Chapter 2: The Start of the Gender-Reversed World
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 2: The Start of the Gender-Reversed World
In her second year as a teacher at a Basic Education Institute, Lee Ji-yeon didn't think much of the news that a new pupil was joining her class. She felt a slight flutter of nerves at the mention of it being a boy, but as a professional who could already be considered a veteran, she stood before the full-length mirror to check her appearance one last time.
When looking after children, problems tended to pop up in the most unexpected places. Sometimes they’d pull pranks like surreptitiously smearing paint on her or sticking stickers on her clothes—cute things, really.
While she liked dressing to the children's eye level, her philosophy was that looking neat and tidy left a better impression on both the guardians and the pupils.
‘Outfit looks fine.’
She double-checked her pride and joy: her fluffy, ash-grey hair. Being a Sheep Beastkin, her hair was exceptionally soft and voluminous even for someone with wavy hair; children would occasionally try to hide pens or toys inside it.
‘Good, no problems there either.’
Once her preparations were complete, Lee Ji-yeon gave a polite smile and a nod to the principal, who was fussing over the fact that the new student was a boy and urging her to be extra careful. Then, she looked over the boy's profile.
Mother: Elf. Father: Sperm bank, naturally. The only outlier was the presence of the Dragon Factor. If the Dragon Factor had manifested in a male child within the United Kingdom, there was no way things would be this quiet. Still, they’d managed to produce a male, so I suppose it was a success.
Ji-yeon committed the boy's details to memory. Fortunately, the guardian arrived at the parking lot exactly on time, which suggested they were likely a sensible person.
A luxury sedan? He must be from a wealthy family. No, wait—since they have a male child, they probably receive enough subsidies to afford a car like that.
Hoping the boy wouldn't have a difficult personality, she waited for the guardian and the pupil at the main gate.
"Oh my goodness..."
The moment the "angel" stepped out of the car, her jaw dropped.
He had skin as white as jade, black hair, and dark eyes where the pupil and iris were almost indistinguishable. The boy’s appearance was so adorable she instinctively wanted to pull him into a hug; she found herself completely captivated.
"Hello, Teacher. Are you Teacher Lee Ji-yeon, the one who will be looking after our Yong-hwan?"
"Ah, yes... Ah, hello."
The guardian’s attire was striking, but that wasn't what mattered right now. Ji-yeon couldn't take her eyes off the boy, who was staring up at her while tightly clutching his mother's hand.
"Our Yong-hwan had a bit of an accident at his previous place. He threw such a fit about not wanting to go back there..."
The government provided so much support for male children that they even established exclusive educational institutions for them.
Parents usually preferred sending their sons to places with rare male teachers. It was highly unusual for someone to bypass public education and send a boy to a general facility like this.
"I-I see. I will make sure to take extra special care of him, Mother. And your name is Yong-hwan? What a lovely name. H-Hi there~"
"Yes, hello! Please take good care of me, Teacher!"
Seeing him bow politely in such an adorable manner made her reflexively swallow hard. He must have been pampered like a precious brat since birth, yet he was so well-mannered.
No, is it just because he’s still young? It broke her heart to think that such a sweet, cute child would grow up to be one of those inferior men who did nothing but spout social grievances at home.
Stay calm. If she taught him well, he wouldn't become a canker on society; he would surely grow into a superior male who could serve as an excellent role model for many other men.
"Our Yong-hwan is quite cute, isn't he? He’s smart and listens well, so he shouldn't be much trouble. It’s just that... well, girls can be a bit mischievous..."
"Yes, yes, please don't worry. All the children here are very kind."
Only then did Ji-yeon really look at the mother. She was a member of the rare Elf species. She was wearing a formal uniform, as if she wanted to make it clear she was a police officer. Furthermore, the epaulettes on her shoulders looked quite heavy.
Ji-yeon didn't know much about the police force, but she could tell the guardian was at least a Police Executive—and a high-ranking one at that.
"There shouldn't be any major issues here, but... Yong-hwan is a bit scared of other boys. At the place where the accident happened... another child in his class pushed him by mistake, and he was badly hurt. Ever since then..."
Ji-yeon nodded understandingly at the mother's explanation. It was obvious that a male teacher would have doted on such a cute child to an extreme degree. Children were often more perceptive than adults. That must have been it.
Jealousy. It was a trait inherent to the male species.
"Now then, Yong-hwan, shall we go say hello to our friends?"
"Yes! Thank you, Teacher."
Seeing the polite 'male' pupil bow with a bright smile made her feel like she’d be happy coming to work every day starting tomorrow.
"What does our Yong-hwan eat to be this cute?!"
"You're very pretty too, Teacher Yang!"
In her second year as a teacher, Lee Ji-yeon, the Sheep Beastkin, felt her slowly dying love for children and her protective instincts flare up once again.
***
I didn't have any particular grudge against the kid named Si-u in my old class, but the problem was that the male teachers were all so overbearing.
They’d harass me with all sorts of nonsense like, "A man has to do this," "A man must do that," or "A man shouldn't do this." After that concussion incident, I had no choice but to throw a tantrum and tell my mom I couldn't go back.
I checked out about three other male-only exclusive educational institutions, but they were all the same. They spent all day lecturing me on how a boy should behave. It was like torture, so I threw another fit and asked to be sent to a "general" institution.
Maybe it’s because her maternal instincts are as abundant as her bust, but Mama—no, wait. My mistake. That’s what I call her at home. Anyway, Mother had no choice but to pull some strings and slot me into a "safe" institution that had the best reviews and came recommended by her subordinates.
The only problem was...
"Ouch...!"
"Hehe, Yong-hwan is a dummy!"
The kids started picking on me. As soon as the "bullying as a form of affection" common among young children began, I scurried over to our Fluffy Teacher, Lee Ji-yeon, and clung to her leg.
"T-Teacher..."
"Yong-hwan, what's wrong? Were your friends playing pranks on you again?"
I nodded a few times with a deeply sorrowful expression. Then, the Sheep Teacher—who had a magnificent bust, though not quite as much as my mother—picked me up and pulled me into a hug.
Ah, the gender-reversed world is the best. No, wait, that's not it. Fantasy is the best.
"Yong-hwan, if your friends pick on you, you have to tell them to stop. If you keep coming to Teacher for help, they might do it even more, you know?"
"I don't want to... I want to stay with Teacher forever."
I could see the teacher's eyes becoming saturated with protective instinct.
***
"I don't want to... I want to stay with Teacher forever."
Looking up at those teary black eyes, Lee Ji-yeon felt her breath hitch again.
"Isn't it boring just playing with Teacher?"
"I... I wike Teacher!"
Suppressing the strange sensation that went beyond a mere protective urge—a feeling that she would do anything for this child—she maintained her usual fluffy smile.
"I-I see... Is that so? But you still have to play with your friends. You have to tell them when something hurts so they can understand. Our Yong-hwan can do that, right?"
"Mmm... Since Teacher said so... I'll try."
How could a child be this kind, cute, lovely, and perfect? Ji-yeon struggled to hide the impulse to literally bite him all over, and when the young pupil rubbed his cheek against her, she reflexively hugged him tight.
"Teachew... I can't bweathe..."
"Sorry! I'm so sorry, Yong-hwan. You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"
Ji-yeon hurriedly set the young boy down and checked his complexion, worried she might have hurt him.
"It's okay. It felt warm here because Teacher hugged me so tight."
Seeing the boy smile brightly with his hands over his heart, she found herself letting out a strange laugh. Well, laughing was one thing, but her legs suddenly gave way as if all the strength had been drained from her body, and she slumped to the floor.
"Huh? Oh? Why am I...?"
Her field of vision suddenly dropped. The young pupil looked at her with startled eyes. She didn't know what was happening, but Ji-yeon forced a smile so the child wouldn't be scared.
"Teacher, are you hurt?"
"No, no... my legs just suddenly felt weak... It's nothing. Teacher was just being a dummy and tripped."
Without understanding why her legs had turned to jelly, Ji-yeon used her veteran instincts to quickly usher Yong-hwan back toward the classroom.
Watching the little boy return to the girls who had been teasing him just moments ago and flash them a bright smile, Ji-yeon unconsciously swallowed hard.
Then, she pressed her hands firmly against her face. She felt like she couldn't control her expression.
For a damn brat, he’s actually getting me worked up.
As that thought surged within her, Ji-yeon squeezed her cheeks hard.
"My god... what did I just think about a child...?"
The Fluffy Beastkin teacher was horrified by her own internal monologue and shook her head violently, as if trying to deny it with everything she had.