Is This a Psych Ward...?
Did you know?
The human sex chromosome is composed of XX for women and XY for men.
At one point, there was talk that the male Y chromosome would keep shrinking until it vanished entirely.
Right here.
In a parallel universe where, after eons of that slow decay, an age arrived so emasculated that the term "manhood" could barely be applied at all — the age of the Super-Egen Male.
And onto that world, one man dropped out of a flipped world-line.
—Jwoop... jjeoop...
A sticky, suggestive sound drifted into my ears. As my hazy consciousness returned, my eyes opened on their own.
An unfamiliar ceiling. A plush bed cradling my body. I woke in a room suffused with the fragrant scent of flowers.
Glancing around, I saw curtains drawn here and there, giving the place the atmosphere of a hospital's multi-patient ward.
—Heh... heeek...
The sticky sound stopped, replaced by ragged, panting breaths.
Isn't this supposed to be a shared living space? Should that really be happening in here?
"What the hell."
I said it slowly as I sat up.
—Chwap!
I pushed aside the curtain at the source of the sound, and there stood two somewhat slight men locked in a slimy, clinging kiss.
A thin, long strand of saliva stretched between their lips.
Suggestive, sure. But as a fellow man, it was a scene I could have done without.
An Age of Respect.
I like that phrase. As long as people aren't burdening anyone else, I believe whatever they do deserves respect.
But isn't this supposed to be a communal space?
Goddammit.
"Oh, you're awake, Inkyu!"
Someone who knew my name. Despite the searing what-the-fuck rising in my chest, I returned the greeting, wary of my unknown situation.
"Ah... hi? So, uh... where exactly is here?"
A young man with a soft, gentle face answered my question alongside the greeting. "So you don't remember. It's okay! The doctor will help you!"
Doctor? So this really is a hospital.
"Oh, um. Right. Sorry for interrupting what you were doing. Carry on."
"Okay!"
He pulled the curtain shut again, and I returned to my own bed.
—Tzik.
—Good morning, everyone.
A pleasant male voice came through a speaker in the room — the kind of light, high-register voice a man could hit with ease.
—Our center is a nationally certified medical facility dedicated to the protection and welfare of men...
Male... protection? Welfare...?
That was the precise moment I became certain: this was a psych ward.
Let me think this through...
Over summer vacation, I'd gone to the countryside with my friends, and at night we went out hunting for rhinoceros beetles...
And ran into a wild boar.
We outnumbered it three to one, and I guess because I'd watched all those documentaries on primitive tribes, an old hunting instinct I'd forgotten I possessed stirred awake.
"Actually, we got this?"
And then I came to, lying in a bed.
"Inkyu, sir?"
While I was retracing my memories, someone called my name and opened the door. They were bundled up in thick clothes and had their face covered, as if they weren't allowed to show themselves.
The moment a woman's voice — doing its best impression of a man's — rang out, the other patients in the ward dove under their blankets.
"I'm sorry, but your attending physician is running late this morning because of a meeting... so I came in their place..."
What...? Why is everyone hiding under the blankets?
"I'm Inkyu."
I answered, for now. I had far too many questions.
"Hello. You were in a comatose state for about two weeks, and our safety monitoring cameras confirmed you'd woken up. Do you think you could manage walking to the counseling room?"
"Um... what about my friends? The ones I should've been admitted with?"
At that, the staff member flipped through the documents they were carrying. "According to your chart, you were admitted alone. Emergency transport from your home."
Their words left me with the feeling that something was off.
I was clearly hanging out with my friends...
"So? Do you think you can make it to the counseling room?"
I shelved the questions swirling in my head and nodded. At that, they supported me with the utmost care.
"Thank you."
You can never say thank you too much. Truthfully, I'd already struggled a moment ago — my legs nearly buckled just sitting up.
"Ah..."
"Hmm?"
I failed to notice my hand brush against my escort's clothing as they steadied me. Even through thick clothes, you must always be careful about touching!
"I'm so sorry — I'll just hold your hand, please. Standing up is a bit much for me."
"Of course you may...♥"
I took the offered hand and stood.
Was I imagining it, or did I just see a heart?
This is exactly why a man who falls in love at the drop of a hat must never jump to conclusions. Let me recite it to myself once more:
To love someone is to wound them. To love someone is to wound them. To love someone is to wound them.
Today's motto. Safety first! Safety first! Safety first!
Good. I feel objective again.
But why won't they let go of my hand? I'm not some lost little child.
"Excuse me."
"Ah... ugh... yeees...♥"
So this person likes to draw their words out.
"I can walk just fine on my own now, so you can let go of my—"
"Yes! Right away!"
The staff member snapped to attention, so flustered that they stopped lowering their voice entirely.
So they really are a woman. But why...?
The examination room was designed overall for comfort — the kind of space that loosened your tension just by being in it.
"Here's some water for you."
It was the same staff member who'd come to fetch me earlier.
A slightly high-pitched voice laced with aegyo.
For a moment, all I could do was stare at her, dumbfounded.
Long black hair, red lips. Porcelain skin so pale it seemed to catch the light of the counseling room and gleam like it was wet. And the faint fragrance clinging to her body struck me, of all things, as unbearably sweet.
When she leaned her upper body toward me, seated, to hand me the cup —
her aggressively abundant chest failed to defy gravity and came swaying down in one heavy wave.
"Whoaah..."
An exclamation of awe escaped me before I could stop it.
"My name is Ryuah!"
"Oh — Miss Ryuah. I'll remember that."
"Hehe...♥"
Even her smiling eyes...
Is this what they meant by a femme fatale who ensnares men? I'm losing my mind.
There was time to kill before my attending physician arrived, so Ryuah and I made small talk.
She liked working out, enjoyed FPS games... a complete unicorn of a woman. Honestly, she was close to my ideal type. As we chatted, our shared hobbies let us warm up to each other in no time.
—Grrrk.
"Hello there~ I'm Noh Byunghun, your attending counselor."
At the sight of the two of us sitting side by side, the newcomer's expression warped ever so slightly.
"Miss Ryuah, please step out for a moment."
"Yes, sir."
Ryuah's tone flipped to brisk professionalism. I gave her a little wave, and she answered it with a sly, fox-like smile before slipping out of the counseling room.
Whoa... look at those hips...
Watching her sashay out, I could practically see a tail swaying behind that rear end that had no business having one. That is a talent engineered to drive men insane...
A demon among women.
"Inkyu-gun, nothing out of the ordinary happened, did it?"
Only after confirming Ryuah had fully left did the counselor before me speak up.
"Miss Ryuah? She was very kind."
Something flickered across Noh Byunghun's face — faint surprise. "Well, well. How interesting..."
—Swwwk.
"I know this is rather sudden, but could you fill out this assessment while reading it over?"
He handed me a single sheet of test paper.
Women frighten and terrify me...
There exists a past event or trauma related to them...
I sometimes agonize over why I was born a man...
"???"
Oh. So this is a center that protects victims of dating violence and the like.
But I don't have a girlfriend... and no female family members either?
Was the boar a sow?
No. No. No.
A barrage of NO's, all the way down.
When he saw the test sheet, Mr. Noh let out a sigh. "Haah... Inkyu-gun? If you answer like this, we may have no choice but to administer the live test."
"You know the reason for your admission, and yet this could be considered somewhat uncooperative behavior."
What test are they even talking about? Are they trying to dredge up memories I've buried under trauma?
"I answered everything honestly. Not a single lie."
At my flat reply, Noh Byunghun called for Ryuah, who was waiting outside.
"It really has been a long time since we ran one of these."
"Don't tell me — the Contact Test?"
"That's right. It can be quite dangerous, so steel yourself. Hazard pay will be issued separately, of course."
I just stood there, utterly bewildered by the exchange between the two staff members.
What kind of test pays hazard pay...? Do I get an allowance too...?
"Inkyu-gun, you must stay perfectly still! You could get hurt."
"You're doing it right now?"
They clearly said contact test. Am I touching something hazardous?
It was starting to get a little scary.
"Miss Ryuah. You must follow your trained behavioral protocols to the letter."
"Yes, sir!"
Ryuah's expression steeled with resolve.
"Now then, Inkyu-gun. Give me your hand. Oh — and do you consent to this experiment?"
"You'll have to explain what it is first..."
"It's simple. You touch Miss Ryuah."
What in the...
"It's a nationally certified experimental procedure."
"Ah. Yes. I consent."
Figuring it would stop at a handshake at most, I signed the consent form he spread out before me.
Mr. Noh flashed the faintest of smiles, then promptly snatched up my hand and —
—twp.
—planted it right on top of Ryuah's breast.
"Nnngh...♥"
"Wait — you said touch, not..."
Her chest, out of nowhere?
This is dangerous.
"My word... you're holding up well...? A normal man would have shown a full panic response by now."
Mr. Noh stared at me as if he couldn't believe his eyes. Then he thrust a second consent form in my face — Stage 2.
Tense, confused, disoriented — I signed it in a daze.
"Then let's proceed to Stage 2."
—Click.
Barely had the words left his mouth before Ryuah's fingertips began undoing her buttons one by one. Beneath the bra straps slipping down either side, the slender line of her shoulders came into view. When her loosened collar gave way and those full curves emerged, I swallowed without meaning to.
Before I could even finish taking in the sight, a sweet fragrance assailed my nose — her body's warmth-laden scent rising from the valley of her chest and, before I knew it, seeping all the way down into the depths of my breath.
"Here we really go, Inkyu-gun!"
That spirit-snapping shout came with Mr. Noh seizing my hand once more, thoroughly worked up himself.
The second moment of tension. Without a shred of hesitation, Mr. Noh flipped Ryuah's bra aside and pushed my hand straight inside.
How to describe the sensation... "boing," maybe? A water balloon? No — comparing that softness to a water balloon would be an insult to it.
Ryuah's body heat, the warmth trapped inside her clothes, the sweat on my palm. Inside the bra, it was warm and damp.
Oh no... this is no time to be admiring the scenery...
Yes, I touched it, but whatever happens now is NOT by my own will! I am an innocent victim here!
"Hnng... uhn... ah...♥♥♥"
As the plush swell of her areola pressed into my palm, a low, provocative moan slipped out of her.
The moment I resolved to pull my hand free, the band of her bra — its hook still fastened — cinched taut around my wrist, binding it tight.
"Sorry about that."
I apologized first, for what I was about to do. I couldn't exactly keep groping her forever...
gingerly, I pulled my hand back — but my palm, trapped inside the damp lining, dragged a long, slow stroke down the length of Ryuah's breast from above. Soft flesh squeezed between my fingers, and my fingertips, straining to escape at last, raked roughly over her nipple on the way out.
"Hnn... aah...♥"
For an instant, Ryuah's whole body shuddered. Her ample chest heaved in one great swell, as if reaching to catch my escaping hand — and her stiffened nipple peeked precariously out past the disheveled edge of her bra.
"♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥"
I absolutely could not raise my head. I at least owed her the appearance of remorse. And so my head stayed bowed toward the floor. Honestly, I was mortified, and sorry, and...
Silence filled the counseling room.
"Miss Ryuah..."
"Yeees..."
"Go get ahold of yourself and take the rest of the day off. And for the time being, report to the staff retraining center until you've settled down."
"Okayyy..."
After that, Ryuah shuffled out of the counseling room, her clothes only half-sorted.
Ah. She must feel awful... I'm truly sorry, Miss Ryuah!
And so I sat back down in the chair beside Mr. Noh.
"Inkyu-gun, listen carefully. Starting now."
The amusement drained from Noh Byunghun's face.
"Your Y chromosome, Inkyu-gun... may be different from the men of this generation."
BONUS. Finding Hubby — Ryuah's POV
—Huuk... huuk...
Full-body protective gear. Goggles, a mask, even a hairnet — dressed in an outfit she'd never normally wear, Ryuah walked down the corridor.
"It's exhausting, but still... worth it!"
Even the suffocating getup couldn't slow her determined stride — not with the hope of laying eyes on men waiting at the end of it. That had been her whole reason for getting a job here in the first place.
The profession everyone envied. The Men's Protection Center. Simply working here made her an object of envy — and that, in turn, was welfare itself!
—Grrrk.
She opened the door to Room 903.
"Go in, and on the left..."
Before her eyes, men lay trembling under flipped-up blankets on their beds.
'A shame I can't even see their faces, though...'
Inkyu, the subject of today's assessment, happened to be awake.
"Inkyu, sir?"
"Yes, I'm Inkyu."
He answered her question so graciously that she felt profoundly grateful. A boyfriend, maybe? No — a husband?
She dutifully announced the day's schedule and explained the procedures, and then...
Wait. This man is holding a conversation. I am talking to a male!
And so casually, at that.
She'd seen it often enough in romance novels. The fantasy-species male lead — one of the top five who doesn't run from conversation with a woman...!
Heart! Attack!
He'd even taken her hand, uncomplaining, as she moved to support him.
'This is straight out of a newlywed couple's lovey-dovey honeymoon with my husband♥'
Her mind filled to the brim with delusions of domestic bliss. But had she held his hand too long?
The moment her hubby said he was fine, he pulled his hand right back.
Wife — disqualified.
And so, utterly deflated, she arrived at the counseling room... where yet another dreamlike event unfolded.
Good heavens... a one-on-one talk with a man...
She'd heard of it once before — a talk bar staffed entirely by actual men...
Not a woman dressed as a man. Not a virtual YouTuber. A real, genuine man!
And right before her eyes, it was happening.
Real conversation, no awkward acting required. And then...
They even had skinship — hands touching, no less (a full ten seconds!)...
I think my hand just got pregnant...
Morning sickness already setting in...
—Grrrk.
"Hello there~ I'm Noh Byunghun, your attending counselor."
Ah... ah...
Her entire world had just collapsed. The happy days with her husband were over, and the end of the marriage was drawing near. To her husband, waving goodbye, the tragic heroine offered her final act of wifely devotion — a parting, smiling glance.
'You have to be happy... hubby...'
The time spent outside the counseling room stretched on forever.
'Are our children... no — our children doing okay...?'
Just as she resolved to resign, her brain scorched by the heartbreak, Mr. Noh Byunghun called for her.
"It really has been a long time since we ran one of these."
"Don't tell me — the Contact Test?"
Today was, she could proudly declare, the best day of her life — and a blissful test awaited her.
'Let this moment last forever...'
It began simply enough — a touch, nothing more.
"Let's move to Stage 2."
At the words Stage 2, she undid her buttons without a flicker of hesitation.
Hubby's hand closed tight around her breast.
Electricity.
A thrill she had never once felt in her life, and an excitement too great to bear, bleached her mind white and set her alight all the way down to the depths of her belly. It felt as though dopamine and oxytocin were flooding out in a lawless riot; her consciousness blurred until simply remaining a single, coherent person was an effort, and her body — seized by the stimulation — clenched and released its muscles over and over, flinching again and again.
Strength drained slowly from her legs. Standing was becoming too much.
"Hnngh...♥ uhn...♥"
She couldn't think of anything anymore. She simply surrendered her body to the moment, sinking deeper and deeper into a bottomless swamp of pleasure. Through clouding eyes she gazed up at the man before her.
Merely looking at him made her chest swell; even her gaze felt like it was melting, sweet and slow.
She wanted to protect him.
She wanted to possess him.
She wanted, at long last, to become one with him.
The last fraying thread of her reason was a hair's breadth from snapping.
—Thud.
—Swwwk.
"I'm sorry."
Those words from her hubby made her melt all over again.
So he still had feelings for her, after all...
On the verge of drowning in a happiness that had filled her lungs down to the last alveolus, her hubby drew his hand free of her breast.
"Hnn... hngh... ah...♥♥♥"
His hand — slow, and yet somehow fast at once — traced across her areola and slid over her nipple as it passed.
Happiness, stacked atop happiness... and then a still greater happiness that refused to stop there... today, truly, was a breathtaking triple axel.
'My life? Might I be... the happiest woman alive?'
The interview playing in her head starred a ninety-eight-year-old Ryuah, answering with her beloved still in her thoughts. Five children beneath her — and three grandsons and two granddaughters.
Oh, and the granddaughters are twins, by the way.
"♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥"
Unable to contain her melted expression, she gazed at her hubby — but he wouldn't look back at her.
That's okay! I'm just grateful hubby exists!
Silence filled the counseling room.
In a dazed, lovesick haze, her feet carried her out on autopilot, following Mr. Noh Byunghun's instructions.
Hubby, I'll come back for you, I promise... this is only a brief goodbye... sob.
