Lee Chae-yun
I was sitting through another lecture in the classroom.
But as usual, I couldn't focus on the awkward, boring silence.
My entire body was rigid with tension, and cold sweat trickled down my skin.
Inside my bag, wrapped in newspaper, was a kitchen knife that anyone would recognize as a weapon.
Maybe I had imagined everything yesterday.
Maybe the problem at dawn had just been someone's cruel prank.
Those thoughts and regrets clashed violently inside my head.
Yet because of that single, fragile possibility that kept resurfacing, I struggled to keep my mind from exploding.
I wished the professor's voice, which always grated on my nerves, would somehow calm me down.
Instead, the stress, tension, and headache were so overwhelming that I couldn't even hear him. The pain spread from my head down my spine and into every corner of my body.
I had never felt this on edge in my entire life.
By the time I came back to my senses, the lecture had ended. Students were packing up and leaving one by one.
"Um... are you okay?"
Someone spoke to me.
When I turned my head, I saw the class representative from the design department—the only face I recognized among my classmates.
Her name was... I couldn't remember.
"Ah, yes. I'm fine."
After giving an awkward reply, I hurriedly grabbed my bag. My face was pale and drenched in cold sweat; anyone could tell I wasn't well.
That must have been why she was worried.
I appreciated the concern, but right now I didn't want anyone's attention.
"Be careful on your way back. You should visit the hospital too."
"....."
It had been a while since anyone had shown me this kind of worry.
She was going out of her way to care about me...
I didn't think much of it. It could have been genuine kindness, or it could have just been her duty as class rep. Either way, I didn't have the luxury to thank her for such a small act of goodwill.
Leaving her behind, I rushed out of the classroom.
Inside the second dormitory on campus stood the girl from the couple I had seen yesterday—Lee Chae-yun, if I remembered correctly.
I strode toward the monster that was imitating her.
"Oh my! You're here, Chan-woo!"
She greeted me with a bright smile.
Her appearance was that of a fresh adult—youthful, innocent, with round eyes and a small, cute face and frame. She looked like the kind of beauty men would flock to, but her insides...
"...Hey."
"Ah! Before that, just a moment. This female seems to have a partner. I do too, and I'm sure you wouldn't want people giving you dirty looks either, so let's move somewhere outside the campus."
"......."
She spoke so casually, calling herself a "female" with that cheerful smile. I swallowed hard.
She was right—too many eyes around here. I nodded instead of answering.
She grinned and gestured for me to follow.
I walked with her for about ten minutes. Along the way, some of Lee Chae-yun's classmates greeted her, but she responded energetically and naturally, perfectly playing the role of "Lee Chae-yun."
"Hmm... This should be far enough, right?"
We arrived at a small park beside the Old Dormitory. It was a cramped space with only one or two benches—barely enough for two children to play—and completely secluded.
I quietly slipped my hand into my bag and gripped the knife wrapped in newspaper.
"...Hey. You saw it, didn't you?"
"......Saw what."
I swallowed carefully and tightened my grip.
"Come on, you know. My true identity."
She stepped closer.
Damn it. I didn't care anymore.
I pulled the kitchen knife out of my bag without hiding it and pointed it at her to keep her from coming any closer.
"...I saw it. What the hell are you, you monster?"
"That's a bit harsh! Even if I look like this now, I'm still a female. Hearing things like that hurts my feelings."
She pouted cutely, like a girl throwing a tantrum. Or rather, the monster inside her was acting.
"Hmm... I figured you'd be confused enough already. And we don't need that for our conversation, so..."
"...What are you—"
Before I could finish, she closed the distance in an instant, snatched the knife, and began spinning the blade in her hand like she was showing off.
This is it, I thought.
But then she did something I never expected.
"Thank you for the meal."
She bit into the entire blade and chewed it up.
Easily, like eating a biscuit.
Then, using the remaining metal fragments, she slashed her own wrist as if to show me.
"Look."
She proudly displayed the wound, smiling triumphantly.
The two flaps of flesh torn open by the blade fused back together in seconds. Even the blood that had been seeping out stopped as if it had never been there.
There was no wound. Not even a scar.
"Sorry. Did I scare you? I thought a shock like this would be more effective."
"......What..."
"I'll explain what you're curious about."
I collapsed onto the ground.
What was going to happen to me now?
"First, my identity. To put it in terms modern humans can understand, I'm an ancient species. We are a plant race born from certain flowers. When the flower matures, it scatters pollen for reproduction, but the flowers we grow from scatter us along with their petals."
I understood, vaguely. After seeing what I had just witnessed, this story didn't even surprise me.
"The ones attached to the petals have no intelligence. Their only instinct is to 'enter a human body.'"
"...And after they enter?"
"They have to reach the brain, so they usually enter through the ears, nose, or mouth. Once they reach the brain, they devour it and take control, then root themselves into the brain like nerve cells. That way, they inherit the human's memories and intelligence."
"Then what happens to the human?"
"They die. Nothing left but the skin."
Watching her say such things with a smile, I realized it again.
She really was a monster.
"Ah, but you know, we have a symbiotic relationship with humanity. Please don't think too badly of us."
"You kill people by eating their brains and then mimic their behavior. How the hell is that symbiosis?!"
"I'll explain everything, so don't get too angry..."
Still smiling, she sat down beside me, took my hand, and pressed it against her chest.
"How is it? I heard males feel good when you do this."
".........."
"Hehe♡ You seem to like it. Shall I continue the story? Of course, the original consciousness of the woman whose body we took disappears, but we can evolve that body. You've studied history, right? There were points in history when humanity advanced at an incredible speed. We lent a small hand during those times."
These creatures evolved the intelligence and body of their hosts starting from the brain. Of course, after erasing the host's original self.
"...So you're not killing me because I know your secret?"
"Normally, we would."
"Normally?"
She stood up, brushing the dirt off her hips as she continued.
"I mentioned we're an ancient species, right? Among ancient humans, especially the males—meaning men—had excellent genetic compatibility with us."
"Then why don't you just parasitize men...?"
"Our method of reproduction is the same as humans. First we parasitize a female, then we modify her entire body by touching her brain—reshaping it into a form that attracts males. Then we mate. To reproduce, we need a male's semen and the hormones released from the female's brain during mating. Once those conditions are met, the modified female's ovaries produce both eggs and our seeds. The child is born safely, and we also get seeds rich in nutrients to bloom new flowers. If we plant those seeds in the ground, reproduction is complete."
...In short, these were insane ancient plants that stole women's bodies to reproduce because they needed female hormones and male semen.
"Wait. Then why aren't you killing me?"
"If we parasitize a male, not only can we not reproduce, we can't evolve either. We either turn into a mindless lump of flesh or die instantly along with the body. Actually, one of my kin entered you yesterday."
"What?"
"But you're perfectly fine. That means... excuse me."
She knelt in front of me and—
"Mmm..."
"Ugh?!"
She kissed me.
Her strength was overwhelming. I couldn't resist, couldn't even move.
In an instant, her tongue swept through my mouth. She pulled away and seemed to think for a moment.
A thin white thread connected our lips.
"I knew it! Your genes are almost identical to those of ancient humans! No, they're exactly the same!!"
She jumped up and down, shouting with joy as if she had discovered something in my saliva.
...How...?
"...Why are you doing this?"
"We can't parasitize ancient human males. Our ancestors made a deal with human males. We helped humanity advance, and in return, the males helped us reproduce."
"So what you're asking me to do is..."
"Yes. Honestly, we don't know how we're still alive in the modern era either. We thought we went extinct centuries ago... Please help us reproduce! In return, we'll grant whatever you desire. If our numbers increase, we can fulfill any wish you have."
The small woman crouching in front of me, looking up, was a parasitic plant that had existed since ancient times—devouring human brains and mimicking their hosts. A plant thought to be extinct had bloomed again in the modern world.
If I had to summarize it, that was it.
Too much information had flooded in at once. My head was spinning.
"Sorry. My head hurts too much. Can I take some time to sort through this?"
"Ah! Of course. Suddenly hearing an old story going back to ancient times would be hard to process all at once. Let's talk again later. But..."
She leaned in close to my ear, her small lips moving as she whispered sweet yet terrifying words into my already overloaded mind.
"You have no choice but to side with us, Chan-woo...♡"