Chapter 8: I Will Never Date You!

Mutation (8)

"This one and this one."

My sister said, picking out a few clothes for me.

"Wear them today."

"Huh?"

"You're going to see Siwoo Oppa, right? Wear them."

"No..."

"Why? You don't need to dress up in front of a friend?"

That's true, but.

Even when I was a man, I didn't think I needed to dress up a lot to see a friend. I could just wear whatever I was wearing.

"If you think like that, you'll probably never wear pretty clothes."

My sister said.

"I wouldn't say anything if you told me you didn't want to wear them, though."

But I have to keep living in this body.

I felt like I knew what my sister wanted to say.

I hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded.

As I took the clothes, my sister handed me a few more.

"Take these to wear when you go exercise."

Workout clothes that didn't show off my figure too much.

"You're not planning on doing anything too intense yet, right? Because of the..."

"The shower room?"

"...Yeah."

My sister nodded, looking embarrassed at my answer.

That's right.

It hadn't been long since I was discharged from the hospital. I hadn't fully adjusted to this world yet.

Bathrooms and shower rooms. When I'm at home, I don't have to worry too much. I can just go in. It's not like someone else is going to come in while I'm showering or using the toilet.

But it's different outside.

These days, there are bathrooms that aren't designated for a specific gender, but who would easily go into one of those in the first place? Not me. But going into the women's bathroom feels wrong, and I can't go into the men's bathroom either.

The same goes for bathhouses and shower rooms.

I've seen people in the patient association community say that if you just act confident, no one will notice, but I don't have that kind of courage.

"The underwear is for exercise, so wear that and then change or shower when you get back."

Do I have to tell you everything?

That expression was written all over her face, but at the same time, I could feel her consideration.

Is that what family is?

"Okay."

I answered.

"I don't have any plans to go out today, so you can call me if anything happens... but I doubt anything will."

"Okay."

I nodded again and answered.

My sister stared at me for a moment, then finally sighed and turned away.

Then she went into her room and closed the door.

I scratched my head and went back to my room to change.

*

Moving my body lightly feels good.

I didn't run, just walked on the treadmill until I had a light sweat on my back. About an hour, maybe a little more.

Even if the gym is close, I didn't want to go home covered in sweat.

I got a message from Siwoo on the way home.

[Wanna hang out again today?]

[What about class?]

[It's over]

Is it because it's only March and he doesn't feel any sense of urgency?

I guess he's not a senior yet. It's still a long way off before he feels the fear of having to go out into the world.

I was even further away.

The meeting place was the same as yesterday. Siwoo arrived later than me yesterday, so if I showered quickly and went out, the timing should be about right.

With that in mind, I showered quickly and was about to go out with my hair still damp, but my sister caught me again and made me dry my hair completely, so I ended up being later than Siwoo today.

*

"Siwoo!"

I shouted, raising one hand high towards Siwoo, who was standing blankly in the distance, and everyone around me turned to look at me at the same time.

Oops. I shouted too loudly.

But I'm really glad to see him.

Ever since I made a fuss about the cockroach, my sister has been taking care of me a little more. Maybe she still thinks I'm a lacking older brother.

However, regardless of the fact that I got sick and my appearance changed, my sister and I were still a little awkward and uncomfortable with each other.

Feeling self-conscious about the attention, I quickly approached Siwoo and looked up at him.

The height difference between us is still the same. If I wore shoes with heels, it would be a little less, but I didn't feel like doing that.

My height is 159 centimeters. Siwoo's height is 179 centimeters.

I think we're both subtly frustrated with our heights. Well, Siwoo probably feels less frustrated than me, since everyone asks him if he's over 180.

"Oh..."

Siwoo made a strange noise when he saw me, and I couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"...Why? Is it weird?"

"No, I just thought you dressed up."

I was going to complain to my sister if he said it was weird, but I'm glad I didn't hear that.

Considering the clothes my sister picked out for me today, I think she was being sincere.

"The pants are a little tight."

"...Is that so."

Siwoo replied with a slightly subtle expression as I pulled slightly at the tight jeans with my hand.

It's not that they're too small and tight, but that's the size they're supposed to be. Actually, only the butt is a little tight, and the rest is a little loose.

On top, I'm just wearing a white blouse. It's tucked into the pants, so my waist is slightly emphasized, but it's still loose. Maybe my sister was being considerate of me, since I'm not used to women's clothes.

Maybe this is a normal outfit for women. I think I understand a little why she was horrified when I tried to wear all black.

"Does it look okay?"

"Yeah, well, it's okay, but,"

Siwoo blinked and said.

"What made you suddenly dress up?"

"...Do you think I wanted to wear this?"

I sighed deeply and said.

"My sister kept telling me to wear it. She kept telling me I can't dress."

"Ah, is that so?"

Understanding dawned on Siwoo's bewildered expression.

"Yiseul tends to be a little sensitive about that kind of thing."

"Is that so?"

"How can you not know that as her Oppa?"

Siwoo made a slightly subtle expression after saying "Oppa," but I pretended not to notice.

"Well, you always wore black from head to toe. I thought you'd buy a black shirt when you bought a suit."

"...No, it wasn't that bad, was it? Was that the impression I gave? Me?"

"Yeah, that's the impression you gave. I think everyone else thought so too."

As I was lightly shocked by Siwoo's words, Siwoo started walking first.

"So, what should we do today?"

"...Well, the same as yesterday. Wander around, go to a cafe when it gets a little chilly. Eat and then say goodbye."

Haa, I let out a light breath.

"Why?"

"I'm thinking of getting a part-time job, but I don't know where to start."

I'm planning to return to school in the second semester, so that would be in September.

I'll have a lot of things to do starting around August, so even if I quit my part-time job before then, there's still too much time left.

I probably won't have to worry about bathrooms at a part-time job. Since it's not a very big store, there's only one bathroom. I probably won't need a changing room either.

"...Well, take your time. It hasn't been long since you were discharged from the hospital."

"Is that so?"

When you say that, it feels like that too.

But I still feel uneasy.

I scratched my head as I quickly caught up with Siwoo.

*

*

*

If there was one thing Siwoo couldn't deny while looking at Ihyun, it was that Ihyun looked 'pretty' right now.

This is inevitable. That disease is that kind of disease. A disease that everyone envies, even saying it's almost a blessing.

Yesterday, she was hiding her body almost completely in baggy clothes, so it was easier to be less conscious of it.

The top is a little big, so it's covering her figure to some extent, but the bottom is tucked into the pants that come up to her waist, emphasizing the figure below. Naturally, it indirectly revealed how full the figure inside the loose part above was.

"..."

No, come on.

Siwoo thought, feeling like he was going to hit his forehead with his hand.

The person next to him is Ihyun. Not some girl he's meeting for the first time.

As proof, Ihyun was treating Siwoo very comfortably. As if they had known each other for a long time— no, they had known each other for a long time, but.

So he's not having strange thoughts. Siwoo definitely thought so.

But at the same time, it's strange that he doesn't feel so bad.

It was similar to the feeling when a female Hubae who you'll never date happens to walk next to you. Nothing happened, but you feel good for no reason.

Is it okay to feel that way about Ihyun?

Just yesterday, Siwoo decided to treat Ihyun as usual.

"Huh? What?"

Her actions and way of speaking were Ihyun, but.

Everything else about her was like a pretty girl.

"No, nothing."

A friend he's known for a long time.

But at the same time, a beautiful woman he's meeting for the first time.

Siwoo felt both of those emotions for Ihyun at the same time.

At least there's one thing.

He was a little relieved that Ihyun didn't pick out these clothes, but her sister Yiseul did.

If Ihyun had really changed, Siwoo wouldn't have known how to treat her at all.

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