Chapter 1: My childhood friend and I got fucked up nicely.

We’re totally fcked.

I woke up in a strange world, and if that wasn’t bad enough, I, who was a guy, became a girl, and Min Jisoo, who was a girl, turned into a guy.

That alone was shocking enough, but there was something even more important to me.

This wasn’t a conversation to have over text, and typing everything out felt frustrating, so I called instead.

As soon as Jisoo picked up, I skipped the “hello” and went straight to laying down the law.

“Hey. Don’t bullsht me, answer straight.”
“What?”
“Did you seriously drag me into this world to make me some kind of female corruption pet project?”

Even as I typed those messages, I thought I sounded insane.

“…What are you talking about?”

Being asked to explain made it hard to break it down. In the end, I switched to a video call, grabbed the weird tail flopping behind me, and held it up to my face.

“Look at this. There’s a freaking tail on my body!”

But now that I think about it, my reflection in the camera was pretty darn cute.

Platinum blonde hair flowing down to my waist and chest, sharp and spirited eyes, and a charming little mole under my left eye.

Even without fancy adjectives, anyone would agree I was beautiful.

Jisoo, seeing me, let out a gasp of admiration.

“What’s that weird thing attached to you? By the way, you’re pretty cute for a girl.”
“Wanna die? If you treat me like a girl from now on, I’ll assume you’re trying some female corruption sht and kick that new thing between your legs, so brace yourself.”
“I don’t know what’s going on, but that already sounds chilling.”

If I actually kicked, it wouldn’t just be chilling.

“But, uh, aside from being pretty, you look really unfamiliar. A character I don’t know?”
On the screen, Jisoo tilted his head, muttering something cryptic.

Come to think of it, Jisoo’s appearance was no joke either. Short, two-block navy blue hair and intense eyes matching the color, exuding rugged masculinity.

Anyone could tell.

This guy was the protagonist.

“…Alright, let’s sort this out one by one.”
“Okay.”
“Is this world the one from your novel?”
“Yup.”
“Are you, by any chance, the protagonist of that novel?”
“…Somehow ended up that way.”

This guy’s a riot.

“But why don’t you know what character I am? Aren’t I in your novel?”
“Well, uh…”

Jisoo paused, choosing his words carefully before speaking.

“You’re, uh… some extra schoolgirl from the auditorium or something. Honestly, I don’t remember.”

This guy’s insane.

I let out a hollow laugh, dumbfounded.

“So, you brought me into your novel, made yourself the protagonist, and stuck me as an extra?”

At that, Jisoo stammered, flustered.

“No, I mean, being an extra is better than being the main heroine!”
“Bullsht. The main heroine’s way better! Anything’s better than an extra.”

Just looking at the dorm setting, it’s clearly an academy. So, it’s obvious that characters closer to the protagonist—those driving the plot—would have stronger abilities.

Even without mentioning main heroines or academy tropes, in web novels, extras are the kind of characters who can die or get screwed over at any moment, depending on the plot.

But Jisoo protested with a wronged expression.

“This is a female corruption story!”

Oh, fck, thank goodness.

Female corruption.

So, a story where the originally male protagonist gradually loses masculinity, adapts to a female mindset, and ends up romancing a guy.

The genre I always cursed out!

That changes everything.

“Hey, being an extra sounds great. I’m totally satisfied with my position.”

If the main plot revolves around female corruption, it’s better to stay somewhat removed from the central flow.

Whether Min Jisoo has a pure romance with another main heroine or builds a harem with sub-heroines, that’s none of my business.

Then.

Weee-oo, weee-oo.

Suddenly, a siren blared urgently through the dorm. Startled, I snapped at the phone.

“Hey! What’s that?”

Normally, I’d expect an annoyed retort, but Jisoo calmly explained.

“It’s a deployment signal. A magical beast appeared in the city, so we have to go deal with it.”
“Deal with it how? What’s my weapon or ability?”
“That’s…”

Jisoo paused, groaning slightly, then answered in a heavy tone.

“I don’t know yet, so just stick close to me.”
“What?”
“I’ll protect you.”

It was so cheesy, something the Min Jisoo I knew would never say.

Still, since he’s the one who knows this world best, there was no reason to stubbornly distance myself from him.

“Got it.”
“Thanks. Oh, and…”

Jisoo swallowed hard again. This time, the vibe was different. Earlier, it was like he was bracing for something serious.

This time, it felt like he was psyching himself up to endure embarrassment.

“In this world, my name is ‘Lager Godin.’ Call me ‘Lager’ in front of others.”

What kind of name is Lager…

I sighed silently. It’s not a beer brand. No wonder he was embarrassed.

But then I saw the student ID on the desk.

‘Ale Chloe.’

I bit my lip, realizing I was in no position to mock anyone’s name.

What kind of name is Ale…

A beer duo or what?

I tied my messy hair into a rough ponytail and put on the uniform, which was fine. I liked that the uniform had pants as an option, not just a skirt.

But there was one problem.

“…It won’t go up.”

The pants wouldn’t go past my hipbone.

Because of the tail.

The waistband got stuck awkwardly halfway up my butt. I tried ignoring it and pulling them up, but the tail got painfully squished.

‘What do I do?’

Worrying about my underwear showing even with pants—tails are such a hassle.

Luckily, the skirt wasn’t too short, and the tail wasn’t overly thick, so wearing the skirt felt less uncomfortable.

If that’s the logical choice, I should just wear the skirt.

But my instincts, honed from living as a guy, made it impossible to slide my legs into it.

It felt like committing a huge mistake, like defying the natural order.

My reflection in the full-length mirror on the wardrobe was undeniably a girl’s, and the skirt would surely suit me perfectly.

Yet, I couldn’t bring myself to pull it up.

But I couldn’t go out looking ridiculous with half-worn pants either.

“…Sigh.”

With a heavy sigh, I had no choice but to put on the skirt.

The skirt, ending above my knees, felt awfully short, making me constantly tug at the hem.

By the way, a magical beast? And I have to go fight it? I never cared much about the extras who got attacked and died before the protagonist showed up.

But now, realizing I could be one of them, my mouth went dry.

Weee-oo, weee-oo.

The siren blared overhead again, urging me on. A text from Jisoo—no, Lager—asked where I was. I checked my skirt one last time, put on my shoes, and headed out.

The hallway was chaotic. Students with crushed shoe heels or shirts hanging out—nobody looked as put-together as me.

“Ale! What are you doing there!”

A strange voice called out. A short-haired, black-haired girl rushed over, grabbed my arm, and pulled me toward the corridor stairs without giving me a chance to ask anything.

“Every second we waste, more citizens could die. Hurry!”

Her youthful eyes burned with justice and impatience against the fleeting time.

Meeting her gaze made me feel serious too, like I had to hurry along with her.

We rushed down the stairs from the seventh floor where we started. Halfway down, she asked.

“Ale, where’s your tablet?”
“What tablet?”
“Seriously, you’re going to fight without your tablet? You’re really out of it.”
“Fight with a tablet?”
“Ugh, forget it. We’re late now. Next time, bring it! Stick close to me today.”

She scolded me cryptically and raced toward the first floor.

There were elevators, but with so many people moving at once, waiting for one was pointless.

Though, her impatient personality probably played a bigger role.

“Yujin!”

As soon as we reached the first floor and stepped outside, Lager, with his short, two-block navy blue hair, shouted for me.

“Yujin? Who’s that?”

The girl beside me looked at me, puzzled.

This is complicated; I’ll explain later.

Out of breath from running down seven floors, I leaned on my knees, panting, and rambled an apology to Lager.

“Sorry, uh, the tail slowed me down. I wanted to wear pants, but…”
“What the hell.”

Lager cut me off with a cold voice.

Or rather, his iciness was directed at the black-haired girl beside me. With a menacing glare, he snapped at her.

“Get lost.”

The girl’s face froze in shock, and I, embarrassed, shot Lager a look.

What’s with the sudden aggression? Did turning into a guy make him some kind of macho jerk?

Despite my glare, accusing him of overreacting, Lager didn’t care and told her off again.

“I said, get lost.”
“…Fine, I’ll go.”

The girl, stunned by the sudden hostility, let out a bitter laugh and walked past Lager.

Once she was far enough away, I scolded him.

“What’s wrong with you? I talked to her briefly, and she seemed nice.”

Maybe, like me, she’s just an extra Lager doesn’t know well. But the burning justice in her eyes was genuine.

She could be a good person, a good ally.

But Lager sighed lightly, glanced back to confirm she was gone, and muttered something unexpected.

“She dies today.”