Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Mutant on the Loose
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I pulled the hood down low. The horns got in the way a bit, but it covered them decently enough.
I knew there was no upside to openly advertising that I was a mutant, so I had no choice but to move carefully.
And that’s how we arrived at the department store.
“Ugh… Feels better now that we’re inside the store. By the way, sis, aren’t you hot?”
“Sis?”
“Well, you look like that now—should I call you bro? You know that’d be even weirder.”
“…Yeah. What’s the point of fussing over it now? I’ll have to get used to it.”
“So, hot or not?”
“Not really.”
“You’re wearing that hood pulled down tight in this weather and you’re not hot? Wow…”
“Oh, was it hot out today?”
“Heat wave advisory.”
A short reply from my sister.
…Heat wave advisory? Isn’t it June right now?
“…Isn’t it June now?”
I looked at her and asked, and she stuck out her tongue.
“That’s what I’m saying. The weather’s gone crazy. Anyway, good that you’re not hot. Keep that hood down tight. If you get caught, it’ll be a mess. They might even kick you out of the store.”
“That bad?”
“Mutants have caused so many incidents that some stores don’t allow them at all. Especially big department stores like this—they only let in mutants who’ve been certified as no-trouble types.”
“Guess I really need to be careful. But seriously, department stores with entry restrictions?”
“What can you do? Blame the mutants who caused all the trouble. There was almost a huge disaster at one before.”
“Tch.”
I clicked my tongue. This was ridiculous. At this rate, I’d have to live with the hood pulled down forever.
The one real, real silver lining was that I didn’t feel the heat at all right now.
Ever since becoming a dragon, maybe I’d gained some resistance to heat and cold.
That was convenient, at least.
“How are we doing clothes?”
“I’ll measure your size myself, sis. You just go into the fitting room. I’ll handle the coordinating.”
“Do whatever you want.”
“I’ll be shopping around, so text me when you’ve got all sis’s clothes bought.”
“Sure.”
…And so began our department store adventure.
My sister grinned as she picked out clothes left and right. The way she moved like it was second nature meant she was totally used to this.
She glanced at a bunch of stuff quickly, then called me over.
“Hey! Come here!”
“Coming, coming.”
She shoved me into the fitting room, grabbed a hat from outside, plopped it on my head, and said,
“Take it off.”
“…”
What the hell was this pervert talk?
Anyway, with practiced hands, she measured me up and brought underwear and clothes that fit my body.
“This world is so damn unfair.”
She grumbled.
“Why? Again?”
“No, does this even make sense? Your body’s so slim, but your chest is ridiculously huge? It’s cheating!”
“It does feel kinda big… but that big?”
No matter how I looked, it didn’t seem *that* big… Maybe because I was so skinny?
“Huge! At least D-cup!”
“Hey, hey. Voice. Voice. And this is D-cup?”
“You’re skinny, that’s why. Anyway, we got all the clothes, so put the hat on quick. Unless you wanna keep the hood up.”
“Got it.”
“The world’s too unfair. Why give a body like that to someone who used to be a guy…!”
“Hey, there’s plenty to envy. I’m treated like a walking bomb.”
“If you ignore that, it’s all good stuff.”
“That’s the problem… I have no clue how I’m supposed to live in society. The prejudice against mutants is way worse than I thought.”
I muttered, and my sister said,
“What? I thought you were chill about everything, but you’ve got your worries, huh?”
“Of course I do. But whatever… I’ll figure it out as I go. At least I won’t get attacked out of nowhere. And I was always a loner, so no friends is familiar.”
“Kids talking shit behind your back or something?”
“Let ’em. As long as I don’t hear it.”
What others said about me didn’t really matter. I’d already half-written off my department life anyway. My past record was pretty colorful.
“I see… But who knows? Maybe you’ll turn out to be super popular.”
“Eww, no thanks. I know exactly what those people are like. If they act friendly now, it’d just creep me out.”
“In my opinion, sis, you’re too picky about who you hang with.”
“Better narrow and deep relationships.”
“Fair. Someone like you isn’t gonna change overnight. But seriously, no close friends in your department at all?”
“Can’t say none, but not super close either? Just take classes together, game together… that level.”
“That’s pretty close for you, sis.”
“Yeah, but I wonder if they’d still feel that way seeing me now. Like you said, some might approach with weird motives. If it was a total stranger, fine, but if they knew me before the mutation and still come at me like that… it’d feel kinda gross.”
“You said you’d fold them like a coin?”
“Just talk. I’m not planning to act like some rampaging mutant.”
“Well, you’ll handle it. Anyway, like the clothes? Satisfied?”
“For starters, no frilly stuff—pass. Even as a girl now, skirts right away feel off-limits.”
“Yeah, I get that.”
“But who knows. The aversion might fade someday.”
“Hmm. Gonna wear it out?”
“Yeah. I’ve got the hat… And even if I’m not hot, walking around hooded isn’t comfy.”
I threw on the most casual outfit from the bunch. A black short-sleeve button-up with black wide pants.
Summer meant black could be hot, but since I didn’t feel heat, I went all black.
Reason for black? One.
Even if something stains, it won’t show.
My sister said my fashion sense sucked… but fashion’s ultimate accessory is the face.
With this face, even a sackcloth would shine. What’s wrong with going a bit drab?
“Lunch?”
“Let’s eat something good while we’re out.”
“What about Mom?”
“She said we took too long and she’s already home. Probably heading out for something.”
“Then let’s just order delivery at home. Eating with a hat on sucks.”
“OK. Pizza sound good?”
“Not bad.”
“Let’s hurry to the subway. I’m dying of heat.”
* * *
It didn’t take long on the subway before we reached the station near our officetel.
The department store wasn’t far.
But then.
Wheeeeeen—!
A disaster alert blared from every smartphone on the street, shrill enough to pierce eardrums.
The area erupted in chaos instantly.
It happened on our way home, so my sister and I checked our phones at the same time.
It was wordy, but boiled down to this:
Minotaur-type mutant escape.
Current location: Seoul.
Detailed location.
Korea University Entrance Station.
…Wait. That’s right near our officetel.
* * *
KABOOM!
The moment we stepped out of the station, a massive explosion echoed.
Something was getting wrecked—vividly.
And it sounded like the mutant rampage was close to us.
My sister went silent, sensing the gravity.
Even more than me, she fidgeted anxiously.
“…What do we do?”
I hadn’t faced a mutant directly yet, but even I knew it was serious. So it was natural for her—who’d seen mutants for months—to feel uneasy.
“Kyaaaaah!”
Screams from people. From a distance, but when I focused, they rang crystal clear—unnaturally so.
People screaming that desperately meant extreme danger.
I felt urgency.
If someone died in downtown because of a mutant, public opinion on mutants would plummet further. I sensed it instinctively.
And if that happened… even walking these streets freely might become impossible.
Not that.
At the very least, I didn’t want to be treated like a walking bomb.
So, I had to stop it.
The moment I thought that, my vision cleared—like a fog lifting.
No, not just sight. All my senses expanded—hearing included.
Like looking down from the sky, everything around was crystal clear. If clairvoyance existed, was this it?
The mutant’s position… near exit 2 of the station, in the busy district.
Tragic—the officetel where I’d live was right there.
Meaning, the thing was blocking our path home.
If I took my sister there now, she’d be in danger.
I stopped running and opened my mouth.
“Yoon Seo-ah.”
“…What.”
“Stay here. There’s a mutant rampaging near the busy district. And the worst part? It’s right in front of our officetel café.”
“How do you…?”
“I’m a mutant too. Don’t know why, but I can see its position. And it’s really dangerous right now. Someone could die if we’re not careful.”
“You’re not saying you’re going, right?”
“Think I have to.”
“What!? Are you insane!?”
My sister freaked. I would’ve too.
But I had to go anyway.
I needed to keep going to university. If mutant perception hit rock bottom, I might have to drop out entirely.
Considering how people in our country were, a campus campaign to expel mutants was inevitable.
Even I would’ve joined if I wasn’t one—unfortunately, I was.
The tuition I’d sunk in so far? Couldn’t let it go to waste with expulsion.
Someone might say it’s trivial, but to me, it was huge.
I’d ground my teeth studying to get into Korea’s top university, finally succeeding—only to get kicked out over some freak accident? No thanks.
And with the thing hunkered at our officetel café anyway, dealing with it was unavoidable.
Like it or not, I had to step up.
“Think about it. If someone dies here and it hits the news, how do you think society will look at me—a fellow mutant? I might not even be able to walk the streets like this.”
At that, she looked anxious but understanding.
“…You can even stop it?”
“Yeah. No real basis, but… somehow, I feel like it’ll be okay.”
And the reason I was so willing was the conviction that I could stop the rampaging mutant.
“So, stay here for now. I’ll text when it’s over.”
“…Be careful.”
“No worries. The doctor said mutants get stronger the longer since mutation, right?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m the latest-mutated mutant in the world. Remember when I woke up? I dented alloy walls swinging my fist casually.”
“…Okay.”
As soon as I finished, I bolted at max speed.
No time for holding back.
Then… the scenery whipped by like I was on a train.
“Whoa!”
Someone yelped in surprise. But no time to care. Run, run.
Soon, I stood at the scene of indiscriminate destruction.
And at its center… it was there.