Chapter 23: Skirt of Shame

5: A Simple Thank You

Garam Lee’s three friends couldn’t hide their shock.

Their friend, who always stuck to T-shirts and sweatpants, showed up in a fluttery dress, of all things.

It wasn’t that the dress didn’t suit her. To the friends, Garam’s new look was plenty cute and pretty.

To be precise, it was as if her appearance, previously hidden by casual clothes, was finally shining through.

But the three, wide-eyed at first, soon cleared their throats and calmed themselves. The person in the dress was rambling nonstop about how it wasn’t her choice.

“Don’t get the wrong idea! This isn’t my dress! Someone forced these clothes on me, and I got soaked in the rain today, and I forgot to do laundry, so I had no spare T-shirts and had to wear this, okay?!”

Nod nod.

The three friends nodded, signaling understanding, but deep down, they didn’t buy her excuses.

After all, she’d been walking to the meetup spot with a blissful, world-conquering expression.

No matter how much she blushed and protested, it just looked like she was embarrassed about wearing such clothes in front of them.

Garam’s friends were kind and considerate. With just a glance, they silently agreed to respect their friend’s taste.

Of course, Garam, picking up on their vibe, freaked out even more, her face turning redder.

“You’re not listening to me!!! I didn’t wear this because I wanted to!!!”

Junseo Kim, Kanghyuk Park, and Min-jae Seo kept nodding with benevolent expressions, as if saying they’d accept her no matter her hobbies.

After a few more shouts, Garam gave up on her excuses.

Garam’s friends had promised—twice—to treat her the same as before.

The first was a private pact they made among themselves the day Garam revealed her new form. The second was when Garam herself called, begging them to treat her like always.

Her body had changed, so things couldn’t be exactly the same, but her friends did their best to keep their promise. Whether she was an angel, a girl, or a tiny kid, they tried to act normal, suppressing any surprise.

Over time, hanging out together, they naturally realized Garam was still Garam, and they started treating her as comfortably as before without thinking too hard about it.

This was true for Junseo, too.

Still, finding women’s clothes hidden in the cabinet or seeing Garam in a dress stirred some unavoidable shock.

But because of their past promise and his care for his friend, Junseo pushed down his surprise.

She’s a girl now, so it makes sense she’d want to wear stuff like that. Don’t overthink it. Don’t make her feel embarrassed.

So Junseo ignored the fluttering skirt beside him and treated her as usual.

… Though the person in question had a slightly different take.

Why’s no one reacting…? Sure, their reactions earlier were embarrassing, but no reaction at all feels kinda bad… Does it not suit me? Was I wrong thinking it looked good in the mirror?

Garam glanced down at her outfit, worrying if it didn’t suit her.

Beyond the embarrassment of wearing women’s clothes, she’d thought she looked pretty and cute, but her friends’ lack of reaction was disappointing.

Garam had some confidence in her looks. Sure, her gender was now female, but purely on appearance, she believed she could rank high in Korea.

Yet, her friends’ silence felt like a scratch on her self-esteem, making her sad, even depressed.

I picked something that suits me since I had to wear it… Does it not look good? Was I the only one who thought it was pretty? Am I actually ugly…?

She couldn’t just ask, “Do I look pretty?” so Garam stewed in silence, growing gloomier.

Her darkening halo alarmed her friends, who couldn’t figure out why she was upset.

Seeing her halo dim, Kanghyuk hurriedly changed the subject.

“Hey, I’m hungry. Let’s eat before gaming. Sound good?”

He slapped his chubby belly, each hit making a thump thump sound.

The other two chimed in.

“Sounds good. You eaten yet?”

“Nope. Garam?”

Junseo turned to Garam, who was crouched, exuding a dark aura. Startled, she looked up.

“Huh? Oh, no, I haven’t eaten either.”

“Cool. Let’s eat first, then hit the PC café.”

With that, the four scanned the area for a place to eat. Kanghyuk sniffed the air.

“Hey, I smell a barbecue place.”

“Smell?”

Sniff sniff. “Oh! There’s a barbecue joint!”

His nose was surprisingly sharp. Fitting his chubby frame, Kanghyuk’s food-sniffing skills were top-notch.

As he made a beeline for the restaurant, Min-jae pushed up his glasses and stopped him.

“Barbecue in the middle of the day?”

“Why not? We can’t eat at night because of Garam, so we gotta eat now.”

“Don’t use Garam as an excuse. You just want barbecue.”

“Caught me☆”

Kanghyuk tapped his head and headed for the restaurant. The other three, exasperated, followed him in.

“So full…”

My small body couldn’t handle much meat.

I rubbed my slightly bloated belly, waiting for it to settle. My hand felt the soft fabric of the dress.

Hmm.

So soft.

Eating lifted my mood, as if my earlier gloom was a lie. Maybe it was the sweet marinated ribs.

Thinking it over while munching, I realized my friends’ silence about my dress was out of consideration, not because I looked bad or my fashion sense was off.

Hehe.

That’s a relief.

I’d jumped to conclusions, gotten disappointed, and even depressed for no reason. Thinking about it made my face flush with embarrassment.

“What’s wrong? Your face is red.”

“N-Nothing!”

I waved Junseo off as he checked on me, fanning my face to cool down.

Once my stomach settled, we headed to the PC café as planned.

About to start our usual game, I spotted an old RPG I used to play but dropped when I lost interest.

Feeling nostalgic and curious, I double-clicked the icon to check the website. Turns out, there’d been a ton of updates since I quit.

“Garam, what’re you doing?”

“Just a sec, I’ll start soon.”

I’ll satisfy my curiosity later. For now, I should focus on hanging with my friends.

Heh.

I’m used to this body now—no more button fumbles.

Angel of Destruction Garam Lee is here. Clear the way.

“Muahaha… Aah!!”

“Garam! You died again!!”

*

The only consolation was that my performance was better than last time.

The screen still flashed red with “Defeat,” but I’m improving. One day, I might even win.

Yup.

I’m laughing now. Go ahead, mock me. Even if I start a few seconds late, I’ll overtake you with my superior skill, a whole different breed…

“Ow!”

“Quiet down, you game-ruiner!”

I rub my head and glare at the culprit. Min-jae, one hand pushing up his glasses, the other delivering a chop to my head.

I want to protest, but since I totally botched his carry, I stay quiet.

So unfair.

I’ve been getting hit a lot lately. What if I get a bump? I rub the sore spot.

Anyway.

We had fun, so it’s time to part ways. Leaving the PC café, I spin and wave goodbye.

The skirt flares slightly and settles. For some reason, they all turn away, coughing.

“What’s wrong?”

“Uh, nothing…”

They’re struggling to speak. Finally, Junseo steps up, resolute.

“Garam.”

“Yeah?”

“Maybe ease up on spinning in a skirt.”

“Huh?”

“When your skirt… floats up…”

…

A floating skirt.

Friends looking away.

Putting it together…

…

“I-I…”

My face burns red. Overwhelmed by a torrent of embarrassment, my body trembles.

“S-See you later!!!!”

Unable to take it, I bolt home, clutching my skirt to keep it down.