I Got Swallowed and Woke Up as a Shark Girl

The Sea Story Gallery was buzzing with the usual chaos.

The world had been submerged by seawater. Today marked the start of year six. People had grown used to this way of life. They commuted in amphibious cars or rode heavily modified modern boats. Life had changed in countless ways, but some things remained the same.

Chief among them: if you wanted to make money, you still had to head up to Seoul.

Whew. The interview's making me nervous.

Dressed in a perfectly fitted suit, I stared at my phone, trying to ease the tension. I decided to get some fresh air and climbed the stairs to the deck.

Shaaaaa—

The boat sliced through the sea, carrying a refreshing breeze. My name was Yu Hae-on. Twenty-three years old. I had left my tiny rural village in Gyeongsang-do—one that didn't even appear on most maps—and was on my way to Seoul.

Thump. Thump.

My heart raced with excitement. How vast was Seoul? How many people lived there?

Don't show it. I can't look like some country bumpkin…

The high-speed intercity boat, said to be faster than the KTX, raced forward. The scenery that came into view was a mix of building rooftops poking above the water and various sky-bound structures. So much had changed, yet human society had adapted quickly. To me, it no longer felt strange. Everyone probably felt the same.

For most ordinary people, grand ideas like the end of the world took a backseat to the immediate worry of how to survive day by day.

That was when it happened.

Boom—!

The boat shook violently.

“Kyaa, kyaaah!” “What the—? What’s going on?!”

Huh?

I reflexively grabbed the railing. The other people on deck staggered. A few collapsed right where they stood.

Did we hit something?

…A reef? How could we hit a reef in water this deep? Unable ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to understand, I leaned over the side. Then it happened again.

Boooom—!

“Whoa!”

My center of gravity pitched forward and I nearly tumbled over. I barely caught myself.

This time the vibration was much stronger.

Creeeeak—

Soon the boat began tilting sideways. Deck chairs slid across the floor.

“Uwaaaaaah!!” “S-Save us!”

People screamed. Crew members burst out moments later.

“Everyone get inside the cabins! Hurry!”

…This was more serious than I thought. A crowd surged toward the stairs. I got swept along with them, but then—

Suddenly, my eyes caught the sea.

…Huh?

The surface that had been calm and clear moments ago was now pitch black. It was especially bad around the boat, as if oil had spilled everywhere.

And beneath it, something was rising from the depths.

Wha, what the—??

My eyes widened in panic. A massive silhouette in the water drew closer and closer.

A chill ran down my spine.

I-I need to run.

Terror froze me in place. My feet wouldn’t move.

It felt like the enormous shadow in the sea and I were staring at each other.

The sickening sensation made me gasp for air as I stumbled backward. In that instant—

Kwaaaaaaaaah—!!

The surface exploded like a cannon blast, sending a colossal pillar of water surging upward.

The entire boat was lifted. My feet left the deck and floated into empty air.

Whoa, uwaaaah—!

The world spun. Sky and sea swapped places twice. Just as nausea began to rise—

Splash!

My body flew through the air and plunged into the cold water. Bubbles streamed out as I sank deeper and deeper.

“…Mmph! Mmph!”

It was freezing. I couldn’t breathe, and everything was pitch black. I couldn’t see even an inch ahead.

Ugh.

Fear gripped me.

Was I really going to die like this? I hadn’t even reached Seoul yet. I hadn’t taken the interview.

To end so pathetically…

…No. I don’t want this.

The deeper I sank, the farther the light retreated. Darkness swallowed everything.

Within that darkness, something approached me.

The thing that had risen from the deep abyss. The shadow of a giant monster opened its jaws wide.

And then—

Gulp.

It swallowed me whole.

. . .

How much time had passed?

…Mmm.

I opened my eyes with great effort. The first thing I saw was an unfamiliar ceiling—pure white and spotless. The ceiling back in our countryside house had been stained yellow from leaks. The atmosphere was completely different.

So… where was I?

…Am I alive?

I was certain a monster had swallowed me. I carefully retraced my memories. The boat capsized, I fell into the water, and that pitch-black monster ate me…

Wait, did it actually eat me?

The monster opening its mouth was clear, but everything after that was blank. Like a film had been cut.

Yet here I was, perfectly fine and lying in a bed?

Was it a dream…?

I pinched my cheek. Ouch. It hurt. So it wasn’t a dream.

Even so, something still felt off. For one thing, my body felt far too light. Normally I woke up feeling like my limbs weighed a ton, but now I felt incredibly refreshed. Maybe I’d slept deeply?

No, that’s not the issue.

I slowly lifted my arm.

…Why does my hand look like this?

It was small. Extremely small and pale. The fingers were slender—clearly a girl’s hand. It might even be prettier than most women’s hands.

What on earth happened to me?

My original hands weren’t like this. They’d been covered in calluses and scars from helping with boat work and farming.

Not only that—my thighs, arms, and belly were all soft and squishy.

…Hold on. Are those breasts?

Was this even possible?

With slightly trembling hands, I touched them. Squish, squish. Yep. Definitely breasts. Soft and plush.

No, no—why did my body suddenly have breasts?!

I flinched in shock. At that moment, long hair slid down and covered my face. It was incredibly long, blue with subtle white highlights.

I’d gone to the barber yesterday. There was no way it could grow this long overnight.

What the hell?

An uneasy feeling crept over me. I threw off the blanket.

…??

Something caught my eye near my backside. Precisely at the tailbone, a long appendage stretched out, dangling all the way off the bed.

It was blue, sleek, and split at the end like a fin. A shark tail.

I reached out as if in a trance.

Flap!

“Uwaah!”

The tail twitched on its own. I yanked my hand back in surprise. When I tried to grab it again, it flapped once more. It was clearly attached to my body, yet it refused to listen.

…I’m losing my mind.

I couldn’t believe it. No way. For real?

I slowly lowered my head and checked again. Around my chest.

Squish. No matter how many times I touched them, they were still soft mounds of fat. Breasts that hadn’t been there before now stood out perkily.

Which meant—

…A girl?

I had become a girl. And not just any girl—a young one who looked no older than a middle schooler.

Yu Hae-on. Twenty-three. A country boy from Gyeongsang-do. A perfectly normal guy—until I got swallowed by a monster and woke up as a girl. Complete with a shark tail.

At this point, calling the police or making the news wouldn’t be strange. It was that insane of an incident…

Gurgle—

I’m starving.

My stomach let out a loud growl. I knew the world had been flipped upside down, but right now the hunger was overwhelming. Come to think of it, I’d skipped meals yesterday because I was worried about getting seasick.

Flap. Flap. The tail moved again. It almost seemed like it was complaining.

…Are you hungry too?

That was when something floated into the corner of my vision. A translucent blue window.

…EX?

Hunter ranks. The legendary tier above S-grade—something people had doubted even existed. An urban legend.

It was real?

Still stunned, I scrolled down with my eyes.

I-I really awakened? But why did the traits look like this?

I stared quietly at the status window. Ruler of the Sea. Underwater Breathing. Swim Mastery.

Are these any good?

EX-grade. The legendary rank above S-grade. For such a grandiose title, the traits didn’t feel all that impressive. They were all just things you did in water.

Especially Swim Mastery. Couldn’t any swimming instructor at the local pool do that? Of course, Underwater Breathing and Ruler of the Sea seemed pretty decent, but still…

Weaker than ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I expected.

Since it had already taken my manhood, it could’ve at least given me some ridiculously overpowered traits! At this rate I was just a girl cosplaying as a shark.

But then again…

…I wonder if they actually work?

I was curious. Fortunately, there was a small sink next to the bed. It seemed this was a single room with an attached bathroom area. I quietly climbed out of bed.

Tap tap.

My feet were so small that my steps felt awkward. The tail dragged behind me, nearly tripping me several times. When I finally stood in front of the sink, my reflection appeared in the mirror.

Ugh…

I was unmistakably a girl.

Bluish hair, red eyes, a small, young, slightly dazed face. No matter how long I stared, it didn’t feel real that this was me.

She was incredibly pretty and cute, though. The kind of beautiful girl you’d only see on TV.

Hmm.

I pinched my cheek.

Streeetch.

The girl in the mirror ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stretched her cheek the exact same way.

It really was me. Okay, I’d accept that for now.

First, I turned on the faucet. Glug glug glug. I filled the sink until it was full.

It said Underwater Breathing, right?

It ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠claimed I could breathe underwater. The only way to test it was to try it myself.

I took a deep breath.

Just in case, I’ll pull out immediately if it doesn’t work.

Then I plunged my face into the sink.

Bubble bubble.

Cold water enveloped my face. I had been really nervous about water going up my nose, but—

Oh?

It was fine. I carefully exhaled through my nose, then inhaled.

Hooo— Suuup—

Air came in. Even underwater. I could breathe just like a fish. There was no discomfort, no choking. It felt exactly like breathing through my nose on land.

It works?

It really did. I could breathe underwater. Next I opened my eyes. Even submerged, they didn’t sting, and everything was crystal clear. I stayed there with my face still in the sink, fascinated. Bubble. Bubble.

Ooh, oooooh!

This was actually pretty fun. My tail wagged excitedly behind me.

And so I kept my face buried in the sink for a long time.

…It was honestly a little embarrassing.