Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: The Mirror's Stranger
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'Drip, drip.'
It's raining.
Raindrops fell steadily onto the ground.
The kind of weather where it was awkward to use an umbrella, but awkward not to.
I opened a small umbrella and looked up at the sky.
Dark clouds rippled slowly overhead.
Cherry blossoms were falling.
The petals that had barely clung on were swept away by the wind.
Puddles of cherry blossom petals on the ground stuck together in sticky clumps.
Feeling something strange, I passed through the school gate.
Excitement for the upcoming festival.
And regret that April was ending.
Those two emotions mixed and washed away in the raindrops.
Today's drizzle felt especially persistent.
'Hmm...'
Park Ye-young...
Why did she look so serious at the end and not even glance my way?
Thinking of Park Ye-young made one corner of my mood sour.
She's not the type to just sit still if something bothered her...
Maybe she was flustered by my ultimate charm? Cute.
...But if she caught that thought, I'd get beaten like a dog in the dog days of summer?
I shook off the useless fantasies and climbed the stairs.
There'd be another chance to talk... That's not what's important right now.
Today was the final cross-dressing inspection.
The day to finally check the cross-dressing I'd poured countless hours and effort into.
The seniors were waiting with makeup brushes and powder.
My heart started pounding for no reason.
What kind of sight would greet me?
Would a version of myself I didn't know welcome me?
Or would some insane cross-dressing gay psycho greet me...
No way to know. All I could do was hope it turned out well.
I slowly opened the metal door to the club room.
The characteristic white light of the club room welcomed me.
The seniors, who had been chattering noisily, froze and stared at me.
"Um... I-I'm here."
In the small room at the back of the club room.
The seniors moved busily, starting the work.
We decided against a full wig. It felt too awkward...
Instead, we attached hair pieces to the bangs.
And for the back, we braided it strand by strand like women do with extensions.
Since it wasn't festival time yet, this was temporary... but on the actual day, a hairdresser sister would do it properly.
"Lift it above your eyelids. Yeah, like that."
I put in colored lenses and attached fake eyelashes.
The seniors grabbed my eyelids with curlers and clamped the lashes.
A strange warmth spread over my eyelids.
For some skill... they lit a stick like incense and carefully singed under the lashes too.
"Close your eyes."
Every time I closed them, the added lashes covered my eyes, giving a weird sensation.
Will this be okay...?
"Don't open your eyes."
The messy eyebrows were filled in neatly one by one.
Peeking with tiny slits...
The black eyes with lenses sat calmly.
Chin, cheekbones... even forehead.
Lifting tape was applied and removed dozens of times.
Until the seniors got the angle they wanted.
It pulled at the skin uncomfortably, but it felt moist and soft.
"Hold your breath."
The makeup brush went back and forth dozens, hundreds of times.
The powder-dusted puff even more... countless trips.
Fix, draw, erase, fix again.
Attach and curl the lashes once more.
Sweat beaded on my palms from tension.
I sat still, unable to do anything, letting the seniors work me over.
Complicated thoughts swirled.
Is this right...? What if it looks weird? What if it doesn't turn out well...?
Mixed with rising anticipation, sweat gathered at my toes for no reason.
"Lips. Ahh."
Finally...?
Cool tint was dabbed onto my extended lips.
"Mm-hmm."
I pursed and released my lips repeatedly.
A senior's soft finger tapped over them.
"Almost done."
They tidied the bangs again, braided the back, and the straightener kept going nonstop.
My heart began to thump wildly.
A memory from age eight surfaced.
When I went to church... cross-dressing in the boys' group there.
Back when my family was happy.
Turbulent thoughts flashed through my mind.
"Jun-hyeong."
"Open your eyes."
I remembered being pretty satisfied back then.
I think it suited me subtly.
Those memories overlapped like a montage, making my heart tremble.
Opening my eyes felt like the scene would shift back to that time.
I slowly opened them.
Praying this would become a good memory...
"Huh?"
I panicked for a moment.
There should have been my reflection in the mirror, but someone else was there. Wh-where did I go...?
Cognitive error hit instantly.
Flustered, I fumbled and touched the mirror.
Beyond it, my hand waved back.
"Ha... hah."
For a second, I thought I'd vanished... It was me.
Calming the panic, I looked at the mirror again.
Cascading black hair.
Calmly open black eyes.
Strikingly high nose bridge.
Even the sparkling concave lips.
Not a trace of my original face remained.
With the back hair covering half my face... it looked like a completely different person.
Just some girl sitting there.
Of course, up close, awkward masculine bits showed... but without direct light, it probably wouldn't stand out.
"Stand up, Jun-hyeong."
Led by a senior, I stood before the full-length mirror.
The lace-trimmed women's top I'd put on earlier... and the navy skirt.
A perfect female student stood in front of the mirror.
"Wha... wha..."
So bewildering. This is me...?
Even with stockings and hair hiding my figure... how could this happen?
I couldn't believe it, kept reaching for the mirror.
The seniors' satisfied smiles bloomed.
"Photo time! Photo!" voices rose, but seniors shushed them.
"Shall we go out?"
Uh, show it off or something.
Can't I just appear like this on festival day?
As the seniors led me, cool air blew under the skirt.
For some reason, I hunched and my steps grew cautious.
Why... does it make me act like a real girl? Does appearance dictate behavior...?
'Creak.'
As the door opened, all the seated seniors' eyes focused.
Gasp sounds leaked out.
Even Kim Myeong-jun, idly on his phone, stared in shock.
Time seemed frozen; no reactions.
Just gaping mouths.
"I-Is that really Yi Jun-hyeong?"
One senior stammered.
Ah... damn... my face heated up; I couldn't face them straight.
Not embarrassed showing girls, but damn...
"A mask would make her even more girly."
"Q-Quick, mask her now!"
"Ah, screw off. The makeup's insanely good."
I moved slowly of my own will.
Stunned gazes like seeing a god poured down my back.
Every senior I passed, their trailing eyes stabbed my back.
Like a prize on display, I stopped in the center of the club room.
Belated regret and shame flooded in.
Aw... damn...
Sitting on the sofa, silence hung heavy.
I gripped my skirt and took deep breaths.
Overwhelming stares...
My ears burned red. Ca-can't breathe, shit...
One senior took a deep breath and asked.
"J-Jun-hyeong? The cross-dressing god Jun-hyeong?"
"...Y-Yes... It's Yi Jun-hyeong..."
"Krah! Shit!"
The voice doesn't match!
The half-doubting seniors panicked, chaos erupted.
Shit, does this make sense? Does it?!
Me... me too! I wanna cross-dress too!
All sorts of reactions burst out, turning it into utter pandemonium.
Pl-please calm down... I'm already a mess...!
"Hey, photos! Photos!"
Ph-photos no!
Not a situation to refuse...
Under the female seniors' lead, I got posed every which way for photos before barely sitting.
One senior, staring intently for a while, asked seriously.
"Can I lift the skirt?"
"Absolutely not!"
Don't even think it, shithead!
I yanked the skirt down desperately; silence fell again.
Why... why?
One senior, mouth agape, said sternly.
"Just one peek for real."
What bullshit is that, fuck!
The seniors went berserk and lunged.
"Krah! I can't hold back!"
"Line up, you bastards!"
Stop, you crazy gay shits!
Yu In-ha downed her glass.
Shit...
Burning pain scorched her throat and soaked her stomach.
"Fucking hell..."
Yu In-ha wasn't a complete idiot.
If anything illegal or weird came up, she'd just bail.
If sexual harassment happened, she'd mercilessly jab with her prepared self-defense tools.
She'd prepped a recorder and phone for police too.
But really, nothing happened.
The interview was normal; no weird vibes.
Just the people had unique faces...
Day 1, secretary work.
Not really secretary stuff—just odd jobs, grocery runs to the mart, sorting papers.
Even that was minimal; mostly chatting with office uncles.
Daily pay 100,000 won. Probation at 100k, 200k once official.
Day 2.
Day 3. And Day 4.
Surprisingly good.
10 days = 1 million won? Travel money pocket change?
Travel? I could work here forever. No need for real job? Secretary work is honey.
She thought.
The problem hit on Day 5.
Entertaining a big shot... but the usual person flaked.
Could she come along? Request.
She agreed casually.
They'd chatted and bonded; guard down.
Following for sales was part of secretary duties.
She trailed without thinking.
But descending basement stairs, vibes turned sour.
This... right? Heard entertainment happens underground... but this deep?
Seen in dramas, but experiencing it...
Asked several times; just casual drinks.
Overreacting...? Nice uncles.
No weird tattoos, not gangster-like; just office folk.
Worst case, bolt.
Spacious underground karaoke room.
Through the window, flashy-dressed women bustled.
Room salon helpers she'd only heard of. Novelty mixed with dirty feeling, mood sank a bit.
"Come on, cheers! Cheers!"
"Tell that secretary there to drink too."
...Ah, okay.
No intention to drink.
But opposite table had a secretary woman too...
She downed hers without fuss.
Didn't wanna kill the vibe refusing with so many around... nothing bad would happen.
Emptied a few glasses like that.
A bit tipsy.
But soon a strange energy rose.
'Huh?'
A normal high school girl or college student wouldn't notice.
But Yu In-ha had experienced it before.
A familiar sensation.
'Wobble.'
Vision blurred suddenly; body swayed.
Whoa, careful. Someone grabbed her shoulder.
A big man's arm...
Yu In-ha's pupils dilated.
'Ah... fuck...'
Got her.
No signs.
Ah... this much effort?
More absurdity than hatred at the malice. Really going this far?
"Um... bathroom break..."
"Yeah, go ahead, go."
Surprisingly let go easy...
Chance. They didn't suspect. Probably planned to send her off for good after.
Yu In-ha pretended oblivious, wobbled to the door and out.
Her usual lies—"Can't drink at all," "I pass out"—helped.
Out of the room, Yu In-ha sprinted full speed.
Cold sweat poured like waterfalls.
Flashy women dodged startled.
'Ah... hah...'
Vision flipped suddenly.
Same as before.
Grabbed the wall barely, forced eyes open.
Ah... no... not here...
"You okay?"
A helper woman's voice beside her.
Yu In-ha shook her off roughly.
Dizzy but scrambled up stairs. Outside dark long ago.
"M-My... car..."
Karaoke not far from office.
Parked nearby for sure.
Yu In-ha's hands shook rummaging memory. Wh-where? Where'd I park?
"Fuck, where'd that bitch go?"
Flinch.
Fearful voice not far.
Couldn't confirm... but sounded like pursuit.
'Ha... hah...'
Car, found it.
Found the car barely, yanked door open and in.
Felt them right behind. Drug messed judgment; heart raced madly.
'Vroom.'
Wa-wait.
Can I drive?
Driving... no, right?
Light beer one or two, driven secretly before.
But this... no...
Caught here...
Yu In-ha's arm moved slowly.
Pressed pedal, turned wheel.
J-just escape here, fine. Won't go far.
Moment she hit accelerator.
"Wha... what...?"
Drug surged again.
Vision flipped like before.
Bang! sound pierced ears.