5 - You look like a whore!
5 - You look like a whore!
It was cold outside.
That made sense.
A clock tower with a thermometer stood in one corner of the schoolyard.
It was currently pointing to minus ten degrees Celsius.
"Doesn't feel as cold as I expected."
But thinking about the temperature of minus ten degrees, it really wasn't that cold.
I was wearing a skirt.
With nothing covering the bottom, it should have been freezing.
Yet it wasn't.
It wasn't even a long skirt that reached my ankles—just a fairly short one that barely covered my thighs.
On top of that, I had on slightly flesh-toned black stockings.
"...These stockings are warmer than I thought."
When I was still a guy, I used to wonder how women managed to wear skirts in this kind of weather.
Now that question was solved.
It was all thanks to the black stockings acting like long underwear.
Was it because one of those trivial curiosities from the past had finally been answered?
Or was it because of the cold weather itself?
The rage that had been boiling up to the top of my head seemed to have cooled down a little.
Current time: 8:20 a.m.
Obviously morning.
"Why isn't anyone here at this hour?"
Strange.
The exam was supposed to start at 9.
By now this place should be packed.
The only way to tell this was the exam venue was the single banner hanging over the entrance.
[Seoul 24th District Women's University Entrance Exam Venue]
Yeah.
I had come to the exact right place for the test.
People would show up soon.
No need to worry too much.
On another note, that cleared up my second question.
What kind of exam I was supposed to take.
"So it really was just the college entrance exam."
The exam.
The very test my little sister had thrown such a fit over, demanding I take it.
Its true identity was the university entrance exam.
The one I already knew—the CSAT.
Probably that.
Given the strange vibe from my sister and father, I had assumed it was some special test, but it turned out to be nothing out of the ordinary?
"Haha......"
The tension eased for a moment.
Maybe that was why.
A chill I hadn't felt until now began to creep in.
"Women's... university?"
One question still remained.
The words "Women's University" written on the exam venue banner.
Normally, college entrance exams were taken by both men and women together, right?
Vroooom!
A red sports car suddenly accelerated straight toward the entrance.
"Wh-what the—!"
The car was clearly targeting me, charging straight ahead.
What the hell is going on?!
"A-ahh!!"
Pure terror froze my body on the spot.
It couldn't be helped.
The car barreling toward me was the exact same model as the one that had ended my life as a man.
While I stood helpless, the car rushed closer.
If this kept up, I was going to get hit and die.
The memory of the accident flashed back.
That horrific pain resurfaced.
No.
Absolutely not.
I never wanted to feel that pain again.
Don't come!
I said don't come!!
If you were going to do this, why did you even save me?!
Just to keep torturing me?
Damn it!!
No!!
I don't want this!!
"Kyyaaaaah!!"
An unbelievably high-pitched scream burst from my throat.
A panicked shriek.
It was certain.
I was going to be hit by that red sports car.
The same car that had shattered my body.
The same car that had inflicted that unbearable agony.
And now it was charging again to torment the girl I had become.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
I couldn't accept death the way I had back then.
Please.
Please stop!!
I don't want to die twice!
Screeeeeech!
The sound of tires skidding.
Exactly like before.
The red sports car's bumper was about to pulverize my waist and legs.
That pain would return.
Damn it.
Damn it.
I wanted to dodge, but my body wouldn't move.
Shit!
Shiiit!!
Screech!
Maybe my prayers worked?
There was no pain.
Had I passed out before the pain could register?
Thank goodness.
......
Wait, something's off?
Why am I still thinking?
I cracked my eyes open.
A white light entered my vision.
Swish.
A pair of long, slender calves.
At the end of them, red high heels came into view.
Click.
The sharp sound of the heels striking the floor rang in my ears, matching their pointed shape.
"You were serious, huh?"
Click.
The owner of the red high heels revealed herself.
A woman with short, blonde-dyed hair.
But......
"Huh...!"
I instantly looked away.
I couldn't bear to look.
The whore outfit my so-called father had given me.
The woman was wearing something on the same level.
"Oh my, look at her? Acting all prim and proper when she's destined to become a Prospective Female anyway?"
"...Do I know you?"
Crap.
I messed up.
I didn't know this woman, but she clearly knew the original owner of this body.
I'd blurted that out in a panic!
What do I do now?
"You said not to look anymore, so you really meant it, huh?"
"......"
Thank goodness.
She filled in the blanks herself.
"But when it's obvious you're going to end up in a miserable state, how could I just stand by as your friend?"
Was this woman really the original body's friend?
Her level of provocation didn't feel very friendly.
"You think you can actually get into university or something?"
That wasn't a worried expression.
It was a smile.
A sneer.
Yeah.
That confirmed it.
This bitch was my enemy.
From years of social experience, I knew one thing for sure.
If you didn't put down someone who looked down on you, you'd end up becoming the real joke.
"Shut your whore mouth, it's too damn loud."
"Wh-what? Whore?"
The best way to deal with this kind of rudeness was to hit back hard.
But what the hell?
Why was she reacting like that?
No woman would be happy to be called a whore.
That should have been a shocking insult, right?
"Hah, seriously! So now you're just making up words for fun?"
What?
She didn't know the word "whore"?
"If you just spout made-up words, did you think I'd fall for it? Who do you think you're treating like an idiot?"
"No, that's......"
"Shut up!!"
When I shouted at the top of my lungs, a chill ran down my spine.
I could feel a deep-rooted rage directed at me.
"You've always been like this. Pretending to know everything! Pretending!!"
Her whole body trembled with pure fury.
The way she glared at me looked like she wanted to kill me.
"So today has finally come. The moment your skills get exposed!"
The woman pointed an accusing finger at me.
"I'll watch until the very end! The moment you fall into despair!! I'll watch you right up to the finish!"
If we were the same age and supposedly friends, we should be taking the exam together today, so what exactly was she planning to watch?
I really didn't get it.
The rules of this world I was in were so far removed from the one I used to live in that I had no idea what was going on......
"That face that keeps looking down on people!! It's so annoying!!"
Bang!!
The blonde woman slammed the car door shut and drove into the building's underground parking lot.
"Whew......"
Once the tension left, my legs wobbled a little.
Dealing with someone that aggressive was always exhausting.
"I'm so tired, I wonder if I can even do well on the exam."
Seeing her made the pressure of the test come rushing back.
I still didn't know what the exam was, but I had the feeling that failing it would be disastrous.
[Thirty minutes remain until the exam. Examinees, please proceed to the exam hall immediately.]
A sudden announcement blared from the schoolyard speakers.
It was clearly meant for me.
"What the heck? An exam in the middle of all this?"
Something felt off.
With only thirty minutes left, there wasn't a single examinee in sight.
And now they were calling for examinees.
"Hah... I don't know anymore."
The important thing was to get moving.
If I didn't show up when they were looking for me, I'd be disqualified before I even took the test.
"It said the third floor, right?"
I quickly headed inside the building.
Completely unaware of the shocking scene that awaited me.
**
Third floor.
The high school classrooms I knew.
One of them stood apart from the rest.
Only that room had a sign marking it as the exam hall.
"What? They're only using one class?"
It didn't make sense.
How could there be so few female high school students in this district?
[One minute remains until the exam hall closes. Examinees, please enter the exam hall immediately.]
"Eek?! Already?!"
The girlish yelp that escaped against my will annoyed me, but I had no time to worry about it.
I couldn't afford to miss entering that exam hall.
I sprinted and reached the entrance......
"Huh... what's this?"
A metal staircase stood at the classroom entrance.
"Pretty high, isn't it......?"
The stairs were so steep and tall that the top wasn't even visible.
But figuring out what they were wasn't the priority.
I had to get inside fast.
Tap tap.
I started climbing the stairs.
It felt like ascending to the second floor of some old building.
No, why the hell were there stairs inside a classroom?!
Was this place insane?
As I climbed, a black curtain came into view.
The exam hall had to be behind it.
Whoosh.
I pushed the black curtain aside and stepped into the exam hall.
"...Ah......"
I was at a loss for words.
It was nothing like I had imagined.
Left wall.
Right wall.
Ceiling.
And even the floor.
Every surface was covered in mirrors.
And seated there were three women.
"Haha... hahaha......"
A hollow laugh escaped me.
Their outfits.
The same kind of clothes my father had given me.
And the same level of exposure as the outfit that blonde bitch had been wearing.
No—these were far more revealing.
[Examinee number 3. Take your seat immediately!]
The broadcast was addressing examinee number 3.
That was me.
It wasn't a general announcement to everyone.
It was for me.
Only for me.
'What the hell. So they've been... watching me this whole time?'
Goosebumps erupted all over my body.
A dreadful feeling flooded my mind.