Chapter 1: Everything changed, but it was still me
1.
“Siwoo, are you really going back?”
Black hair fell neatly along the line of his face.
Blue eyes beneath dark eyelashes trembled.
“I have to go. That was the promise from the start.”
At my answer, Arbel bit her lip tightly.
My colleagues who were nearby approached me.
“Take care. You’ve worked hard.”
A woman with red hair said with a gentle smile.
Following her, a man with purple hair opened his mouth with a smirk.
“You went through a lot taking care of these hopeless bstards. Go well. And be happy over there.”
“Have you no conscience? Do you think you have the right to say that right now? Who was it that asked Siwoo to make a late-night snack in the middle of the night because they were hungry while he was sleeping?”
“Are you the one with no conscience? You happily ate it with me, and now you’re saying that? Unbelievable. Besides, I taught you magic in return!”
“If you want to play it like that, I taught you swordsmanship, you know?”
I let out a small laugh at the sight of the two of them baring their teeth and growling at each other.
“You two are really fighting until the very end.”
“Ah, seriously, I wanted to show a good side at the end. You ruined it!”
“That’s my line, you btch.”
It was both funny and strange how they fought so often yet loved each other.
“Really… are you going to be like that until the end?”
As the Saintess said this while lifting her mace, the two of them clamped their mouths shut.
The sight of the Saintess, spattered with blood, was nothing short of horrifying.
She smiled as if satisfied and then turned her gaze to me.
“It’s a shame you’re returning to your original world. Siwoo, you have a talent for holy magic. If you undergo penance with me here, you could one day become a Saint.”
The Saintess smiled brightly and gripped my hand tightly.
“Because I am someone who has personally experienced the existence of God.”
Of course, my distrust was just as strong.
After all, I was dropped into this world for no reason.
The Saintess said it was a trial and destiny given by God, but it wasn’t a story that resonated with me much.
“Could you please reconsider your decision?”
“No matter what you say, my decision will not change. But there is one thing I’m curious about.”
“What is it?”
“I killed the Demon King, but I’m still not sure. Was there a reason it had to be me?”
I asked with a bitter smile.
The Saintess smiled warmly and said.
“How can a mere human understand the will of God? But it’s certain that you were a great help, Siwoo. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have been able to defeat the Demon King so quickly.”
“That… is certainly a comfort.”
I was grateful she said that, at least.
It meant that my efforts were not in vain.
“Siwoo. I’ll ask you one last time. Are you really going back?”
After the farewells with my colleagues were over, the Hero approached me again and asked.
She, who rarely showed any emotional turmoil, looked anxious today.
“Yes. I have to go back.”
“…Was your life here not to your liking? Or is there something we failed to do for you? If there is… I’m sorry….”
“No. There were hard times, but there were more joyful times. However, I have a place to return to. So I am simply returning.”
Just as it’s natural for flowers to wither after they bloom.
I too am just trying to do what is natural.
“A place to return to… is that your answer.”
I nodded my head.
And the Hero clenched her fist as if she had decided something.
“I understand. I look forward to the day we meet again.”
“I hope so too. Really… I’m in your dmn debt! Farewell!”
“Take care!”
“You have to be happy over there!”
I bowed deeply and turned around.
I walked without hesitation towards the golden portal in front of me, and my consciousness faded.
When I came to my senses again, what I saw was a huge temple and a large statue.
The appearance of the temple, with warm sunlight streaming down, was quite benevolent.
“Finally….”
When I was first forcibly kidnapped to this other world, I was also brought here.
They said I would visit the temple again once all objectives were achieved, and it seems that was true.
I approached the statue.
As I placed my hand on it, a being descended from the sky along with the sunlight.
KRA-KOOM―!
『Kang Siwoo.』
The form of a lion and an ox.
A human and an eagle.
Its legs were straight, its feet were like a calf’s, and its skin shone like bronze.
Four wings enveloped the being, and beneath them were human hands.
My whole body froze at the sight of the monster that appeared with a sound like thunder.
I couldn’t perform any action.
Nothing but meeting its gaze.
I still couldn’t believe that being was an angel.
『Congratulations. The will of God has all been fulfilled.』
Sometimes it spoke to me with the cry of a beast, sometimes with a human voice, but strangely, I understood everything it was saying.
『According to the contract, you have now earned the right to return. But you cannot return to the body of your original world.』
‘What does that mean….’
My mind was thrown into confusion by the sudden words.
『That is the price for deep involvement in another world.』
『But do not worry. We have prepared a new vessel for you.』
I didn’t need anything like that.
What was the reason I wanted to return to my original world in the first place?
It was to meet my family again.
But a different body?
However, regardless of my will, the angel continued to spew its words.
『You will be reborn into the most suitable and outstanding vessel.』
『And since we also bear responsibility for this matter, a reward will also be given.』
Inside the wings, a starlight that seemed to embrace the universe emerged along with a brilliant light.
The light grew stronger and enveloped my body.
『May there be only blessings on your path ahead.』
The angel proceeded with things as it pleased, just like when we first met.
And as the light exploded, my consciousness also faded away.
When I opened my eyes, what I saw was an unfamiliar ceiling.
A dazed mind.
I blinked my eyes and blankly looked around.
Neat wallpaper and concrete walls.
A round light fixture.
A large wardrobe and a desk.
A wooden chair.
A few books.
As my consciousness gradually cleared, I was able to understand the current situation.
“…I’m back.”
I was startled by the voice I unintentionally let out.
Because it wasn’t my voice.
“Ah.”
A memory suddenly came to mind.
The angel had definitely said it.
That my original body was gone, so I would be given a new one.
Perhaps, this is that new body now.
“Hoo….”
Anger boiled up in my chest from the injustice, but I took a deep breath and calmed it down.
Because my getting angry wouldn’t change anything.
Right now, figuring out the current situation and adapting to this body came first.
I got up from the bed.
And my gaze naturally fell to the weight I felt on my chest.
“…What.”
A worn-out, loose white short-sleeved t-shirt.
But on top of it were two hills.
And they were quite large.
“Wait a minute, no way….”
I quickly raised both hands.
The hands were slender and white, and the nails were also well-groomed.
The voice was low, but it was definitely high for a man.
Above all, the strange and unusual sensation I felt in my chest and below.
“Sh-Sht…!”
I hurriedly threw off the covers and got up.
I passed the large bed and came out into the living room.
It was a neat space, but my interest right now wasn’t the interior design.
I rushed into the bathroom.
The moment I saw the small mirror there, I froze on the spot.
A woman with a sharply cut bob could be seen.
Her eyes were brown and her gaze was calm, and her skin was very fair.
A neat appearance with no frills.
It felt refined, like a sword honed for a long time.
“…This is me?”
I raised a hand and touched my face.
The hand in the mirror moved according to my will.
Perhaps due to the shock, my hand was trembling slightly.
Gulp-
The face was certainly pretty.
Perhaps, it was the kind of appearance that would make you turn back for a second look on the street.
Actually, isn’t this a dream?
A demon must have played a trick on me.
“…No way.”
I closed and opened my eyes, but my appearance didn’t change.
If anything, the pale face came into view even more clearly.
‘I have to accept it….’
My denying it here wouldn’t change anything.
What’s important now is to grasp the situation and move forward again.
Still, I couldn’t help but feel disturbed.
A sigh escaped me regardless of my will.
I left the bathroom and entered the room where I had first woken up.
As I was about to throw myself onto the bed again, I saw an ID card, a bankbook, and a mobile phone on the desk.
“Kang Ha-yul….”
My name, age, gender, everything had changed.
The last part of my resident registration number also started with a ‘4’.
‘What year is it now?’
I checked on my phone and found that about a year had passed since I went to the other world.
It wasn’t a very long time, but it wasn’t a short time either.
The bankbook had 50 million won in it.
It was a lot of money considering my current age, but it was an absurdly insufficient amount considering the hardships I had gone through.
‘This apartment must also be part of the compensation.’
I had achieved the dream of all office workers, owning my own home, but I didn’t feel much emotion.
If anything, resentment just welled up.
“Hoo.”
I sat in the chair and leaned back.
I stared blankly at the ceiling and squeezed my eyes shut.
‘So what do I do now?’
The future looked bleak.
It was good that I had returned to Earth.
The problem was that everything about me had changed.
‘First, I should go to the house where I used to live.’
I got up and went to the wardrobe.
Inside, there were many clothes with a androgynous feel.
Was this also a consideration?
“Consideration, my ass….”
If they had really thought about me, they wouldn’t have given me a body like this.
If only the gender had been the same, how much better would it have been?
A sigh escaped me at the weight I felt on my chest.
Out of some unknown sense of repulsion, I chose clothes that were as loose as possible.
“Ugh….”
It was my own body, but out of some unknown embarrassment, I turned my head away as I changed.
Thanks to my keen senses, it wasn’t a very difficult task.
“Hmm?”
[Boss]
I tilted my head at the name that appeared on the screen.
Boss?
Someone is contacting me?
And of all people, it’s my boss?
“Hello?”
-Ha-yul. Where are you right now?
“Pardon?”
A middle-aged voice I was hearing for the first time.
At that moment, a certain memory began to surface in my mind.
It was the memory that I was supposed to be working part-time at a capsule room.
-You remember you were supposed to work from 11 AM on weekends, right?
“Ah, about that….”
-Don’t tell me you forgot?
At my dumbfounded reaction, the boss’s tone changed slightly.
He seemed angry that I was late.
“I’m sorry. I’ve been a bit out of it lately. I’ll get there as fast as I can.”
-Yes, I understand. It’s almost time for the customers to start pouring in. Please hurry.
“I’m sorry.”
The boss hung up after those words.
I stared at the screen with a blank face before quickly turning around.
I wanted to go home right away, but my sense of responsibility held me back.
It wasn’t a very urgent matter, so I should go to my part-time job first.
‘Work as soon as I get back.’
Actually, this is for the best.
My head was splitting, but if I immerse myself in work, my thoughts might settle down a bit.
‘But a capsule room. What kind of place is that?’
What on earth happened to the world in the year I was gone?
While I didn’t welcome the change, my heart pounded strangely.
In any case, the curtain had risen on the third act of my life.
The stage had changed and the actor was different too, but it was still me.