It's Not a Hunter, It's a Hunter
The salty sea breeze brushed against my cheek. The familiar scent of the tide mixed with the faint smell of fish from the village pier filled my lungs. I slowly opened my eyes.
The world looked different. No, to be precise, I looked different.
What the hell is this?
I stared at the reflection in the small hand mirror on the wooden table. Long, silky black hair cascaded down like a waterfall. Delicate features that could only be described as beautiful. A slender neck, narrow shoulders, and a chest that definitely wasn't there before.
My hands trembled as I touched my face. Soft. Smooth. Unbelievably delicate.
This isn't me. This can't be me.
My name is Kim Sajeong. Forty-two years old. A licensed yeopsa who had spent twenty years in this rural seaside village of Dohoang-ri, hunting pests and wild game with a shotgun. Not some fancy superhuman Hunter who cleared dimensional gates for millions in cash, but a plain old traditional hunter. A yeopsa.
But now...
"This body... it's a woman's."
The voice that came out was clear and high-pitched. A young woman's voice. I clutched my throat in shock.
Did I die? Did I get reincarnated? Or is this some kind of prank from the gods?
Memories flooded in. Last night, I'd been drinking with the village elders after successfully hunting a wild boar that had been damaging the crops. I remember stumbling home, collapsing into bed... and then nothing.
Now I was like this.
I stood up unsteadily. The old wooden floor creaked under my much lighter weight. My clothes hung loosely on this unfamiliar body. I needed to find something that fit.
Just then, the door burst open.
"Dad! You're finally awake? The village chief is looking for you—"
A girl with short brown hair and fox-like ears froze in the doorway. Her golden eyes widened as she stared at me.
Yeonji. My daughter. No, wait. In my memories, she was my daughter, but now...
"...Who are you?" she asked cautiously, her hand moving toward the small knife at her belt. Her ears twitched, a clear sign of tension. As a half-beastman, her instincts were sharp.
I swallowed hard. How was I supposed to explain this?
"Yeonji... it's me. Your father."
Her ears shot straight up. The knife clattered to the floor.
"...Dad?"
Her voice cracked. Those golden eyes filled with tears in an instant.
"What happened to you? Your face... your body... Did a monster do this? Or was it a curse from a gate?"
She rushed forward and grabbed my hands. Her touch was warm. The way she looked up at me with those worried eyes made something twist painfully in my chest.
Damn it. Even in this ridiculous situation, she's still my daughter.
"I don't know either. I woke up like this."
Yeonji bit her lip, then suddenly pulled me into a tight hug. Her face pressed against my... well, against what was now quite prominently my chest.
"It doesn't matter. You're still my dad. Even if you look like a beautiful noona now, you're still my dad."
Beautiful noona? Kid, your father's pride is taking some serious damage here.
But I patted her back anyway. The familiar scent of her hair—sunshine, grass, and a hint of the sea—helped calm my racing heart.
After a long moment, she pulled back and wiped her eyes with her sleeve.
"The village chief needs to know about this. And we should probably contact the Hunters Association too. This might be related to some kind of dimensional anomaly."
I nodded. As a yeopsa, I had some connections with the Association, though they mostly looked down on traditional hunters like me. Still, if anyone could explain what happened to my body, it would be them.
But first...
"Before that, can you find me some clothes that actually fit?"
Yeonji looked me up and down, then burst out laughing despite her tears.
"You look ridiculous in those baggy pants. Wait here, I'll grab some of Mom's old clothes from the storage. Though... they might be a bit outdated."
As she rummaged through the closet, I sat back down and looked at my hands again. Small. Slender. Hands that had once gripped a shotgun with calloused confidence now looked like they belonged to a delicate young woman.
Just what the hell happened to me?
Outside the window, the sea sparkled under the morning sun. The village of Dohoang-ri continued its peaceful rhythm—beastmen children chasing each other, mermaids splashing in the shallows near the pier, and the distant sound of a Hunter team's truck rumbling along the coastal road.
My life as a middle-aged yeopsa had been simple but satisfying. Hunting pests, protecting the village, raising my daughter, drinking with the elders in the evening.
Now everything had changed in the most absurd way possible.
Yeonji returned with an armful of clothes and a determined expression.
"Here. Try these on. And don't worry, Dad. No matter what you look like, you're still the best hunter in Dohoang-ri. Yeopsa or Hunter, it doesn't matter. You're our hunter."
I smiled despite myself. Her words warmed something deep inside this strange new body.
"Yeah. It's not a Hunter. It's a hunter."
As I took the clothes from her, I made a silent vow.
Whatever caused this, I'll figure it out. And until then, I'll protect this village and my daughter. With this body or any other.
After all, a hunter's spirit doesn't change just because the packaging does.