Neighbor 1
As I mentioned before, my name is Kang Sihoo. I was originally just an ordinary guy born and raised in Korea. Well, honestly speaking, I lived thinking I was more unfortunate than ordinary. Born an orphan, never even seen my parents' faces once. Bullied relentlessly through school, even victimized. Didn't excel at a damn thing, got tossed into society without ever holding down a proper job. In the end, unable to fit in anywhere, I holed up in my room and became what they call a shut-in hikikomori. Wasting away like that, I lost even the will to live, spending every day wondering if I'd die today or tomorrow. That's when it happened—a door suddenly appeared out of nowhere, swallowed me up in a blaze of light, and...
"Hm..."
Yeah, way too long. When the hell am I gonna finish explaining all that? Bottom line: I opened my eyes in a world completely different from the one I knew, summoned there by the goddess in charge of that place. She called me to save a world on the brink of destruction as a hero. And that hero was me. Fulfilling my mission, I finally saved the world and got to return to my original one. End of story.
Hm. Even to my own ears, that was a perfect, concise summary. These days, if anyone drags on too long, I get antsy. Guess it's a habit from my Targon days that stuck. For reference, Targon was my name in that other world. Not my Korean name, obviously, and not a common one there either. It was the name given to me by the Earth Warriors.
The day the goddess dropped me in the middle of a forest, they found me and took me to their village. At first, they treated me like a suspicious foreigner—hell, my life was in danger more than once—but over time, they accepted me as family. That's where I first felt what family love was like, and as one of them, I adapted well to that isekai world. There were times I thought I'd be fine living and dying there forever.
But then, by chance, I caught my reflection in some water... and passed out cold. Why? Because my appearance as Targon was utterly hideous. No joke—it wasn't just ugly; it was grotesquely ugly. How bad was it? I fainted just looking at myself. And it wasn't only the face; I was dwarf-short with baldness to boot. If even I saw myself as monstrous, imagine how others viewed me. The first people who saw me all thought I was a goblin and attacked. Some even said a real goblin would look better. I swore I'd kill the goddess if I ever saw her again—until I learned completing my mission would restore my original body.
After that, I scrapped any thoughts of staying in that world. I focused solely on returning home. Back then, every day felt like shit, and I hated looking at my face most of all. But reflecting now that I'm back in my original body, there were some lessons learned. Before the isekai, I thought I was the most miserable bastard alive. Living as Targon taught me to constantly repent those thoughts. Those days scraping the absolute bottom, realizing there's always a deeper hell... I don't miss them one bit, never want to go back, but they made me grateful for this life now. Really don't want to think about it again. Scared it'll haunt my dreams. This isn't a dream, right? Pinch my cheek?
"...Ow."
It hurt for real, so not a dream. I sighed in relief once more and kept staring in the mirror. Maybe because I'd lived as an ugly bastard once, but damn, I look good now. Sure, to others' eyes, I might still seem like a squid or whatever, but at least they won't swing at me on sight.
Anyway, I've checked everything important. To celebrate my safe return, time to take a piss. My bladder's heavy anyway, right on cue. I yanked down my pants—
"Huh...?"
My brain froze. Why the hell is there a club in my pants instead of a dick? It used to be more modest... This thing's flaccid, but it's still long and thick enough that both hands wouldn't cover it. What happens if it gets hard? Wait, this club looks familiar. The more I stare, the more it rings a bell. And then it hit me—this wasn't originally mine; it was Targon's.
In that horrific body, the one part I could brag about to others was my dick. God must've dumped everything into it because its size was superior to anyone else's. Even orcs and ogres famous for huge cocks looked up to me in the bathhouse. But ugly's ugly, so I never got to use it. Just admired it myself. I was a bit sad knowing it'd revert when I returned to my original body, but I let it go since living as Targon was unbearable.
Yet here it is, still attached even in my original body. Is this the goddess's surprise gift? Endless gratitude and awe welled up for her—something I never felt much back then. I resolved to bow toward her temple every day from now on. Yeah. This alone makes all that isekai suffering worth it. Now if I can just get a girlfriend...!
...Wait, how the hell do you even make a girlfriend?
Thinking about it, I never even held hands with a girl here either. So what's the difference between Targon days and Kang Sihoo days?
"...Just piss already."
Damn, my eyesight's higher up now; hard to aim. Should've sat down?
2.
"Hm... That should do it."
After that, I cleaned the house for the first time in ages. It was a disaster, so it took real effort. Guess my body's back to normal; even a little movement tires me out. Still, finishing felt refreshing. Staring at the pile of trash bags really drove home how much of a mess my life had been.
Anyway, sweated a bit cleaning, so I wanna shower. But first, dump the trash. Stepping outside, the modern scenery hit me all at once, confirming I was truly back in my world. That place had cities too, but they felt different. Now I'll have to live here again, so plenty to think about. Rest today, job hunt tomorrow? As I walked pondering that—
Thud!
"Eek...?!"
"Hm?"
I collided with a woman who popped out from around the wall. I was fine, but she nearly lost her balance. She steadied herself without falling, but still wobbly, so I asked,
"You okay?"
"Y-yes...! I'm f-fine... Huh...?"
She started answering my question, then froze upon seeing my face. Mask and hat hid her expression, but her eyes showed pure shock.
"A m-male...? No... a woman...?"
"I'm a man."
"Eeeek...?!"
Come on, no need to freak out that much at a person. It hurt, reminding me of how folks in that world reacted to me first time.
"S-sorryyy...! H-how dare trash like me touch a gentleman...! Really, really sorryyy!!"
She bowed repeatedly apologizing, then bolted off alone. Is my look that bad? I even shaved before heading out. Maybe I should've skipped it. In the isekai, I grew a beard to hide my face as much as possible.
Anyway, getting this treatment here tanks my self-esteem. Clutching my aching heart, I trudged to the recycling station, dumped the trash—
"Hello~"
A soft voice by my ear. I turned to see a smiling woman looking at me. She approached naturally and kept chatting.
"Haven't seen you around. New mover?"
"Moved in a while ago. Just haven't gone out."
"Ahh~ I see. Hehe, nice to meet you. I'm Maria."
"Tar... No, Kang Sihoo."
The woman introducing herself as Maria had a gentle impression matching her voice. Tall for a woman, with a voluptuous figure beyond words. But what really caught my eye was...
'Horns...?'
Horns on her head. At first I thought it was a headband, but no—they were real. Why the hell horns? And the shape looked familiar somehow.
"Um..."
"Oh, sorry. Your horns look so sturdy, couldn't help staring."
"Oh my... Thank you. All that daily care pays off...♡"
I praised her horns quick, hoping I hadn't stared rudely, and Maria beamed happily. Even that felt familiar, like someone I knew. Then it hit me—what the goddess said before I came here. The world's laws might've changed. Guess I need to figure out exactly what changed.