Chapter 13: Eunbyul
The association president cautiously broached the subject.
"Mr. Lee Suhyuk... is registered as male."
The air in the room froze solid.
Suhyun-unni reacted first.
"...What?"
Her gaze darted between the terminal screen and me.
Once, twice, three times.
Each time, her eyes grew wider.
"A guy? You? But the photo doesn't match your face at all?"
Unni clutched her head.
"Fake ID? Or... did your body change?"
"...Yeah. My body changed."
"Let's sort this out real quick. When we first talked on Deco, I thought you were some dying old unemployed dude."
"But then you turn out to be this perfectly fine girl. So I figured, oh, she's using a voice changer to hide her voice~."
"Yeah..."
"But now your ID says you're really a guy? So that old dude voice was your real one, and you weren't even using a voice changer?!"
"...Pretty much."
"Then why are you a girl now?"
"No idea."
Unni's expression turned deadly serious.
"So, you've been the one talking to me all this time?"
"That was me, yeah."
Hearing that, Unni relaxed like nothing else mattered.
Just then, the association president—still on his knees—nodded gravely.
"Even gender itself..."
"Pardon?"
"Even gender is merely a vessel to you. How could humanity's narrow frame contain a Star Seat?"
No, that's not it at all.
The president marveled, and the staff behind him all let out a collective "Ahh—" while bowing their heads.
Why are these people like this?
While I was zoning out from the president's nonsense, Unni grabbed my shoulders and spun me to face her.
"Hey. Dead serious here. So, are you a guy or a girl?"
Her blue eyes stared straight into mine.
I shut my mouth for a second.
Honestly, I had no clue. My body's definitely a girl's now, but my head's still that unemployed guy.
So when I look in the mirror, I feel like a dude sometimes, but lately this face is kinda growing on me.
What should I even say?
"...Half and half."
"Huh?"
"Like half-and-half chicken."
"What kinda bullshit is that?"
Unni looked utterly baffled.
"I'm serious."
She let out a snort.
"You're such a weirdo. Must come from handling stars."
"No dad jokes."
"Says the half-and-half chicken."
As Unni and I bantered, the president cleared his throat to regain control.
Right, this guy's still here.
"How shall we register your new identity? For covert activities, you'll need a clean slate. As for gender..."
"Female."
I answered instantly, and the president's eyes deepened again.
"...Can't you tell just by looking?"
"Y-yes, of course. My apologies."
The president muttered like he'd passed some profound test.
"All is mind-made... I was blinded by appearances, failing to pierce the true essence. Your features are so refined... Ahem. Anyway, you're undeniably a perfect woman. How dare I question it. What to do with these rotten eyes of mine? Ophthalmology tomorrow, first thing."
Sorry, but I can hear everything. My hearing got super sharp after this body change—anything I wanna hear, I do.
"Indeed, quite so."
The Outer God—whose hearing matched mine—chimed in.
Why is she like this too?
"Then, gender: female. And your name? Shall we keep your original surname?"
A name, huh.
I pondered briefly but decided to ditch the old one. Lee Suhyuk... that ended with the old body.
So I needed a new name, but nothing came to mind.
That's when the Outer God—hugging her ramen pot—puffed out her chest like she'd been waiting.
"A Star Seat's name must be grandiose. 'The Lord of the Scales, Who Weighs All Creation, Ruler of Darkness and Commander of the Stars—'"
"Too long for the ID field."
"......"
The Outer God deflated. She pondered deeply, then spoke again.
"Then how about Seongra? Like stars draped in silk."
...Huh? That's actually decent.
The room paused. Even Unni muttered, "Oh, that's pretty good."
The Outer God's shoulders perked up.
But something about it rubbed me wrong.
As I hesitated, Unni jumped in.
"Hey, friends name friends. Hmm... Kim Suhyun II?"
"Rejected."
"Rejected."
The president and I cut her off in unison.
"Why!"
Unni pouted, then stared at me seriously—specifically, at my sweat-mussed hair.
"...How about Eunbyul?"
"Eunbyul?"
"Yeah. Eun from Milky Way, and Byul since you handle stars."
Unni twirled a strand of her silver hair.
"...Kinda matches my hair color too."
I blanked out for a sec.
Thinking about it, after my parents died, I'd always been alone.
No one to call my name, no one for small talk.
Weird feeling, but nice.
"......Eh, not bad."
I pretended to cave, and Unni's face lit up.
We kept the surname Lee—gift from my parents.
"Registration: Lee Eunbyul."
The president entered my new name into the terminal.
Meanwhile, the Outer God grumbled into her empty pot, "What's wrong with Seongra..."
Her shadow drooped sadly behind her.
Ignoring that, the president continued.
"Next, about the sun setting incident."
Ah, talking about what our Outer God did.
"It was a global event, so it caused major issues."
"But fortunately, governments and associations announced it as a 'temporary phenomenon from an unidentified celestial body.'"
"We've also blocked all links to you, Star Seat."
"Oh, nice."
They handled it all themselves—efficient.
"We'll take full responsibility and control it to the end."
"Finally, regarding the Chinese assassination squad that infiltrated—"
The president's voice dropped lower.
"All are in underground interrogation. We're quietly pressuring the Chinese government with this as a diplomatic card."
"They won't move recklessly for a while."
For a while. That phrasing nagged, but I let it slide. What's the worst that could happen?
Finishing his report, the president stood and bowed deeply.
"Star Seat. This nation owes you a great debt. Anything you need, just say the word."
"Nah. I'm Korean too."
He teared up—"So touching...."—causing a brief commotion.
Just offhand, why the drama?
He quickly composed himself and backed out politely.
With the president gone, Hyeonwol reported to HQ and left for treatment.
The storm of a day ended, leaving just us two wrecks and the Outer God.
That's when I noticed the room: shattered desk, ripped-off front door, cracked walls.
"......But."
I surveyed the ruins.
"Where am I sleeping tonight?"
"My place."
Unni said it like it was obvious.
"It's next door anyway. Can't leave you alone—who knows what trouble you'd cause."
"This lady shall accompany you."
The Outer God jumped up, pot in arms.
"Why you?"
"Her side is this lady's place."
Unni giggled at her, then tested my new name.
"Eunbyul-ah."
It tickled; I pretended not to hear.
"Eunbyul-ah!"
"...What."
Unni grinned.
"Nothing. Just trying it out."
Suddenly embarrassed, I faked packing hurry.
We headed to Unni's place.
Whoa, she keeps it spotless.
S-class hunter vibes—leagues above my ruin of a studio. Even smells nice.
The Outer God prowled every corner like a stray cat, empty pot in tow.
Then claimed the sofa like her throne.
Me? Straight to the bed, phone out.
Hmm, comfy.
Pre-bed ritual: a lap around the gal.
Wonder how wild it is after today.
I smirked at the nonsense, zooming in on the photo.
That's when—behind me—the Outer God froze mid-reach for ramen.
Her usual arrogance, playfulness, even ramen reverence—gone.
"...You."
Her gaze nailed to the Mars photo on my phone. Precisely, to that precise structure on the surface.
"Why in the world is that there?"
Her voice was ancient, sunken with ages.
I recalled her story: endless wandering, devouring stars—only once she'd turned tail and fled.
The fear on her face then, the first I'd seen.
That's exactly her expression now.
No way.
"That thing you ran from... it's there?"
She nodded slowly instead of answering.
Her tiny hand trembled faintly.
A chill ran down my spine.
A few days ago, I'd poked that red star over stocks. Twisted its orbit, tilted its axis—had a blast.
So I'd been goofing off right in front of whatever she'd fled for eons.
"...What the hell is it?"
"That is—"