The Law That Dragged Me Outside

The clear, refreshing chime of the doorbell echoed through the living room.

"Who could that be? At this hour..."

The current time was between seven and eight in the evening—an awkward hour for anyone to come visiting. It was late enough that dropping by someone's house could easily feel like an imposition. Mom finally released her grip on my wrist and stood up. My mind wasn't really registering the fact that we had visitors. Instead, I sat there in a daze, still reeling from the overwhelming difference in strength I'd just felt between a woman and a man.

Fuck. Is this really how it is?

But what could I do? This was reality now. As I clutched my whitening hair, another disturbing thought began to form in my head. The extremely low male population. The vast gap in social status between women and men. So what kind of treatment did men receive in this world? Were they living the sweet life like I'd hoped? Did women pamper and serve them because men were so rare? Or... were they treated as possessions?

Thanks to the visitors who had come to our house, I would soon have that question answered far sooner than expected.

"Who is it?" Mom asked as she opened the door to check. For a brief moment, I wondered if it might have been safer to check the intercom first, but then I realized that kind of caution only applied when you were the one answering the door. As a man, that realization hit me like a fresh reminder that I was truly living in a new world.

"Konbanwa~ Ah, would you be more comfortable with Chosun-eo?"

Three young women stood there in neat business suits. The one at the front had started in Japanese before quickly switching to Korean. She must have guessed that someone of Mom's age would find Chosun-eo easier. It seemed there were still plenty of people who used the Korean language. That, at least, was a small relief for me.

"Yes, Korean is fine," Mom replied, accepting her consideration.

"Understood. We are from the Gyeongseong City Hall."

"Gyeongseong City Hall?"

Gyeongseong? Right—during the Japanese colonial period, Seoul had been called Gyeongseong. So Gyeongseong City Hall must be the equivalent of Seoul City Hall.

"A new law passed by the homeland went into effect this year. That's why we've come to visit regarding your son."

The visitor explained the purpose of their visit.

"A... law? What law?"

"Oh, it seems you haven't heard yet. In that case..."

She handed Mom a single sheet of paper from a file. Since it concerned me, curiosity got the better of me and I walked over to the entrance where Mom was standing. I peeked over her shoulder at the document she was holding.

It was clearly written in Hangul, but the title alone made no sense to me. Mandatory social activity? What did that even mean? Were men reluctant to participate in society, so the government was forcing them to?

I tried to puzzle it out in my head, guessing at what the law might entail. At that moment, my eyes met those of the woman standing in front of Mom. A chill ran down my spine and goosebumps prickled across my skin. It was a completely different feeling from what I'd sensed from Mom. The woman was staring at me with an incredibly sticky, predatory gaze. Her face had flushed red as if she were excited, and she slowly licked her lips with the tip of her tongue. Even without exchanging a single word, I could tell exactly what she thought of me.

Instinctively, I tried to step back to escape that creepy stare. But—

"Oh my~ So you were home. You must be Minami Siwu, right? Nice to meet you!"

She used what sounded like a Japanese surname combined with my name, then extended her hand for a handshake. Caught off guard by the sudden request, I froze, unsure what to do. Mom quickly stepped between us, blocking the woman's hand. In that instant, Mom looked incredibly reliable. Even though I was supposed to be the one protecting her...

"Siwu, if you're scared, do you want to go to your room?"

She spoke as if she were talking to a small child. I was grateful for her protection and care, but in that brief moment, I made up my mind.

I can't keep living in fear like this in this world.

Besides, these people were government officials. Surely they wouldn't do anything weird. I decided to step up like a man. (Or would that be like a woman here?)

"I'm sorry, but I don't speak Japanese, so I'm not sure why you got my surname wrong... Anyway, my name is Namgung Siwu."

I firmly took the woman's hand, correcting my surname and accepting her handshake. She looked momentarily surprised, but then her face flushed again as she gazed at me with those sticky eyes. Her stare licked me from head to toe.

Fuck. It was still scary as hell.

"Ah, so you're using a Chosun surname! I assumed you had a mainland one..."

"Anyway, I heard you have business with me. If it's all right with you, why don't you come inside so we can talk?"

Mom turned to me with a very surprised expression.

"Si... Siwu? Are you sure??"

"Huh? About what?"

Mom sounded like she hadn't expected this from me at all.

"Then shall we?"

The woman accepted readily. Still holding my hand, she brushed past Mom and pulled me deeper into the house.

"Um... my hand..."

"Ah! I'm sorry..."

Only then did she let go—but not before slowly sliding her fingers across my palm, releasing me with deliberate reluctance. What the hell was wrong with this woman? No. I couldn't freak out. Mom was still here. What could they possibly do? I was going to show them who the real alpha male was. Namgung Siwu! With that thought, I tried to guide the three women toward the kitchen table.

But at that moment—

Ring ring~ Ring ring~

The phone rang. Mom, who had been following me in from the entrance, quickly pulled out her cell phone and answered.

"Moshi moshi?"

Of course she answered in Japanese. It really seemed like Japanese was the most widely used language in society.

"Hai? Hai... Hai..."

Mom's expression gradually turned troubled.

"Hai, ichiou wakarimashita. Shitsureishimasu."

She didn't look like she'd received good news.

"Siwu, what should we do? There's an emergency at the company and they want me to come in right away..."

"What?"

This was an unexpected development.

"I'm sorry, but could you possibly come back tomorrow?"

Mom tried to send the visitors away, clearly uneasy about leaving me alone with the three women. But I was determined to follow through with my decision.

"Mom, just go."

"Huh???"

"I'm not a kid anymore... I'm an adult now."

"But... you've always been so scared of women that you only took online classes..."

I learned something new. Apparently, before the world changed, I had been terrified of women.

"I don't want to be a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠burden to you. I'll be fine."

"Oh my, it's so rare to see such a mature young man... How admirable!"

The woman who had grabbed my hand reacted with genuine surprise and praised me. It seemed that in this world, men being afraid of women was the default setting. Still, I refused to back down. Her gaze was definitely scary, but I couldn't keep hiding behind Mom's skirt like I had in my previous life.

"It's fine. Just go."

"O-okay. Got it. I'll be back as soon as I can. Call me if anything happens!"

"I will. Have a safe trip!"

Whether she was respecting my wishes or whether the company matter was truly urgent, I couldn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tell. But the moment I said that, Mom hurriedly threw on her coat and rushed out the door. The way she was scrambling like that made it clear it really was an emergency.

Click. The door shut and the automatic lock engaged.

"Please, have a seat."

"Yes. Thank you~"

She answered with a much brighter expression than she'd had at the entrance, as if she'd just received an unexpected stroke of luck, and followed me to the kitchen table.

"Um... on the other side..."

"I want to sit next to you, Siwu-nim."

I pointed at the chair directly across from the one ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I was about to sit in, trying to guide her there, but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠she naturally took the seat right beside me. I tried to correct her, but she brushed off my intention with a slightly ridiculous excuse.

"Excuse me?"

"Hontou ni nihongo dekinai n desu ka?"

"What did you say?"

"Pfft, it's nothing~"

"No, what the..."

She suddenly spoke in Japanese, then let out a small, mocking laugh.

"It's just rare to meet a young person who can't speak Japanese, so I was a little surprised."

"Ah, I see... Anyway, if you could sit on the other side..."

Before I could finish, the other two women who had followed her quickly took the two seats across from me.

"Just sit next to me then..."

Come to think of it, there were only four chairs. Someone was bound to end up sitting beside me anyway. Was that why she'd said she wanted to sit next to me?

"But he's really handsome..."

She complimented my appearance and continued sending me those deep, lingering gazes.

"Tashika ni, meccha kawaii na~"

"To iu yori, kono ko erosugiru."

"What are those two saying?"

The two women across from us had started chatting in Japanese among themselves. When I asked what they meant, the woman didn't tell me.

"It's work-related, so you don't need to worry about it. By the way, do you have a girlfriend?"

"Huh?"

It was such a sudden, rude question that it was hard to tell whether they were here for work or just visiting. It didn't feel very professional.

"Aren't you here for official business?"

"Oh dear, I'm sorry. It's just that Siwu-nim is so... I mean, so incredibly handsome."

"Unbelievable..."

The lack of basic courtesy was starting to piss me off. It felt like she was saying these things because she firmly believed I was too scared to push back.

"Ahem. Anyway, the reason we're here is to inform you about a few things related to the newly enacted law."

Finally, she started acting like a proper civil servant.

"To get straight to the point, Siwu-nim, you are now required to enroll at Gyeongseong Academy."

"Pardon?"

"Gyeongseong Academy. Surely you've heard of it? Even if you're a man, it's such a famous place that most people should know..."

This bombshell notification came out of nowhere. An academy? What kind of academy?

"Is it like a university?"

"It's an institution of higher education. It's a four-year program, and upon graduation you receive a bachelor's degree, so yes, it can be considered a university."

Swish. Swish.

"The main point of the new law is that any unmarried man who isn't currently enrolled in school or employed by a company must attend school or work."

She explained the law quite concisely. Even from that single sentence, I could grasp the core idea immediately.

Swish. Swish.

"So because I fall under that category..."

"Exactly. In short, it's a law meant to drag reclusive men who aren't participating in society back out into the world."

She made a gesture with her hand as if pulling something out while explaining the law's intent. Wait—fuck, hold on.

"Stop touching my leg."

"What? I wasn't touching anything."

She had been stealthily stroking my thigh, but the moment I called her out, she pulled her hand back and played innocent.

"Senpai, daitan desu ne."

"Un, koitsu erosugite te ga katte ni ugokidashite shimatta yo~"

Now she was casually chatting in Japanese with her subordinate again. This was seriously getting on my nerves. What the hell were they saying? It definitely didn't sound like work talk.

"Ha... So since it's mandatory, I guess I don't have a choice but to go."

"That's right. If you don't want to, your only other option is to get married immediately. The country decides which school you attend or where you work..."

As she spoke, she pulled a thick stack of documents from her briefcase with both hands and placed them in front of me.

"I know this is very sudden, but there's nothing we can do about it. These are the enrollment documents for Gyeongseong Academy. Please fill them out and submit them at the school on March 1st—that's next week."

There was an absurd amount of paperwork. At least thirty pages.

"N-next week??"

"Wow~ I'm so jealous~ I failed the entrance exam and ended up taking the civil service test instead. My dream used to be becoming a Special Security Maintenance Officer, you know."

She ignored my question and started talking about her old career aspirations. Another unfamiliar term had popped up.

"Special Security... What is that?"

"Did you grow up on a deserted island or something? Heroes. Heroes. Civilians with special qualifications who use their Individuality to fight criminals in place of the police. Wow, this is honestly so unfair. I worked my ass off and still couldn't get in, but some guy with no Individuality at all gets to enroll just because he's a man."

Even as she answered my question, her tone grew increasingly crude and resentful as she vented her frustration over how envious and bitter she felt.

"The country gives men houses, money, all kinds of policy benefits just for being born male. It's so fucking unfair."

Once again, her hand stealthily crept toward my leg.

"Don't you think so? Our cute little Siwu-nim?"

"....."

The sensation of her hand on my leg spread through my entire body. If it had been my girlfriend or someone close to me, it might not have felt so unpleasant. But having my will ignored while she touched me however she pleased was far from enjoyable. Her hand slowly began moving toward my most private area.

"Born with a silver spoon in your mouth, sucking up all that honey. How happy you must be, huh?"

The moment I heard those words, it felt like something inside me—the last thread holding my sanity together—snapped. What the hell did she know about me to spout that kind of bullshit? I quickly grabbed her hand.

"I told you not to touch my leg, you fucking bitch."