Nowhere to Go
Whoa.
I stared up at the towering building in front of me, utterly speechless. At first, I'd figured since she looked young and hadn't been a cop for long, she must be pretty broke. That's why I'd thought it wasn't right to keep being a burden and tried to turn her down—but in the end, I'd caved and accepted. When those strangers showed up at my place and started hauling stuff out of the warehouse, I did sense something was off. But I never dreamed she'd be this loaded.
I swallowed hard. Honestly, anyone would've thought the same in my shoes. Who'd imagine she had money? Sure, maybe enough to feed and house me comfortably—like a normal person scraping by. But what she was showing me now blew all that out of the water by a mile.
“...”
For starters, owning a place in a building this sleek and upscale wasn't anywhere near normal. Part of me wanted to blurt out, What the hell are you, really? Why's someone like you working as a cop? But I just couldn't muster the guts. Seriously, if you're rich enough to live somewhere like this, why bother with police work? If it were me, I'd have rented a room somewhere, stocked up on top-tier computers, and holed up playing games for life.
Okay, maybe that sounds extreme, but right now, with all the cash in the world, that's what I'd call living the dream. This body of mine couldn't exactly hold down a job or go back to school without an identity. No papers, no prospects—my best bet would be blowing a wad of cash on groceries and gear, barricading myself inside, and just surviving. The smart play would be using that money to fake some ID, but novels had taught me that was way harder than it looked. And if you got caught? Terrifying. Do it right, and you could live quietly like a mouse—but screw up, and it's prison at minimum.
Fine, forget illegal routes—go legit. But with this pint-sized elementary-schooler look, I'd get laughed out of any late birth registration office. Where's your mom, kid? Sure, I could magic up an illusion to change my appearance, but that's just smoke and mirrors. It'd slip eventually. And even if it didn't, I'd have to keep glamouring myself every time I stepped out. Total hassle.
So... what now? Even starting a birth registration from scratch would be a nightmare, right?
I glanced at my sister. Would anyone peg her—the one gripping my hand like I might wander off any second—as the tycoon who owned this place? She caught my baffled look and launched into her brag-fest: how she used to be an awakener, raiding dungeons left and right, raking in the cash. Okay, it sounded boastful, but really, she was just saying not to worry, that she was a big deal and could handle it. Unlike your typical show-off, she was being considerate of me—even a socially stunted hermit like myself could tell.
At first, I almost cocked back a fist without thinking. Not that it'd do much against our size difference.
“Anyway, my place is way too big for just me. You'd actually be doing me a favor by moving in.”
Why couldn't I see her face? It was like the light was hiding it. What was this sister's deal? She said she was a pretty famous awakener, so definitely not some average joe. Even in this messed-up world, to afford a building like this, you'd have to be powerhouse-famous. So why the hell was she slumming it as a cop?
I burned to ask, but my mouth wouldn't move. Guess I'm consistent like that. Whatever—screw it. House-parasite mode activated; no need for these worries. If she can afford this, feeding one more mouth is pocket change. Which leaves just one thing: proving I'm useful.
Why bother if she's cool with freeloading? Come on—even if she says it's fine now, who wants to watch what looks like an elementary-school girl laze around in pajamas all day? She's all you've earned a break now, fresh off meeting me. Give it time, though—once the novelty wears off, it'll grate.
People always look cute at first. Familiarity breeds contempt. So, yeah—lining up ways to impress her is smart for my long-term survival.
What to show off? My magic or potions, I guess. I'd even offered my prized #1 treasure, the magic bag, but she waved it off like it was no biggie. (Not that I explained what it was... but still, her loss.)
“This is home.”
Lost in my head, I'd barely noticed we'd reached the front door. One minute we were at the base of that skyscraper—now here? Kinda spooky, if I'm honest. I'd never even seen a place like this, let alone stepped inside. Straight out of a drama, but I'm no drama binge-watcher, so it felt even more alien.
“Seol-i?”
Right—no backing down like a scaredy-cat. Hesitation's the enemy. Inside's probably normal, yeah? Even with Han River views and convenience stores per floor, apartments are apartments. Please be that way.
While my brain spiraled, she didn't miss a beat—unlocked the door and strode in like it was nothing, sorting her bags and changing clothes on the spot. Make yourself at home, she said. As if. Sure, this body's a girl now, but I was a guy, and age-wise, we're probably close. My heart kept skipping anyway.
Sigh. Focus. Oh yeah—those movers from earlier? Where'd they go? I figured they'd beat us here, but the place was empty, no trace.
We'd taken our time, sure, but unpacking should've taken ages. Not that I should complain as the deadweight, but damn, I had a lot of stuff.
Spotting my anxiety, she grinned: everything was safe in my room, no worries. Already? Skeptical, I must've looked it—she pointed upstairs. Your room's up there.
Forget the two-story apartment thing—my stuff mattered more. I bolted up; sure enough, my warehouse haul was neatly stowed in what looked like a dedicated storage room.
She called from below: those guys were just one-time movers; won't happen again, so relax.
Uh... yeah, I'm done. I flopped onto the sofa downstairs, staring at her. She didn't bat an eye at my gaze, just kept changing.
Not cool undressing like that in front of a kid, I thought. Now down to her underwear, but weirdly... nothing. No reaction from this body. Sure, nice figure, pretty face—but zero guy-brain urges.
Whatever, I'd braced for that post-transformation. Still...
Haa. I rolled away, hiding my face, and sank into solitary gloom.