A Very Pleasant Scent
Bukjin was utterly astonished by the scene unfolding before his eyes. After a moment of bewilderment, he was overcome with immense joy.
'This is... AI face swapping is practically a superpower, a complete transformation art!'
He just had to take a photo with his smartphone, press a button using the Magic Camera app, and his face would change in an instant.
'This feature... it's unbelievable!'
In that moment, Bukjin realized how crucial this Magic Camera feature was in his current predicament. The Magic Camera could be considered the best means of preserving his life.
Now, Bukjin could go outside, take pictures of any two people, activate AI face swapping, and become someone else at any time. Dam Gogeum and his men could search Unmong City high and low, like hunting for a rat, but they would never even consider that Bukjin might have changed his face.
'Perfect for escaping!'
Bukjin felt a surge of exhilaration. The immense pressure that had weighed on his mind was significantly relieved.
Then, turning his head back to look at Mi Yeo-yeon, Bukjin was confronted with another problem.
'How do I change back?'
Even if he changed faces, he couldn't permanently give his own face to someone else. Nor could he live forever with someone else's face.
After a brief search, Bukjin found a "Cancel" function within the Magic Camera app. The "Cancel" function restored the changed face to its original state, but it required one tael of gold as a cancellation fee.
Paying once more, Bukjin was able to restore Mi Yeo-yeon's face to normal.
That's right. A cancellation fee.
'This damned paid app is a money-eating machine! I have to pay even to cancel!'
Bukjin's anger flared.
He then began to formulate a serious plan. About ten dagyeong later (approximately 20 minutes).
Bukjin abruptly rose from his spot and headed out of the warehouse. Sensing his movement, Mi Yeo-yeon stood up and asked,
"W-where are you going?"
Bukjin replied, "Don't move. Hide here and wait for me to return. I need to find some materials to change our faces. Once we're ready, we'll escape."
With that, Bukjin opened the door and stepped outside.
Mi Yeo-yeon quickly rose and took a couple of steps to follow him, but then stopped, returning to sit on the hay. Currently, Mi Yeo-yeon's mind was deeply troubled and anxious. Even though she had shown outstanding performance and a strong demeanor in the Academic & Martial Arts Competition, she was still just a girl of about fifteen. The fact that she was holding up mentally in such a major life crisis was remarkable in itself.
"He wouldn't just leave like this, would he? What if he doesn't come back? Should I turn myself in? Wouldn't that at least protect my family?"
As Mi Yeo-yeon was wrestling with these grave concerns, the warehouse door quickly opened, and Bukjin entered. Mi Yeo-yeon felt her vision brighten. All the worries and anxieties that had filled her heart vanished like smoke. She saw Bukjin walking in, holding two sets of strange clothes.
Once inside the warehouse, Bukjin said, "Mi, fellow student. Don't move for a moment. I'm going to perform the transformation art to change both our faces. We need to change our faces to get out of here."
"You know the transformation art?" Mi Yeo-yeon asked, surprised.
"Haha, you'll gradually come to realize just how amazing a man I am. For now, close your eyes. Don't move."
Mi Yeo-yeon obediently closed her eyes. Bukjin, without a moment's hesitation, placed his hands on Mi Yeo-yeon's face and massaged it.
'Wow! Her skin is really smooth!'
Mi Yeo-yeon's face was sleek and soft. Bukjin, feeling a touch of regret, stroked her face a couple more times. Mi Yeo-yeon's face had turned red like a ripe persimmon, but she remained obedient and still, listening to Bukjin's words.
"All done," Bukjin said.
Mi Yeo-yeon's face had already been transformed by the AI face swapping into that of a dark-skinned woman of about 40. And Bukjin's face had changed into that of an elegant and beautiful young lady of about 25. The transformation was a success.
Mi Yeo-yeon looked at Bukjin with a shocked expression. Then she touched her own face, saying in disbelief, "I-it's so amazing. To change faces so quickly, and for the effect to be so perfect!"
Mi Yeo-yeon felt like she was dreaming.
Bukjin stroked his chin, then handed the old woman's clothes he had just brought in to Mi Yeo-yeon.
"Don't forget to change your voice. The best thing is to make your throat a bit hoarse. And when you walk, hunch your back a little. If you do that, no one will recognize you. Go behind that pile of hay and change. Remember, you must take off all the clothes you were originally wearing. Not a single piece should remain. Only then can we avoid being caught at checkpoints."
Hearing Bukjin's words, Mi Yeo-yeon blushed and went behind the hay pile to change. Since her transformed face was that of a dark-skinned woman of about 40, her blush wasn't very noticeable.
Bukjin smiled pleasantly and walked behind another hay pile. In an instant, Bukjin stripped off all his clothes and began to put on the stolen women's clothing. To make the disguise even more perfect, he had even stolen women's underwear. Since all the clothes were taken from different places, it would be difficult to find any clues even if someone investigated the missing clothes.
"Phew, to think that I, the magnificent Im Bukjin, would end up cross-dressing... I've heard that cross-dressing can become addictive once you get used to it, but surely that won't happen to me?"
Bukjin was a little surprised by how good the women's clothes felt. However, the physical differences between men and women were significant. Especially for a man who had practiced martial arts, with his sturdy, inverted triangle physique, wearing women's clothes looked very awkward. If he were subjected to a checkpoint, he might arouse suspicion. Bukjin, with his life on the line, had no choice but to consider every possibility.
"That's right! The Magic Camera also had a Gender Swap function!" A thought flashed through Bukjin's mind.
And at the same time,
'Gender Swap?'
Bukjin somehow recalled the perverted broadcasts of cross-dressing men he used to watch on the internet back on Earth. After a moment of hesitation, Bukjin decided to try it.
'A person should enjoy everything in life. Everything is worth trying, so I should live adventurously and happily.'
Bukjin pressed the Gender Swap button.
This function incurs a fee of 10 taels of gold each time it is used.
'This is ridiculous! Isn't this too much? I already bought a membership, and there are in-app purchases again?'
But there was no other way for now. Bukjin gritted his teeth and paid the fee. And soon, something miraculous happened.
Bukjin found his chest swelling. It was visibly growing larger, as if air was being pumped into a balloon, from A-cup to B-cup... and past C to D-cup... It wouldn't stop expanding.
"No! Stop! This is enough! It's going to burst!" Bukjin's heart pounded with urgency.
Fortunately, at that moment, Bukjin's chest stopped expanding.
'Wow... this is unbelievable!'
Bukjin raised a hand and touched his chest. It felt like touching a rubber ball, and the sensation wasn't particularly pleasant. But when he put on the clothes... it looked very full and magnificent.
Then, as if something had just occurred to him, Bukjin quickly pulled up his trousers.
'Huh? It's gone... There's nothing there...'
Normally, there should have been something, whether male or female, but there was nothing. It was just perfectly flat.
"The function isn't perfect. The user experience is poor," Bukjin muttered with great regret. However, even at this level, it was excellent for the current situation.
Bukjin judged that the pursuers and soldiers in Unmong City wouldn't go around touching any woman's chest or buttocks, like his old delinquent self. All preparations were complete.
At that moment, Mi Yeo-yeon on the other side had also finished changing her clothes. She walked out from behind the hay pile with a shy expression. However, her current appearance was that of a dark-skinned woman of about 40, and her shy expression felt very awkward to Bukjin.
And when Mi Yeo-yeon saw Bukjin, she was once again struck by a great shock. Her mouth hung open, and she stared blankly at Bukjin's chest, looking as if she had seen a ghost.
'H-how is it so big? Can even that part be transformed?'
Facing her, Bukjin smiled kindly and said, "Haha, it's nothing special. I just put some things inside."
Bukjin vaguely brushed it off, abandoning his idea of disguising Mi Yeo-yeon as a man. Besides, there were many aspects of this transformation art that were difficult to explain.
"What did you do with the clothes you changed out of?" Bukjin asked.
Mi Yeo-yeon blushed again and showed him the torn clothes and underwear she was clutching to her chest. "Were you planning to bury them somewhere?"
Although they were all torn to pieces and barely recognizable, they were intimate clothes that covered private parts. Seeing them displayed to Bukjin made her feel as if she had been stripped naked in front of him.
At that, Bukjin shook his head and said, "No. Burying them makes it very easy to expose our tracks. If someone finds them, our movements could be revealed. Do you happen to have a spatial artifact to store things?"
Mi Yeo-yeon shook her head. She was from a middle-class family in Unmong City, so she wouldn't have such a rare item.
"Then leave them to me," Bukjin said, extending his hand.
"Huh?" Mi Yeo-yeon felt her mind go blank. But she understood Bukjin's words, and at this point, she had no choice but to rely on him.
Mi Yeo-yeon handed the clothes she was holding to Bukjin. As Bukjin took the clothes, he caught a subtle, indescribable scent. Unconsciously, Bukjin awkwardly wrinkled his nose and said, "A very pleasant scent..."
Mi Yeo-yeon's mind went blank once more, and she said angrily, "Senior Brother Im! You..."
Bukjin then realized what he had said and quickly interjected, "Hmm, it's a familiar scent. This much is just..."
'Damn it! I blurted out "familiar scent"! It makes me sound like someone who does this often!'
Bukjin, unable to finish his sentence, was flustered with himself.