Chapter 17: The day before planting (11)

Part 21

As expected, the atmosphere turned awkward despite my hopes.
Normally, these guys would’ve sprawled out, finding their most comfortable positions without a care.
But seeing them sit so stiffly, almost politely, made me feel like my own body was freezing up.

“…Just act normal. Since when are you guys so formal?”

“Huh?”

“I said, relax. You’re making me uncomfortable acting all stiff.”

As expected, the convenient scenario of “It’s obviously you!” didn’t happen.
I couldn’t blame them for not recognizing me—it’s unreal, and even I wouldn’t have connected my current self to the old “Yoonseo” if I were in their shoes.
Still, I couldn’t help feeling a twinge of disappointment.

“…Uh, so.”

“What?”

“Are you, like, Yoonseo’s relative or something…?”

Do I look like I’d have a blonde relative?
Or do they think it’s dyed?

“…I’ll grab some drinks. Cola okay?”

I couldn’t figure out how to start this conversation.
Saying, “I got some weird disease and turned into a girl, ta-da!”—who’d believe that?
It was frustrating to realize how hard it was to just tell the truth.

“…Ugh.”

Dr. Kang Young-hoo’s face flashed in my mind.
He’d claimed to be one of the few in the country who knew about my condition.
Maybe he had some useful info to help explain this mess.

…Would texting him about this annoy him?

The thought was brief.
Whatever, nothing to lose.
Shaking off the hesitation, I carelessly poured the cola I’d been filling into a glass.
It was lunchtime, so he’d probably see the message soon.
Just as I sent it, my phone buzzed.

– Yo, Yoonseo. Why’s there a random woman at your place?
– Relative?

Joo-young’s message popped up.
I’d hoped to brush it off, but he was still stuck on the “blonde relative” theory.
As soon as I opened the chat, the unread count vanished—they knew I’d seen it.

– Is she nuts? Acting like she owns the place, telling us what to do.
– For real, not a burglar? If you’re locked up somewhere, send a hot moan for 3 seconds.

Seok-yoon next.
Why a moan for a distress signal? No clue, but it was clear they were freaking out.
I could guess what they’d been whispering about—girls, burglars, captivity.
More messages from the others buzzed in, but I barely registered them.

“…Pfft. Ridiculous idiots.”

Their same-old antics sparked a playful urge.
I slipped my phone back into my pocket.
I was curious how these near-chronic single guys would react if I humored their request.

Part 22

“See? I told you he’s checking his phone!”

“What’s going on… Whatever it is, a call would’ve helped…”

Joo-young and Seok-yoon’s eyes darted toward the kitchen where the girl had disappeared.
No sign of her, but clinking sounds, the fridge door opening, and the fizz of soda suggested she was actually getting drinks.

“Anyway, if he can check messages, something’s moving along. Whether it’s a call, a text, or, like, a really hot moan.”

“Why a moan, though?”

“Dunno, just went with the flow.”

“Crazy…”

The awkward vibe eased slightly with just the two of them.
Loosening up, they stifled laughs, and the situation started sinking in.

“Yoonseo doesn’t have any sisters, right?”

“One older brother and Sanghyeon. That’s it. Unless they adopted someone recently, no girls.”

“…So, a relative?”

“Gotta be the most likely, right?”

The girl’s deep honey-blonde hair flashed in their minds.
Can dye even look that natural?
The thought lingered, but other possibilities seemed too far-fetched, reinforcing the relative theory.

“That guy. If a relative’s here, he could’ve said something. She’s acting casual, so she might be older than she looks.”

“Yo, keep it down, she’ll hear. Watch your words—”

Just as their minds settled on “relative,” a sound cut through.

– Hnngggg…!

Their half-relaxed bodies froze solid.
The sultry, high-pitched voice wasn’t hard to place.
Unlike their rigid bodies, their minds raced, connecting the unforgettable girl they’d just seen with the sound echoing in their ears.

“…Whoa.”

“Not ‘whoa,’ you idiot! What if something’s actually wrong, and you’re just grinning like that?”

“…Oh? Oh! No, your face is just as…”

Before Joo-young could finish, Seok-yoon, refusing to hear more, bolted toward the kitchen.
Joo-young, a beat behind, hurried down the short hallway after him.
And there—

“…Pfft… snrk…”

The girl, one hand on the sink, the other covering her mouth, was shaking with barely-contained laughter.
Seok-yoon’s face, frozen in a bizarre mix of confusion and shock, came into Joo-young’s view next.

“Hah… pfft… God, this is too funny. I did what you asked, so what kind of wild imagination made you rush in like that?”

“…Did what we asked…?”

Her slender shoulders, still trembling with giggles, sent strands of honey-blonde hair bouncing.
With a slightly shaky hand, she pulled out her phone and thrust the screen toward them.

“Was it that hot?”

Seok-yoon’s message glowed on the screen.
The two guys froze again, as if doused in liquid nitrogen.
It took a while for her cackling laughter to finally die down.

Part 23

“…So, you’re saying you’re Yoonseo?”

“Want me to call the doctor to confirm?”

Dr. Kang Young-hoo’s reply came shortly after the little commotion.
A no-nonsense text with just a few attachments—typical of him, no fluff, just the essentials.

“…Hoo.”

A low sigh escaped Seok-yoon.
He probably understood it logically but couldn’t quite wrap his head around it emotionally.
I got it.
Even I took ages to accept the reflection in the mirror.

“Uh… well…”

“I know it’s hard to know what to say, so don’t force it.”

“No, it’s not that. You’re the one who’s been through it, not me.”

Joo-young likely felt the same, but true to his kind nature, he was fumbling for words.
I signaled he didn’t need to force it, glancing between the two, slumped in a mix of shock and disbelief.

Familiar faces. Familiar voices.
The only thing that changed was me.
The joy of facing them head-on was tinged with a sharp pang in my chest.
I’d hoped for excitement, but their faces showed more confusion than anything.

An awkward silence settled over us.
A bad, uncomfortable silence I’d never imagined before.

“…Man, guess we can’t crack dirty jokes when we hang out now.”

Seok-yoon broke the silence, his tone playful but his face still stiff with awkwardness.
He couldn’t hide his unease, but he clearly didn’t want to stay in this weird vibe forever.

“You finally get a connection with a super cute girl, and that’s what you say?”

Suppressing my own unease, I matched his playful tone, forcing a smile to hide the ache in my chest.

“Don’t you feel embarrassed calling yourself a cute girl?”

“…Honestly, super embarrassed.”

“Hand over the cola. Just bring the bottle. We brought meat—where should we put it?”

“Young-jin’s here, and Sung-yoon says he’ll be about 30 minutes late.”

“What? The snake hospital thing was real?”