Facing Reality
Facing Reality
They said she had been teetering on the brink of death for two weeks.
Her skeletal structure, internal organs, sexual function, constitution, muscle mass... all the biological factors that had constituted her original male body had completely transformed into female ones.
A body that should have changed slowly through secondary sexual characteristics from childhood had been transformed in just two weeks.
Due to the effects of her body changing at such a rapid pace, Seoyun felt excruciating pain every hour, enough to make her feel like she was dying.
There were many times she collapsed with her eyes rolling back and frothing at the mouth.
She barely clung to life relying on powerful narcotic painkillers, and it was something to be thankful to God for that she didn't die and regained her sanity.
"I'm really okay. Truly."
"But... sniff..."
While having an emotional visit with her parents, the sound of someone talking with a nurse outside the room could be heard.
A man's voice asking about Seoyun's condition, worrying, reassuring.
The familiar tone and pitch definitely belonged to Junwoo.
"Seoyun."
Soon, Junwoo opened the door to the room and came in, hugging Seoyun with tear-filled eyes.
The moment she saw Junwoo, Seoyun burst into tears she had been desperately holding back.
"Hwaaaang!! Junwoo-nim!! Sniff! I woke up from sleeping and... I became a girl!!"
"Yeah, yeah. It's okay."
Seoyun wept like a child, embraced in Junwoo's arms.
She knew she shouldn't, but she wanted to cling to Junwoo.
She wanted to release all the pent-up emotions inside.
"Sniff.... sniff..."
Seoyun cried in his embrace for a long time, and when she regained her senses, she pushed Junwoo's body away with a flushed face, thinking about what she had done.
With her bony arms that still had no strength, she could only make a pushing gesture.
"Mother-nim, Father-nim. I'll stay with Seoyun. You've suffered, unable to go home and staying at the hospital for two weeks. It's okay to rest and come back today."
"Oh, is that alright? If Junwoo stays with Seoyun, I'd feel so reassured~"
"Yes. Don't worry and go home to rest properly."
"Thank you. You must be tired too, coming here urgently..."
"I'm fine."
Junwoo held Seoyun's mother's hand and chatted brightly.
It seemed like such a harmonious atmosphere that even if he were their own child, they wouldn't doubt it.
Well, after coming and going from their house for over 13 years and getting familiar, becoming that close was natural too.
Seoyun's mother said to order some chicken to eat and shoved 30,000 won into Junwoo's hand.
She firmly gripped the bill into his resisting palm and left the room.
"Really... I can't even eat..."
Who exactly was this chicken for?
Seoyun, who was suffering and couldn't even eat properly, receiving IV fluids, crossed her arms with a sulky expression.
Suddenly, she felt the sensation of the mound resting on her forearm and startled herself.
"Eek..."
The protruding female body everywhere was uncomfortable, but she had to get used to it.
Seoyun looked at Junwoo, who had sat on the edge of the bed with a nonchalant face.
Whether it was a misconception or not, he seemed much more handsome during the period they hadn't met.
Did he change his shampoo?
It seemed like there was a pleasant scent too...
"Seoyun."
"Hmm? What?"
Her skin prickled from him calling her name so embarrassingly.
The gentler gaze than usual was disgustingly sentimental.
"Are you okay?"
"Hmm, of course I'm okay. I was mentally prepared."
After learning she had a sex chromosome genetic disease, Seoyun had been mentally preparing herself, albeit a little.
She never dreamed in her sleep that symptoms would appear so suddenly like this.
"That's good. I thought you'd be frustrated with your personality and cry boohoo."
"Hey, what do you think of me..."
She remembered the image of herself crying in Junwoo's embrace just earlier.
Seoyun, too embarrassed to say anything, firmly closed her mouth and turned her head.
Her bright red earlobes were too cute.
"You definitely became prettier after turning into a girl."
"What are you saying... suddenly what~"
"It's not an empty compliment, it's sincere. Were you feminine from the start? After becoming a girl, your appearance improved a lot."
"Really?"
Seoyun originally had a small height of 160cm.
Instead of growing taller like others, her growth plates closed early, and her skeletal structure changed with her pelvis protruding and clavicle becoming prominent.
During her school years, the physical changes different from others were an intense complex, but now that she was a girl, she had a blessed golden ratio body.
Her face shape was the same too.
Seoyun, who was a thin man below normal weight, gained a slender jawline and smooth face as her gender transitioned.
Her always heavy eyelids opened wide, making her pupils five times larger than before.
Her lips were thick, her nose stood tall, and she had a face shape close to symmetrical.
Her skin was originally white, making her a natural beauty whose appearance stood out even without makeup.
Resembling her mother's genes, her hair color was also a natural light brown.
An owner of an appearance that, if walking down the street, all men would give a glance at least once.
"Uuum..."
Instead of hearing she was handsome, hearing she was pretty made Seoyun, whose masculinity hadn't yet disappeared, feel mixed.
Still, hearing compliments about her appearance made her feel good, something she couldn't hide.
"Seoyun, you're pretty. Really."
"Hey, stop it~ If you keep saying that, I'll feel embarrassed."
"It's sincere."
If it made her feel good even like this, he wanted to tell her she was pretty hundreds of times.
Junwoo chatted and joked with Seoyun as usual and fell asleep early.
Upon hearing, it seemed he drove from Seoul to the local hospital immediately after hearing the news that Seoyun, who had been in a coma, woke up.
"Ugh..."
Idiot.
A precious childhood friend she wanted to spend her whole life with.
Now a friend almost like family, Kim Junwoo.
Seoyun silently watched him sleeping and then fell asleep.
She wanted to tell him thank you someday.
From the next day, Seoyun began rehabilitation therapy.
To correct the joints of her clumsily attached limbs, she took high-calcium nutritional supplements and did walking exercises.
Holding a walking aid, she staggered and walked one lap around the hospital walking path.
"You did well~ As expected, being young, you do it quickly!"
The accompanying nurse as support gave lip-service praise and encouraged her.
Actually, Seoyun, whose body was heavy, repeated the arduous steps while sweating profusely.
"Hooook..."
Each step, each step was like hell.
It felt like hitting her lower abdomen with a heavy club.
Even with narcotic painkillers, it was this level; returning to daily life seemed like it would take quite a long time.
According to the doctor, her original male genitalia had gone inside her body to form a uterus and vagina.
He said the pain would continue as her sex chromosomes mutated, her testes disappeared, and ovaries were created.
A context similar to a kind of anti-cancer treatment.
Right now, Seoyun was feeling pain like her balls being kicked and squeezed in real-time.
"Kkheuuk..."
After surpassing the limit of what she could endure, tears burst out automatically.
Eventually, she learned to walk while receiving additional painkillers, and in the afternoon after finishing meals, she received physical therapy concurrently and education about the female body.
All the routines were difficult and unfamiliar, but what was particularly agonizing was the doctor's consultation time.
Seoyun took X-rays naked without a single thread covering her, and directly removed her gown in front of the male doctor to show her breasts and genitalia.
The attending physician took time to observe Seoyun's body condition, touch it with his hands, and evaluate it.
Unlike the doctor who was accustomed as it was always happening, for Seoyun it was the first time experiencing this shame.
From deep within her heart, shame surged up enough to create trauma.
"There's no major abnormality in your body. The X-ray readings are also normal, and the coloration or shape of your breasts or genital area is fine too. Since ovaries haven't been created yet, you won't menstruate, but your sexual function also seems to have no major issues."
"Yes..."
Seoyun, sitting on the examination chair called the Humiliation Chair with her legs spread in an M-shape, flushed her face while looking at the photo of her genital area on the monitor screen.
The doctor explained by pointing here and there on Seoyun's genital photo with a long three-section rod, but actually, no words entered Seoyun's head.
She only earnestly wished this humiliating time would pass quickly.
"Since we've confirmed there are no abnormalities, we won't need to do further physical examinations. Once your energy recovers, you can be discharged immediately."
"Really?"
"Yes. However, you must come for regular check-ups once a month. The sex chromosome genetic disease not only simply changes gender but can also cause cancer cell metastasis due to hormonal influences. We need to detect it as early as possible for easier treatment."
"Yes, thank you. Teacher-nim."
Fortunately, she didn't have to undergo this shameful examination anymore.
The discharge period, which might have taken a year, was also moved forward to one month.
To convey this happy news, Seoyun immediately called Junwoo right after finishing the consultation.
"Hello? You know! They said I can be discharged after one month!"
"Really? That's fortunate. After discharge, shall we go somewhere together? I'll visit your house."
"Yes!"
Hearing that Junwoo, who was in a different region and hard to meet, would come to visit, a happy smile spread on Seoyun's face.
"Then let's meet after one month. I'm diligently doing rehabilitation therapy."
"Yes, okay! I'll do it diligently!"
Seoyun, smiling, hung up the phone and then finally called her parents to inform them of the discharge date.
For her, Junwoo was always the first priority.