Emergency Adjustment
10 a.m. The morning sun in Gangnam pierced deep into the penthouse living room.
"Have a safe trip, Abhos."
"Kkrook!"
"Yeah. I'll be back. Guard the house nicely."
Muah. She planted a light kiss on my forehead, then strode out the front door with the poise of a chaebol chairman straight out of a movie. Black suit coat, killer heels, and sunglasses to top it off. Her overwhelming charisma made the burly bodyguards flanking her look downright shabby.
Kkkomul and I saw Lady Abhos off with rapturous expressions, then returned to the empty living room.
"Haa..."
I flopped onto the plush oversized sofa.
A man being pampered by a woman... just lounging around without a care in the world...
"Is this what they call being a house husband...?"
A month ago, after that underground fight club incident, Lady Abhos had truly started taking care of me. No need to work anymore, sleep in as late as I wanted, no getting my hands wet except when bathing. And at night... well, let's skip that.
Of course, I wasn't complaining. If anything, it felt like a dream. Escaping that moldy, stinking basement room to live in this lavish place, loved by the world's strongest empress—what else could this be but an isekai reincarnation?
But...
"Hmm... still, I feel like I should be doing something... Don't you think so, Kkkomul?"
I stroked Kkkomul, who was lounging just like me.
"Kkiuk..."
Instead of answering, Kkkomul let out a lazy yawn. It slithered over to the floor-to-ceiling window, stretching out to bask in the pouring morning sunlight, its body languidly unfurling. The black jelly-like form looked utterly at ease with the world.
I followed suit, settling by the window and perching with my knees up, chin resting on them as I gazed out at the view.
Seoul's city center sprawled beneath my feet. Commuters heading to work. Cars zipping busily about. Everyone grinding away fiercely.
Just a month ago, that had been me...
A flicker of unease passed through me. Was it really okay to just keep receiving like this? Lady Abhos said all I needed to do was stay pretty, but... what if I started feeling like dead weight and got sick of it? What if she found someone prettier, more useful... a real woman to be her bride?
No way. That won't happen.
I shook my head. Recalling the warmth of her embrace that day when she saved me and held me tight, saying it was okay—I resolved to firmly believe it.
But... the anxiety lingered anyway.
At the very least, I couldn't look like some idle bum lounging at home...
I glanced down at my outfit. A white silk bathrobe. Lately, I hardly wore any real clothes. At most, a loose robe like this or a baggy shirt.
Lady Abhos had told me to "relax at home" and hadn't given me any, but honestly, I found robes comfy too...
Still, this is getting too sloppy.
No matter that it was home, wandering around half-naked all day felt off. And as the one being pampered, it wasn't polite.
At least get properly dressed.
"Up you get, Kkkomul. Time to put on some clothes."
I stood.
"Kkik?"
Kkkomul, on the verge of dozing off lazily, trailed after me attached to my butt, complaining.
"Sorry, sorry. Just clothes, then right back."
I soothed it as I headed to the dressing room.
The closet was empty. No surprise—I'd tossed all my old basement clothes. What was here belonged to the previous owner, Executive Director Gwak.
"Ugh... wearing that old guy's stuff is kinda..."
But no choice. The silver lining? Gwak and I were about the same height. He was bulkier, but casual suits might fit okay.
I pulled out navy slacks and a white dress shirt from the hanger.
"Alright. Time to dress like a man for once."
I shed the robe.
My reflection in the mirror... was ghostly pale, almost translucent. Sleek lines without an ounce of fat. A cinched waist, hips mysteriously fuller. And slightly swollen...
"Ugh, just get dressed!"
Staring made me embarrassed; I turned away. Slipping my arms into the shirt...
"Eut...!"
The fabric brushed my chest, sending a jolt like electricity. I reflexively clutched my breasts.
"Ugh, too sensitive..."
Lately, my chest had been... swelling, aching a lot. Touching revealed firm mounds, nipples stiffening at the slightest graze. And...
"They've gotten too big..."
I sneaked a peek at the mirror I'd been avoiding. My face flushed unwittingly.
It wasn't just swelling. They were definitely larger than before, the color deeper too. Thanks to Lady Abhos's nightly obsessive sucking and kneading.
The shirt's rough fabric scraping against them stung and itched like madness.
"Can't wear this like this..."
I rummaged a drawer for large square bandages—those for wounds. Maybe these would help...?
Stick. Stick. My reflection showed the white chest plastered with bandages. Somehow, it looked even lewder...
"Haa... what the hell am I doing, Kang Min-woo..."
I sighed, haphazardly buttoning the shirt. Next, pants.
"Huh...?"
Problem. They wouldn't go up.
"What... was that guy skinnier-legged than me?"
No. My hips had widened. And,
"Kkieeeek!!"
Kkkomul shrieked. Forcing the pants had squished it.
"Ah, sorry! Kkkomul!"
I yanked them down hastily. Kkkomul rubbed its squashed body, looking wronged.
Before, it was thin enough to hide in pants, but it'd grown a lot in the month. Now too thick to conceal.
"Then... poke a hole in the butt?"
Drilling holes in perfectly good pants to let the tail out?
"That's perverted..."
I eyed my reflection. Bandages showing under the shirt, pants undone, thick tentacle swaying from my ass. A man? Hardly even worthy of the name.
"......"
Is this me...? Am I really Kang Min-woo?
"Ugh... whatever."
An indescribable, subtle mood hit me; I decided not to dwell. I stripped off the pants and shirt, donned the bathrobe again.
Back to square one.
I sank before the closet, stroking Kkkomul with a wry smile.
"Guess we can't live normally anymore, huh?"
"Kkiuk?"
Comforting me? Kkkomul wrapped my finger.
—
"Phew... at least cleaning makes me feel a bit better."
I set down the duster, stretching my back. The over-100-pyeong penthouse living room gleamed spotlessly.
The robot vacuum did most of it, but dusting and tidying by hand brought a swell of pride.
I'd wanted to cook something to delight Lady Abhos, but that was banned. Last time I nicked my finger peeling fruit, Manager Jang freaked: "Young master! No knives! Lady Abhos will kill me!"
So, just these little chores.
"Bored..."
I sprawled on the sofa, kicking the air with my smooth legs peeking from the robe.
Nothing to do. Is this the life of the filthy rich?
"Hmm... TV maybe?"
I grabbed the remote. Power on, and the wall-sized screen filled with a news channel.
"Huh...?"
I sat up unwittingly. The chyron read [In-Depth: A-Rank Magical Girl Paladin Spica's Return].
Footage from 3 days ago: Incheon Airport arrival.
The screen switched to archival footage—a blonde woman emerging at the airport terminal. Pure white dress over platinum armor, like a princess knight from a comic. She waved gracefully, and hundreds of fans erupted in cheers, flashes popping.
"Three... years... ago..."
I murmured blankly.
The time she left Korea. Three years back—when my family was slaughtered, my life hit rock bottom.
On screen, she dazzled. Noble, proud, righteous. An apostle of light chasing away all darkness.
Suddenly, my ex-girlfriend's parting words from three years ago echoed.
"Can't we... overcome this grief together? For the world... if we just endure a little?"
Hope, the world, justice. Under those grand words, my family's death became an inevitable sacrifice, erased.
I bowed my head, left in the dark.
"..."
My hand clenched unwittingly. A metallic tang filled my mouth.
But...
"...That's none of my business anymore."
I forced my body to relax, changing channels. My chest throbbed, but I ignored it.
We're from different worlds now. Better this cozy life with Lady Abhos, flirting away, than revenge. I hoped never to tangle with them again.
The screen shifted. Eerie music, dingy apartment hallway.
"Oh, this!"
My eyes lit up. The movie [I'm the Only Human]—a thriller hit at release. Mimics infest an apartment complex, eating people and impersonating them; the protagonist fights to survive.
"Kkkomul! Check this out! It's fun!"
"Kkik?"
Kkkomul slithered sleepily from the window, coiling on my belly.
It loved movies. No eyes, but it perked toward the screen cutely.
Tense direction. Suffocating suspense. Nothing beats stumbling on a gem channel-surfing.
We dove in, holding our breath. Kkkomul squeezed my arm with "Kkieek!" at crises. Scaredy-cat.
Hehe, cute. But...
Gazing at the grotesque monster on screen, an odd feeling stirred. Eating people, stealing memories and forms.
Didn't feel like someone else's story. Wasn't it basically mine? Swapped out without knowing?
The protagonist, heroine, and rescue team aimed guns at each other. Tension peaked.
Kkkomul trembled, gripping my robe hem tight.
I chuckled, petting its head.
"It's okay. The protagonist's the mimic."
"..."
Silence. Movie BGM cut perfectly timed.
Kkkomul slowly turned to glare at me. (Felt like it.)
"Ah, I saw it before. The protagonist's a mimic from the start, unaware till the backstab at the end..."
"Kkieeeeeek!!!"
Smack! Smack! Kkkomul shrieked, flailing tentacles wildly on my belly. Ow, hurts!
"Ack, sorry! No more spoilers! Ack! Don't bite!"
Fuming, it blocked the TV in protest. (Useless on a massive screen.) I broke a sweat soothing it.
"Okay, okay. Treat time. Sausages in the fridge."
Finally, it slunk down. I chuckled, heading to the fridge with Kkkomul.
Monsters, magical girls—the TV world buzzed. But in this little paradise, it was peacefully happy, in its own way.