The True Form of the King of Steel
As soon as I heard Baek Seol-hwa’s question, the first thought that popped into my head was this: What kind of out-of-nowhere nonsense was she suddenly spouting?
The question about why she looked like that implied that the appearance Kim Kang-cheol was showing us was fake. In other words, it was about her disguise. But there was no way she could reveal her true form here. Disguising herself as a human was the obvious choice. That was why I was so confused by Baek Seol-hwa’s question.
“…What are you talking about? It’s obvious she’d disguise herself as a human.”
Jang San seemed to have a similar question. She spoke with a slightly dumbfounded tone.
But Baek Seol-hwa looked at us and shook her head, insisting that wasn’t what she meant.
“That’s not it… I’m curious why you disguised yourself as a man. You seem to be female originally, right?”
“…What?”
Everyone in the room was stunned by Baek Seol-hwa’s question. Even Kim Kang-cheol couldn’t completely hide her surprise. From that reaction, I knew Baek Seol-hwa’s words were true.
And Kim Kang-cheol answered her question.
“It seems I am still no match for a Gumiho, the master of disguise.”
He admitted it easily—that the form we saw before us was not his true appearance. He had been hiding his real gender? …Why? I tried to guess the reason, but nothing came to mind.
“…Kang-cheol wasn’t a man?”
Jang San and I had only just met him, so the shock was milder, but Ha Ye-ryeong—who had known him for a while—looked genuinely rattled.
…Yeah, if I suddenly found out the middle-aged man I’d known was actually a woman, my mind wouldn’t stay intact either. The thought of Bae Ju-hyuk turning out to be a woman…
“…Ugh.”
“Se-hwan, what’s wrong?”
“…Nothing.”
It was a truly horrific nightmare. I looked at Baek Seol-hwa while silently sympathizing with how Ha Ye-ryeong must feel. She was still staring at Kim Kang-cheol with an expression that said she didn’t quite understand.
“Why would you change not only into a human but even switch your gender?”
“Running a company like this is somewhat more convenient with the appearance of a middle-aged man than that of a young woman, you see.”
His archaic way of speaking wasn’t an act—it was apparently his natural tone. I’d wondered if even that was fake because it sounded so old-fashioned, but it wasn’t. Certainly, when operating a large company of this scale, the appearance of an older male had its advantages. He wouldn’t be easily disregarded.
Still, the current situation was different.
“Even so, it would be better if you showed us your true form.”
Since they had been the ones who wanted to talk first, speaking in their real form was only proper etiquette. Who would believe the words of someone hiding their identity from the start? At the very least, they needed to clearly reveal who they were so others could decide whether to trust the story or not. That would be true even if the other party were human, but since the other party was a yokai, it was even more important.
I wasn’t the type of person with a favorable view of yokai to begin with. I couldn’t easily trust the words of one who hid their identity.
“No matter what the story is, I can’t trust the words of someone hiding who they are.”
“…Well, that is true. In any case, since you are not employees of the company, it does not matter.”
When Kim Kang-cheol snapped his index finger and thumb together with a sharp click, a hazy smoke suddenly rose around him. In that instant, everyone in the room had no choice but to inhale the gray vapor.
“Kek!”
“Cough, ugh, what is this now…!”
“Cough, this is…”
Is this ash?
“Ah, my apologies. My yoki tends to be like that. It resembles ash, does it not? Still, unlike real ashes, swallowing it does no harm, so rest assured. The scattered yoki will be recovered shortly.”
I was startled by the voice. The speech pattern was the same as before, but it was an utterly unexpected sound… a clear, bright voice like that of a young girl.
And just as Kim Kang-cheol had said, the smoke soon subsided. Once it had cleared enough, everyone in the room—including me—jumped in shock.
“Hmm, as expected, you are surprised. This is why I avoid showing my true form whenever possible.”
“Uh… no…”
…Wasn’t it strange not to be surprised by this?
I genuinely couldn’t think of anything to say. Calling this appearance “pretty” would sound weird, but not reacting at all would be rude in its own way. Baek Seol-hwa, Jang San, and Ha Ye-ryeong seemed to feel the same; they remained silent for a long moment. Or perhaps they were simply too stunned?
Whichever it was, the three of them stared quietly at Kim Kang-cheol before voicing their impressions almost simultaneously.
“W-wow… so…”
“Yeah… so…”
“K-Kang-cheol, you…”
Unlike her very masculine name, Kim Kang-cheol’s true appearance was—
“…Small.”
“…Quite small.”
“…You really were tiny.”
She was a tiny thing herself.
Small. There was no other way to describe it. Unlike the fake form that had resembled a large, physically imposing middle-aged man, Kim Kang-cheol’s real appearance was incredibly petite.
A child. Saying that felt slightly off, though. At first glance her height was about that of an elementary schooler—truly childlike—but her aura and facial features were not those of a child at all.
Her ash-gray hair and crimson-tinted eyes gave off a captivating, almost seductive impression rather than a cute one. The overall atmosphere felt like a beautiful, alluring adult woman who had been compressed into a tiny frame. The fact that she was wearing a suit only strengthened that feeling.
Of course, because her build was so small, there was definitely a cute element too. If one were to talk about the type of character commonly called a “loli” in manga, this would be exactly it.
It was a completely different look from before. Even the twin tails tied on either side of her head were so different from her previous appearance that I wondered if this was really the same person as the man I had seen earlier.
When all three of them simultaneously called her small, Kim Kang-cheol gave a slightly frightening smile and said,
“The word ‘small’ is forbidden in my presence. If you value your life, it would be wise not to say it again.”
“Ah, sorry.”
…It seemed to be a complex.
“Kang-cheol.”
“Hmm?”
“With that cute appearance, what is the name ‘Kim Kang-cheol’ even supposed to mean? Your gallery nickname is ‘King of Steel,’ which sounds like a middle-aged man’s handle. Couldn’t you have chosen something that fits…”
Ha Ye-ryeong, still quite shocked by her appearance, spoke in a completely dumbfounded tone. Well, that made sense. Her name was Kim Kang-cheol, her nickname was something that reeked of old-man energy like “King of Steel,” yet her actual body was a small, adorable girl.
“What is wrong with it? A name is simply something to use for identification, as long as it causes no problems. Besides, how cool is my nickname?”
Because she had lived so long, her tastes were definitely those of an old man despite her appearance…
“If it’s a name you made for identification purposes… then your original name isn’t Kim Kang-cheol but something else?”
“Hmm, there was a name I used long ago. However, I do not remember it.”
“You don’t remember?”
“Maybe you hit your head or something.”
When I said that, Kim Kang-cheol shook her head.
“No, it is not that. It is simply… that I forgot it.”
“You forgot it?”
“That name is one I received during my days as an Imugi. After I became like this, I deliberately discarded it.”
“Ah…”
It seemed thinking about her Imugi days brought back many unpleasant memories. That made sense. After all, Kang-cheol was a failed Imugi who had become a corrupted yokai. Memories of her Imugi days were the same as remembering her greatest failure—and her most painful one.
It was understandable that she would want to forget something like that.
Baek Seol-hwa, who had been staring intently at Kim Kang-cheol, muttered in a fascinated voice.
“By the way, you’re really cute. It would have been nice to have a little sister like you.”
“…Snowflake, I have lived far longer than you.”
“How did you know I was Snowflake?!”
…Is this girl an idiot?
“You created a gallery nickname. Why are you asking something so strange? This is the place that operates the Ghost Gallery, and this person is its owner.”
“Ah.”
When a user utilizes a site, the operator collects a great deal of personal information—service usage records, IP addresses, and so on. The same applied to the gallery. Of course, the original community site that became the Ghost Gallery only required an email verification when creating a nickname, but because of the Ghost Gallery’s special nature, identity verification was necessary when registering a nickname. Therefore, there was no way Kim Kang-cheol wouldn’t know that Baek Seol-hwa’s nickname was Snowflake. She probably also knew that the person beside her was the Tiger Great Demon King…
“Wait, then…”
“Hmm, exorcist. Would I have invited you without knowing anything about you?”
Kim Kang-cheol smiled faintly.
“I was curious about how you helped Ye-ryeong, but there is actually something I am even more curious about. User 100.100.”
…As expected, she knew I was 100.100 as well. I hadn’t created a nickname, but since she already knew who the two beside me were, deducing my identity wouldn’t have been difficult.
“Let us hear that story a little later. The reason I called you here now is different. Let us stop being surprised by my appearance and take our seats. It is time to begin the discussion.”
…Right. There had been something so surprising that I had almost forgotten the original purpose.
When I sat down, Baek Seol-hwa—who was still fascinated by Kim Kang-cheol’s cute appearance—Jang San—who was looking at her with slight wariness—and Ha Ye-ryeong—who still seemed unable to recover from the shock—all sat as well.
I had originally planned to let Ha Ye-ryeong lead the conversation… but she didn’t look like she could focus, so it seemed better for me to take the lead.
“You’re asking about us helping Ha Ye-ryeong, right?”
“That is correct. Especially 100.100—I am very curious about your thoughts.”
“My thoughts?”
“By the way, what is your name? Calling you exorcist or 100.100… is rather inconvenient.”
“Yoo Se-hwan.”
“Yoo? Ah, that family.”
She seemed to know something about our family. It was possible enough that I wasn’t particularly surprised. Our household was fairly well-known in this industry as specialists who exterminated powerful yokai…
“Yes, Se-hwan. With what thoughts did you help Ye-ryeong?”
“It wasn’t really something I wanted to do. Jang San asked me for help, so I helped.”
“Because she is a spiritual beast?”
“Not exactly.”
“Then what was the reason you helped?”
Wondering if that was so important, I looked at Kim Kang-cheol. She seemed genuinely eager to hear it. It wasn’t anything particularly special, though.
“She said she wanted to help a friend, but there was no one else she could ask.”
“…Then did you do it hoping for compensation?”
“Compensation? I didn’t receive a single penny.”
Kim Kang-cheol looked slightly surprised. Seeing that expression, I could guess why she was trying so hard to figure out my purpose.
It seemed fascinating to her. An exorcist helping a yokai. Just as I hadn’t been able to easily believe Seol-hwa’s story when I first met her, it was the same for Kim Kang-cheol.
“It must seem strange. An exorcist helping a yokai.”
It was hard to easily believe the story of an exorcist helping a yokai without seeking any compensation. Kim Kang-cheol listened to my words, tilted her head slightly, then nodded. Her twin tails swayed gently with the motion, like a fluffy tail.
“To be honest, yes. I have never seen an exorcist like you before.”
“It’s true that exorcists usually don’t cooperate with yokai. I understand what you’re thinking, but constantly probing like this is unpleasant. So to be clear, I don’t have any grand hidden motives or anything like that, so don’t expect them.”
If I did have something like that, it would have been better, but like an idiot, I was doing this to help the idiot next to me. Of course, it was also something I had to take responsibility for since I was the one who had placed restrictions on her activities.
When I spoke so firmly, Kim Kang-cheol—who had been looking into my eyes for a moment—lightly rested her small hand on her chin and slowly stroked it.
…Her mannerisms really were like those of an elderly person. She was stroking her chin as if she had a beard even though she didn’t.
“…You are a truly fascinating person.”
“I find myself fascinating too.”
“Haha, I am glad I am not the only one who finds it strange. Very well. I have come to understand that there is no impure purpose behind your actions.”
“You believe it more easily than I expected.”
When I asked, Kim Kang-cheol replied,
“It is because I have seen your track record. If those words were not true, those two would not still be by your side now.”
Kim Kang-cheol said this while looking at Baek Seol-hwa and Jang San. Noticing the gaze, Baek Seol-hwa spoke.
“Yoo Se-hwan is sincerely helping us. Thanks to him, I’ve been able to obtain spiritual energy stably recently…”
“Oh, does that mean you have finally taken off your virgin label?”
“That is not what I meant by stable!?”
“That is rather boring.”
…What the hell is this guy saying?
“So why did you ask about my intentions?”
“Hmm, in truth… I have also roughly received the situation from Ye-ryeong. I investigated that Maegu who tried to corrupt her, and it certainly came from China. More precisely, it appears to have crossed over from Manchuria.”
“And?”
“Yokai like that will continue to cross over in the future. They will use those native to the Korean peninsula to freely utilize the Ghost Gallery as well.”
Jang San asked,
“Is there no way to stop that? Like blocking the yokai coming from China somehow…”
“Actually, that is impossible with the current gallery access system. All that filtering work would have to be done manually, just as Ye-ryeong was carefully monitoring it. Therefore, blocking all of them is impossible.”
“Then does that mean there is no method? Couldn’t we just deal with them as they come? From what I heard from Ye-ryeong, you are incredibly strong.”
When Baek Seol-hwa asked, Kim Kang-cheol shook her head slightly.
“We will prepare countermeasures, but… in truth, it is difficult for us to find and deal with all of them. Finding them is one thing, but dealing with them presents many difficulties. For example, imagine me fighting those invading yokai.”
It wasn’t hard to picture the situation that would arise. I answered in Baek Seol-hwa’s place.
“…The exorcists would show up immediately.”
“Yes, that is how it would be. Therefore, I cannot deal with them one by one.”
“Then we can’t just sit back and let them cross over, Kang-cheol.”
The one who took over the conversation was Ha Ye-ryeong.
“What if more victims like me appear? I was lucky that Se-hwan helped me, but what if a yokai completely loses its reason and begins rampaging? Serious damage will definitely occur, and the exorcists will become even more wary of us.”
“Yes, that would be the case. That is also what I am worried about. We must block them, but there are many difficulties for yokai like myself to step forward.”
“…Then what are you going to do?”
At Ha Ye-ryeong’s question, Kim Kang-cheol looked at me. Seeing that gaze, I could roughly guess why she had invited us here.
Having gotten the feeling, I spoke first before she could bring it up.
“You want to ask us to handle that job?”
“…You really are quick-witted.”
“My wits aren’t that good. It’s just obvious from the way you’re acting.”
“Haha, is that so? It seems my thoughts show in my actions. It is the first time I have learned that in two thousand years.”
Two thousand years…? She really was an ancient yokai. No wonder Ha Ye-ryeong had said she might be the strongest on the Korean peninsula.
Kim Kang-cheol smiled lightly and said,
“Yes, I wish to ask this of you. It is a combination of spiritual beasts who are polar opposites to yokai and an expert who exterminates them. In truth, you are the optimal hunters.”
“What if I refuse that request?”
“It cannot be helped. How could I force you to work?”
“…You give up surprisingly easily.”
“In any case, this is a yokai’s matter, not a human’s. However, Se-hwan, remember one thing.”
Kim Kang-cheol looked at me with slightly serious eyes. As if this was something I absolutely had to remember.
“From the exorcists’ perspective, this is quite a serious matter. It is not simply that what you exterminate changes from Korean yokai to Chinese yokai. The Maegu who tried to corrupt Ye-ryeong said it. The yokai coming from China find the north lacking, so they are trying to come down this far.”
“Right.”
“That is not simply an act of changing habitats. It means they intend to ‘occupy’ the spiritual veins of this land itself. The occupied spiritual veins of the Korean peninsula will be altered by the Chinese yokai, and eventually the Korean yokai will disappear, leaving only Chinese yokai. There will be even more yokai crossing over, just like in the north now.”
Kim Kang-cheol continued.
“Then the number of yokai existing in this land will increase even further. It is not a very welcome situation for exorcists. Moreover, the damage people suffer from yokai will also grow.”
“…Because there will be more man-eating yokai?”
“Originally, there are many people living on the continent. Excessively many. Thanks to that, the yokai there naturally became mostly those that live by catching and eating easily visible humans around them. If they occupy this land, many man-eating yokai will cross over, so naturally the human casualties will increase. It will be on a scale incomparable to now.”
…She had prepared well to persuade me. Especially by mentioning human casualties—which I couldn’t easily overlook—she was skillfully stirring my sympathy.
“Assuming I accept, how will you locate them?”
“Right now, due to Ye-ryeong’s incident, inquiries are flooding the gallery, and every single one was a report about yokai that came from China. There are almost over a thousand.”
“That many?”
“Of course not all of them are true. From what we have identified, the genuine inquiries number around fifty.”
That meant more than nine hundred and fifty fishing posts had come in. They must have had a hard time.
“Ah, of course I did not filter them myself. The employees handled it.”
…Was this the power of the chairman?
“In any case, we can identify their locations in this manner. I provide the information, and you resolve the matters. That is the arrangement.”
“I never thought I’d live to receive a yokai extermination request from a yokai.”
“Haha, now that I think about it, that is true. I never thought I would make such a request to an exorcist. But as one lives life, such things and that kind of things happen, do they not?”
Kim Kang-cheol spoke as if it were something that could happen any day, then slightly turned her head to look at Baek Seol-hwa.
“Of course, I will provide suitable compensation. As much as possible in the direction you desire. For example… to Snowflake, sharing spiritual energy or the like.”
“Huh? Your spiritual energy?”
“Yes. My spiritual energy is quite substantial, so sharing some with you would be no problem.”
“Ah, that is…”
Baek Seol-hwa seemed somewhat reluctant. For some reason she looked displeased. Sharing spiritual energy should be a good thing for her, yet…
“…I’ll decline. I don’t like receiving spiritual energy from other yokai.”
“Hmm?”
Yet Baek Seol-hwa refused. Why? She accepted and used spiritual energy gained from helping spirits just fine…
“I’d rather receive different compensation. Like a delicious meal or something…”
Kim Kang-cheol also looked puzzled, but since Baek Seol-hwa’s intention to refuse the spiritual energy seemed firm, she did not press the matter.
“Very well. I shall do as you wish. Of course, Se-hwan, this deal only stands if you accept.”
“…Honestly, there’s no reason to refuse. Like you said, if the environment of this land changes, it will have a major impact on exorcists too. Maintaining the status quo would be better.”
“Hmm, then is the deal established?”
“But there’s one thing we need to make clear.”
When I helped yokai, there was always one thing I considered. Right now, Baek Seol-hwa, Jang San, and Ha Ye-ryeong had all passed that consideration.
“Kim Kang-cheol.”
“Speak.”
“Have you tasted humans?”
It was the question of whether she had eaten humans or not. Normally I would have detected it through the other party’s yin energy, but with Kim Kang-cheol that was impossible. It was because she was Gangcheori. As a yokai born from an Imugi’s ‘corruption,’ the moment she transformed into Gangcheori, her body became filled with vicious energy regardless of whether she had eaten humans. All the abundant spiritual energy she had gathered in the Yeouiju while training to become a dragon had been completely converted into yin energy. It was entirely different from degenerating into a Yeongno. Degenerating into a Yeongno happened by force, but falling into Gangcheori was the Imugi’s own choice. The resentment of not becoming a dragon, and the anger toward the cause that prevented it, had led her to choose the path of Gangcheori. That was why her entire body was saturated with yin energy. Thanks to that, I couldn’t tell whether she had eaten humans or not.
However, it was rare for the yokai known as Gangcheori to eat humans. Because Gangcheori—though called an Imugi—could be seen as a corrupted dragon… she possessed an omnipotent aspect, able to produce spiritual energy on her own and convert it into yoki. In other words, there was no need for her to eat humans to obtain spiritual energy.
“You are asking whether I have eaten humans.”
“Yes.”
“Honestly, I have no interest in the act of eating humans. I have no need for it.”
However, the reason I was deliberately asking this was because, since Gangcheori was fundamentally an evil yokai… it wouldn’t be strange if she ate humans just for fun.
Kim Kang-cheol looked at me with red eyes that somehow gave off a slightly ominous feeling.
“However, I do know the taste. It had a very strong stench, and the flavor was not good.”
“…You ate them.”
“Only once, but yes. I definitely devoured them. If I had not, I would not have felt satisfied.”
Kim Kang-cheol was a two-thousand-year-old Gangcheori. That meant it had been at least over a thousand years since she had become one.
“How could I leave the humans who spread malicious rumors that prevented me from becoming a dragon? I could not possibly let them live. So I devoured them.”
It must have been such a long time ago, yet the anger visible in her eyes still burned intensely. The depth of that resentment was so profound that I couldn’t easily say I understood it.
After listening to the story, I narrowed my brows for a moment. After thinking it over, I spoke.
“Then I’m sorry, but I must decline the request.”
When I expressed my refusal, Baek Seol-hwa and Jang San looked surprised. Ha Ye-ryeong was completely flustered and said,
“Wait, Se-hwan. Think about it again.”
“No. Even if I think again, my answer won’t change.”
At my stubborn attitude, Ha Ye-ryeong couldn’t hide her panic. Kim Kang-cheol watched me for a moment before asking,
“Are you declining because I am a yokai who has eaten humans?”
“Yes. I cannot accept a request from or receive compensation from a yokai that has eaten humans. As an exorcist, I cannot tolerate trading with a yokai that has harmed people.”
“…You have an unexpectedly rigid side.”
Kim Kang-cheol sighed, thinking the proposal had failed. But it would be troublesome if she jumped to conclusions. My story wasn’t over yet.
“Just hand over the information.”
“…Pardon?”
“I cannot trade with a yokai that has eaten humans, but as you said, protecting the spiritual veins of the Korean peninsula seems important to exorcists as well. If you provide the information, I will handle it appropriately.”
Kim Kang-cheol’s eyes widened in surprise. After staring blankly at me for a long while, she suddenly burst into hearty laughter.
“Hahaha! Well, well… You truly are a born exorcist.”
“Me? What unfitting words to say to an exorcist who ran away because he hated exorcism.”
“Even though it is the same work, the way you place importance on the difference in procedure and justification is the very picture of a typical exorcist.”
“…It’s not the same.”
“Haha, yes. Let us say you are correct.”
Kim Kang-cheol’s expression softened completely. No—it had gone beyond softening to one of pure delight. She spoke without hiding her smile.
“Then instead of a request, I shall simply provide information to the exorcist Yoo Se-hwan. Will that suffice?”
“Yes.”
“Of course, not only providing information, but contact me anytime you need assistance. I will definitely cooperate.”
“I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“That is a very reassuring statement.”
Kim Kang-cheol stood up and walked over to the desk. She opened a drawer, took something out, and tossed it to me.
“Catch.”
“…A cellphone?”
“I will provide information through this cellphone from now on. When you need to contact me, you may use this cellphone as well.”
“Some kind of security measure?”
“That is correct. I hope the information does not leak to the other side.”
When I checked the contacts registered in the phone, only Kim Kang-cheol’s number was saved. Aside from the default apps installed on the device itself, there was nothing else. Not even KakaoTalk.
“I’ll be careful not to lose it.”
“You understand without me saying so. Good judgment.”
Kim Kang-cheol closed the drawer and walked back over. Seeing her like this, her height really was tiny. Even though I was sitting, there seemed to be only about a head’s difference at most.
“Still, since everyone has come all this way, as the one who invited you, I should at least treat you to a meal.”
“I don’t accept bribes.”
“This is not about the current matter, but gratitude for saving the administrator who was working hard in my stead.”
Then Ha Ye-ryeong said,
“Yeah, since we’ve come this far, let’s eat something delicious before heading back. It’s almost dinner time, Se-hwan.”
“Yeah, I’m getting hungry too.”
Baek Seol-hwa agreed. This girl really is a secret glutton when you watch her…
“Aren’t you curious what kind of good restaurant the owner of a company like this goes to, Se-hwan?”
With even Jang San saying that, the atmosphere had become one where I couldn’t refuse. I had no choice.
“…Yeah, fine.”
“I will take you to a good restaurant. You will definitely be satisfied.”
“I like everything except meat!”
When Baek Seol-hwa said that, Kim Kang-cheol’s expression instantly filled with bewilderment.
“Snowflake, you dislike meat?”
“Yes.”
“…Are you not a Gumiho?”
“I am.”
“…Since that is how she originally is, let us understand and go to a place that serves salads and such.”
When I explained, Kim Kang-cheol made a slightly sour face. As expected, this was your first time seeing a vegan Gumiho too. Even a two-thousand-year-old yokai was seeing this type for the first time—at this point, wasn’t Baek Seol-hwa really a mutant?
Kim Kang-cheol stayed like that for a moment, then burst into light laughter and said,
“Indeed, starting with you, only unique friends have gathered.”
“Don’t lump her in the same category as me. It feels bad.”
“Yoo Se-hwan, what did you just say?”
“…What, you yokai bastard.”
“Hey! Wanna die?”
She was bluffing when she couldn’t even kill me.
“Fortunately, I know an Italian restaurant where the salads are also delicious. Let us go there. Pasta or… is there anyone who dislikes Italian food?”
“There isn’t.”
“Then that is good. Let us go quickly.”
She glanced at the time and said,
“If we arrive late, the wait will be long at that restaurant. Let us hurry.”
“So she says. Let’s head out quickly!”
Starting with Baek Seol-hwa who went out first, Jang San and Ha Ye-ryeong followed after her. I was about to follow them when Kim Kang-cheol spoke.
“Se-hwan, thank you truly.”
Kim Kang-cheol said this, then lightly snapped her fingers and transformed back into the robust man I had seen at the beginning. The sudden change in appearance was still hard to get used to, but since she had said she only showed that form to company employees, it couldn’t be helped.
By the way…
“…I refused your request, you know.”