pretty," especially with the short hair.
“I'm definitely a girl now, but my chest...”
I try to cup my chest with my hands. There's nothing. Absolutely nothing. The only sensation returning to my fingertips is the hard feel of my ribs. A cutting board? A flat cliff? I know all about those flat-chested anime characters, but this doesn't even fit that category. There is nothing. Just flat. Even a middle school girl just starting puberty wouldn't be this flat. I can feel my ribs directly beneath my skin, with absolutely zero fat in between.
“Ah~ Ah-ah. Ah-!”
My voice feels slightly higher, but it hasn't changed drastically. To summarize: I've become a girl. I'm flat-chested. The end. "Fuck my life. You absolute bastard of a Mountain God!!" Sure, I might have wished for a gender-bend once upon a time. But not like this! I'm not even "petite and cute"—I'm just flat! Flat! Even if the internet worships the "flat is justice" aesthetic, this isn't flat—it's nonexistent! If we're talking cup sizes, this is way past an A—it's practically a AAA! As I spend several minutes cursing this godforsaken situation, a sudden realization strikes me. The Mountain God didn't just grant one wish to this honest, unemployed youth.
“Don't tell me... the 1:30 male-to-female ratio was applied too? No, there's no way... right?”