Image Change
Image Change
The clothes Seoyun was wearing were jeans and a t-shirt.
A dinosaur character that was trending on Starstagram recently was prominently printed in the center of the t-shirt, and perhaps because her frame was small, she looked like an elementary school student from afar.
"Hmm... It's a bit off."
"Uhh...? What's off?"
Wearing jeans with such childish t-shirt meant her appearance couldn't shine.
It was unbearable for other guys to eye Seoyun, but I also couldn't stand seeing her being ignored by guys.
At the very least, shouldn't she dress up more femininely?
"You can pick out whatever you want at the clothing store. I'll buy it all for you. Got it?"
"It's fine. You already spent a lot of money last time..."
"Shh, am I scolding you?"
Junwoo, who had stopped walking, firmly grabbed Seoyun's shoulder that was about to shrink.
I didn't understand why she kept being timid and hesitant when I was willing to spend expensive money to give her gifts.
If it were me, I'd have happily picked out only the most expensive clothes at the store and piled them up.
"Seoyun, don't keep doing that. No saying 'I don't want it,' 'it's fine,' or 'it's burdensome.'"
"Uhh... But still..."
"I told you before, right? You're plenty pretty and cute. You've become a beautiful girl that everyone envies, so you should live confidently with your shoulders straight?"
Even saying this much was meaningless advice.
A person's personality doesn't change easily.
Ultimately, Seoyun needed something she realized on her own.
"Got it? Be confident anywhere! You're plenty pretty and cute!"
"I get it... Stop it..."
It seemed like something not to say loudly in a public place.
Seoyun, with her face reddened, checked the reactions of the people passing by.
"Repeat it. I'm cute! I'm pretty!"
"Don't do it...!"
Her face flushed hwak red, and she timidly tapped Junwoo's forearm while lowering her head.
If there were a mouse hole, she'd want to run and hide right away.
"Shopping this morning. Lunch, then shopping in the afternoon too."
"Uhh..."
"Hang in even if it's tough. Instead, we'll game all night tonight. How about it?"
"Yeah... Okay! Good."
What was so great about the game they played together every day, Seoyun grinned widely and nodded her head.
"Then let's go to the clothing store first."
"Yeah..!"
Junwoo casually stretched out his arm and tightly grasped Seoyun's hand.
They walked holding hands like lovers, but Seoyun didn't resist and clung to him as they moved.
Anyone seeing them might mistakenly think they were lovers.
They shopped for clothes all morning and visited a restaurant around 1 PM.
When Junwoo asked what she wanted to eat, Seoyun chose a Western-style restaurant.
She said there was a popular menu she wanted to try normally, but she couldn't go alone because she felt awkward.
"Is this really good?"
"Of course. It suits you incredibly well, Seoyun."
"Uhh..."
Seoyun, unable to resist Junwoo's insistence, changed clothes at the store and came out.
It was a sleeveless blouse with a long skirt-like overskirt worn over it like a dress.
The zipper was on the back, making it hard to put on alone, and it tightened her waist like a corset, making it uncomfortable.
"Pretty. Everyone's staring at you a lot, right?"
"I get it, so stop..."
Seoyun, burdened by others' gazes, still dyed her cheeks red and lowered her head.
She pretended nothing was wrong and stared at her phone, feigning distraction.
"Seoyun, what are you looking at?"
"You know, this restaurant... It's a place that appeared on a broadcast before, and it's super famous?"
"Really?"
"Yeah!"
Seoyun, diverting the topic, found the broadcast the restaurant appeared in on her phone while waiting for their order and showed it to Junwoo.
"Umm... Is it that famous? Why haven't I heard of it?"
"You don't know because you're not interested... It's incredibly lucky we came in without a reservation?"
As if proving Seoyun's words were true, the restaurant tables were already filled with customers.
Not only that, a waiting line formed at the entrance.
"So you wanted to try the Mint Rose Tomato Pasta?"
"Yeah!"
A rich tomato cream sauce pasta with the cool and spicy flavor of mint added.
I couldn't understand why people would pay money to eat such food trash.
"Ugh, I absolutely can't eat that."
I barely managed to dissuade Seoyun's insistence on ordering the same menu even if she died.
Junwoo compromised by agreeing to share half and half, ordering a normal Cheese Hamburg Steak.
"Do you like the clothes bought today?"
"Uhh..! Thank you. I'll wear them when going out starting tomorrow!"
"Good. They're expensive, so you should wear them carefully and well?"
"Yeah!"
The clothes Seoyun purchased today were a dress to wear as pajamas, a dress for going out, and women's clothing consisting of a t-shirt and skirt set.
Since she had become a woman for once, I hoped she'd wear somewhat more feminine clothes.
Seoyun always enjoyed wearing tight-fitting jeans.
When at the hospital, she unavoidably wore loose skirts, but she said the empty feeling at that time was so unpleasant it became trauma.
Seoyun complained that the feeling of the always heavy space between her thighs being empty and wide-open couldn't be known unless experienced directly.
She flatly refused saying she'd never wear skirts, but unable to resist Junwoo's persistent pushing, she compromised by buying an overskirt.
"It suits you well and looks good."
"Uhh... But if it's like this, isn't it the same as pants?"
"The feeling is different~ The image is different too."
"Really..?"
Seoyun swung her feet back and forth, fluttering the skirt.
The skirt was so long it covered all to the ankles and dragged, feeling no different from pants, but Junwoo was satisfied enough with this.
After all, the start is important for anything.
You can start little by little with light things.
By consistently forcing feminine clothing and behavior, someday Seoyun would naturally accept it.
"It's here."
"Wah~ It looks delicious~"
The awaited food arrived, and Seoyun, taking out her phone, became engrossed in taking pictures.
She seemed to have seen somewhere, taking poses here and there and taking photos from multiple angles.
Looking at the results, well... it seemed she needed much study.
"Seoyun, but are you okay now?"
"Uhh? What?"
"Hmm, nothing. It's fine."
"Yeah? Suddenly what~"
Seoyun, swallowing saliva before the pasta, glanced at Junwoo with a sidelong glare and then smiled brightly.
Seeing her appearance brighter and cheerful than anyone, Junwoo swallowed his uneasy feelings inside.
'She seems okay.'
The experience of being bullied in school, social phobia, room-bound hikikomori.
Seoyun, who didn't even go out when she was a man, had now noticeably changed.
Vitality circulated on her face that was gloomy grayish, and she reacted with a wide grin even when slightly happy.
At first, I thought it was a defense mechanism to hide the shock of becoming a woman, but looking at her actions so far, it was clear she had changed.
"Eat a lot, Seoyun."
"Yeah!"
There was nothing more gratifying than watching the growth of a precious person from beside.
Junwoo, before the hamburg steak, directed his gaze straight toward Seoyun.
Seoyun clumsily used a fork to pick up pasta noodles, winding them clockwise and placing them on a spoon.
Perhaps it was hot, she blew breath hoo-hoo and took a big bite, then chewed umul-umul while savoring the taste.
"Uum... Mm... Uup..."
Seoyun's expression darkened in real-time.
She savored a strange taste that was neither this nor that flavor, tilting her head.
Finally, she gulped down through her throat, made one fake gagging sound, and downed a glass of water in one shot.
"Hoo... Trends are something you understand but then don't."
She, making a sentiment like an old uncle, eyed the hamburg steak placed before Junwoo.
"Why? Want to eat?"
"No... We agreed to share half and half, right?"
Seoyun, who paid a painful price for a new challenge, pulled her plate.
With such a cute face blinking her eyes, how could anyone ignore it.
"Okay, let's eat together."
"Yeah..!"
Junwoo gladly offered the food and shared it with Seoyun.
The Mint Rose Tomato Pasta Seoyun ordered remained untouched by anyone until the moment they left the restaurant...
**
"Isn't it too much?"
"It's fine."
After lunch, they visited a large supermarket.
Realizing the refrigerator was completely empty, they purchased a full load of ingredients that could be used to cook something.
They also bought snacks and drinks for Seoyun to eat while studying.
"It's heavy. My arms hurt."
"Uhh..."
Junwoo, holding loads in both hands, deliberately slumped his shoulders playfully.
Seoyun, who only had one shopping bag dangling, panicked at a loss and unnecessarily shrunk alone again.
She, wavering hesitantly, bravely grabbed Junwoo's hand.
"Let me carry one too!"
"It's fine already. You still have no strength."
"That's true... But this much is okay."
"Don't overdo it unnecessarily and get hurt? If you get hurt, what would my position be."
Seoyun's body still wasn't perfectly recovered.
Outwardly she seemed fine, but her bone joints weren't well attached and creaked, and her muscles had degenerated, making her soft arms weaker than a 5-year-old boy's.
She groaned that even a 1kg dumbbell was heavy, so could she hold a bag full of ingredients?
Just hearing her offer to help was thankful.
"Always something... It's a bit..."
"What?"
"Uhh, just..."
Seoyun, who was following behind Junwoo chjolre-chjolre as they walked toward home, became sulky.
Because she was receiving such great comfort from Junwoo, who spent a fortune for her, gave time, and even dated her, that saying thank you was insufficient.