Song A-ra
Song A-ra
No way.
Oh no, I must have seen all those creepy Mang composites.
I swear, I have no memory of taking a photo like this.
A photo of me kissing A-ra, of all things.
I tried everything I could to tear the frame apart and burn the photo.
But it wouldn't open at all.
It seemed like it wasn't designed to be opened.
Come to think of it, I'd heard that photos can oxidize when exposed to air, so sometimes they're sealed to maintain a complete vacuum.
In other words, A-ra treasured a photo of us kissing like a precious keepsake.
What kind of ridiculous situation is this...?
"Ugh... so embarrassing, what the hell is this..."
I'd been dragged into A-ra Noona's house and hadn't even gotten a handle on the situation yet—how was I supposed to process a photo like this?
First, I turned the frame face-down so I wouldn't have to look at it and then fumbled through my clothes with trembling hands to pull out my phone.
My inner pocket was where I kept my phone.
What came out wasn't the budget smartphone I'd bought cheap as an unlocked device, but a pricey, pricey Mango phone.
"Wow... this is truly something else...."
The background was set to a photo of A-ra in a dress, looking shy.
My head spun.
Setting aside the wallpaper, this thing cost as much as half the self-reliance grant I'd received when I became independent.
Why was something like this in my pocket?
Had I lost my mind?
I swallowed hard and pressed the power button.
"It unlocked..."
As soon as the facial recognition lock recognized my face, it unlocked.
It was one of the 'innovations' Mango boasts about, so I knew the technology well.
For now, I started reading through every news article and post about Song A-ra one by one.
She hadn't quit being an idol; she was still appearing on various TV programs regularly.
It looked like she was filming a CF almost every three days.
And then I found an article that was nothing short of shocking.
'Idol Song A-ra Marries 18-Year-Old Ordinary Male'
No way.
If he was 18, that made him exactly the same age as me, didn't it?
And an idol publicly announcing marriage at such a blossoming age—
Even if she was digging her own grave, there were limits.
I scrolled down and read the comments, sorted by most liked.
ㄴSong A-ra, you thieving bitch lololololol
ㄴWhoa, so she turned out to be a fucking woman? Goddamn, I'm so jealous.
ㄴThis is totally a marriage for money, don't be fooled
ㄴDo you even have that kind of money, you fucking bitch lolololol
ㄴI'm the second daughter of the Sunghwa Group chairman, you know?
ㄴPlease keep your Mango delusions in your own house, lololol
A second-generation chaebol was baiting people in the comments?
It was so absurd I let out a snort of laughter.
And there wasn't a single comment disparaging A-ra's idol status.
Instead, most responses were like 'I'm so jealous', 'What a girl boss', 'Are they serving a set menu for the young ones?' and other such envious reactions.
Then I remembered the photo from earlier.
Could it be... that the one who married A-ra... was me?
And the age matched too?
Oh my god, what the hell is going on.....
I skimmed other news too, and something was strange.
The news main banner had stories about a male sexual harassment case and a pretty niche video titled 'Male Weathercaster'.
'No way... a gender-reversed world?'
This was the kind of thing you only saw in web novels.
I felt certain that was it.
'Marrying A-ra Noona was already shocking enough, and now a gender-reversed world on top of that.'
"Seong-hwan, I'm coming in?"
At that moment, without waiting for my answer, A-ra opened the door and came in wearing a white robe.
I freaked out at how defenseless she looked.
"N-Noona, cover yourself properly!"
"This kid, you've already seen and done everything, and you're still playing coy."
"Still, this is a matter of decency...!!"
"Fine, I get it. So don't get mad. You'll collapse again."
Rather than being upset, A-ra worried about me and stroked my head.
Then she leaned in and gave me a light kiss.
If I collapsed from high blood pressure, it would be entirely A-ra's fault.
Without a clue about my feelings, she smiled brightly, took off her robe, and stood there in nothing but her bra and panties, leaving me dumbfounded.
It seemed that even I, who'd never been in a relationship, could tell her feelings ran deeper than I'd expected.
Just what had happened between this version of me and her?
She married someone who'd just graduated high school, a fresh adult...
It didn't seem like there'd been an accident or anything...
And on top of that, the other party was a superstar idol...
While I was lost in thought for a while, A-ra's little changing show ended.
She had put on long sleeves and long pants and was wearing sunglasses, a mask, and a hat pulled down low.
It was exactly the outfit I'd sometimes see her wearing when I'd run into her in the hallway.
Since this was the first 'normal' thing I'd seen since crossing over to this side, I felt oddly pleased.
"Let's hurry and go."
I couldn't bring myself to refuse the hand A-ra extended to me.
As if I'd turned into a little kid, I held her hand tightly.
"Like I said, you're still so young~ adorable."
"....."
An idol calling a high school boy cute—unbelievable.
I felt like it would be hard to understand this world's sensibilities.
***
"Hey, look at that guy."
"Huh? Is that Seong-hwan?"
They were Yoo Seong-hwan's classmates.
We'd never had a proper long conversation, but since we weren't on bad terms, you could call us 'friends.'
If there were a vote for the best-looking guy in school, 130 out of 100 people would agree he's a handsome guy.
And I was moved by the fact that someone like that was my friend.
"But who's that person next to him in sunglasses and a mask?"
"Her hair is long, she looks really pretty; what a shame."
"Maybe she caught a cold? Or is she his girlfriend?"
"Seong-hwan, who never even approaches women, having a girlfriend? Don't be stupid, dumbass."
She wasn't a girlfriend but a wife, but not only his school friends but even the teachers didn't know yet.
The teachers knew that Song A-ra was his legal guardian,
but they hadn't asked beyond that because it was a private matter.
"Seeing as he came to the hospital, he must be sick."
"Ugh, that bitch of a vice principal... why'd she make us drag the guys into it and get us cursed out too."
"Honestly, isn't this your fault? You're the funny one, you idiot."
"What, you bitch?!"
Since they'd come to the hospital because their own hips and legs were killing them, they knew full well why Seong-hwan had come to the hospital.
There had been an incident where the female students went wild as graduation approached, and the vice principal had announced that they would pick the loudest class and run them ragged every day.
And the first target was the class Seong-hwan and those girls were in.
The boys had been quiet, but they got angry that they were being forced to run around too, while the girls' defiance rose to a boiling point—they said, 'Why did you drag the guys into it and make us get cursed at?'
But that rebellion was swiftly crushed.
"Anyway, you remember we agreed to hand out coffee and cake tomorrow, right?"
"Ugh, I'm dying from lack of allowance, this is a disaster, a disaster. Can't we switch to cheeseburgers?"
"Oh, you dumbass, do you perpetrators even have the right to be at the negotiating table?"
"........I know we don't, honestly."
"But you sure are honest at times like this, you bitch."
Still, the girl who'd come along as a 'bro' (???) let out a deep sigh.
***
"Patient number 428~ your name?"
"I'm Yoo Seong-hwan. January '98...."
After finishing the registration at the administration desk and receiving treatment, I came outside.
I'd always come to the hospital for the same reason, so there wasn't much to discuss with the doctor.
Still, they gave me a medicine I hadn't been prescribed before, so I took it.
A-ra, who had come outside, stretched her arms wide.
She seemed stiff from sitting for a while.
"It's dinner time already; what should we do about food?"
"Food?"
"I told you in the morning. Let's eat out today."
"Did... did you?"
"You're really not that sick, right? If you keep hiding it, I'll cry?"
"No, I really am fine, so don't worry."
I rolled up my sleeves and struck a muscle pose.
Even though I didn't have a single muscle, I wanted to show I was healthy.
But suddenly A-ra freaked out and pulled my rolled-up sleeve back down.
I yelped at the sudden pain.
"S-sorry..."
"Noona, since when did you get so strong..?"
"Huh? I've always been this strong..."
A-ra Noona was a woman who'd once rung my doorbell because she couldn't open a jam lid.
She was definitely not someone who could exert that kind of strength.
Could it be that along with the world turning gender-reversed, women's strength had increased too?
"Still, it's not okay for a guy to show bare skin outside!"
"You're more conservative than I thought."
"That's not it! Other women are watching, you know? Since you're a man, you have to be careful!"
"Uhh.."
I pulled my uniform sleeve back down and properly straightened my clothes.
Only after properly wearing the thick, oversized uniform did A-ra's eyes smile brightly.
'He really is cute.'
It seemed A-ra hadn't changed that much after all.
***
"Tch, what a shame."
"Let's eat out on graduation day."
"Really?!"
A-ra's mood swung back and forth, gloomy then bright.
If someone saw this, they'd think she had manic depression or something.
When I said let's not eat out today, she wilted, but when I suggested we cook at home, she cheered.
Since this is a gender-reversed world, wasn't men's cooking the norm?
It seemed I'd never really cooked a proper meal for A-ra before.
"Side dish shop food is tasty too, but what Seong-hwan makes is especially delicious."
"I'm sorry for not being able to cook for you often."
"You were busy studying for the college entrance exam too, weren't you?"
How could she be so considerate?
It seemed that this world's Yoo Seong-hwan had never properly cooked a meal for the wife who fed and supported him.
I wasn't that kind of ungrateful trash.
From now on, whenever A-ra ate at home, it would absolutely pass through my hands first.
"Since graduation's almost here, I'll make sure to cook for you regularly."
"R-really? I'd love that, but if it's too hard for you, y-you don't have to..."
"Your mouth and your body are saying different things."
"Uh...."
The way her eyes sparkled with anticipation even as she insisted it was okay was a little pitiful.
You shouldn't do skinship while driving, but a little head pat should be fine.
"From now on, I'll do better, A-ra Noona."
"Eeek..."
I saw a wave of emotion wash over her.
There was no doubt: this world's 'Seong-hwan' was a real piece of shit.
To have practically neglected such a devoted wife...
"First, let's stop by the mart. I saw the fridge earlier and there wasn't much in it."
"Okay, got it. We'll go to the usual place, right?"
"I'm not sure where that is, but let's go."
"Hey, there you go joking again."
She floored it as if testing the Ferrari's zero-to-100 performance.
As an aside, they got a ticket for speeding.