Chapter 1: I Will Never Date You!

Mutation (1)

SHIBA Syndrome, due to its characteristics, is grounds for medical discharge. The physical transformation takes a minimum of six months to a maximum of two years, and the military can't be responsible for someone during that period. Frankly, if I were in their shoes, I'd choose discharge over staying in a military hospital.

In Korea, it's already classified as a rare and incurable disease, so it receives various forms of support. You can receive treatment at a university hospital with a doctor specializing in the disease and only pay 10 percent of the medical expenses, so there's no need to get treatment in the military.

Moreover, about 40 percent of SHIBA Syndrome patients retain their original gender even after the physical transformation is complete. If you don't leave when they tell you to, you might end up spending the rest of your service in the military.

For reference, SHIBA Syndrome is also grounds for complete exemption. Once you get the disease, about 40 percent retain their original gender after the physical transformation, but because the disease was only discovered five years ago, no one knows what effects it might have on the body afterward.

The truth is, if you consider cases where women become men, the story becomes incredibly complicated. Anyway, there are fewer than 4,000 people in this country with the disease, and about half of them are women. Among those who "retained the male gender," even fewer are minors who haven't enlisted yet, so it seems they just treat the disease itself as grounds for exemption.

…….

For the record,

I finished the first semester of my freshman year of college and went straight to the military, where I was honorably discharged.

After that, I worked hard at part-time jobs for about half a year to save up spending money, and then I returned to school when the second semester started.

And after attending school normally for about two weeks, I suddenly collapsed, was rushed to the emergency room, underwent a thorough examination, and was diagnosed with 'SHIBA Syndrome.'

Although the number of patients in this country is small, its notoriety is quite high due to the strangeness of the disease. Especially since one of the patients even debuted as an idol last year, its recognition has increased even further. To be honest, I was a little excited.

Why not? You only need to be in the 40 percent and you'll be slightly above average. If I'm a little greedy, I might even get taller.

After all, the appearance of SHIBA Syndrome patients was universally handsome or beautiful.

And after being bedridden for six months, I—

"Kuaaak!"

Became a woman.

"Seriously, why are you coming to someone else's place and acting like this?"

As I flailed my arms and legs in the air and screamed, Siwoo asked, looking dumbfounded.

"If you're discharged, go home."

"No, listen to me!"

I shouted while rolling around on the floor of Siwoo's studio apartment.

"How can I get a disease like this after serving in the military?!"

"Does serving in the military have anything to do with getting that disease?"

"It doesn't make sense, it doesn't make sense! I wouldn't even be this upset if I just stayed a man!"

That's right.

If I had just turned into a man, I would have been someone who served in the military and was sick for about six months. I'd probably be handsome, so I'd be popular. And if possible, a little taller.

But what is this?

Well, okay.

I look pretty in the mirror. Not just pretty, but my figure is so good that my younger sister gets mad every time she sees me. It's enough to make me believe the conspiracy theory that SHIBA Syndrome isn't a disease randomly embedded in human genes, but a virus deliberately created and spread by some pervert.

So what am I supposed to do?

I was originally a man. I was a man with all my limbs intact, so much so that the military told me to come back, even though I was a little short.

But, you see.

It was there.

Now it's gone.

"……I didn't even get to use it properly……."

"……I don't really want to understand what you're saying, but if I'm thinking correctly, you must have used it. You've been to the bathroom, right?"

"Is that what I'm talking about? Read between the lines. Read between the lines."

I rolled over again and sprawled out on the floor.

Siwoo spoke to me again as I stared blankly at the ceiling.

"No, I mean, if you were discharged after six months, you should go see your family. Not be like this at your friend's place."

"This isn't just your place, is it? I paid half the rent too."

I was born and raised in Seoul, and I barely managed to get into a university in Seoul as well.

But unfortunately, being in the same city doesn't mean being close to home. Commuting from one side of Seoul to the other across the Han River took almost two hours a day.

Siwoo's parents are from Busan. Siwoo had lived in Seoul since birth, but had to move back to Busan due to family matters when he was in high school. The joy of meeting a friend I had been with since middle school again in the same department at the same university.

We went to the military around the same time. We didn't coordinate it, we just each decided that it was better to go quickly.

We were discharged around the same time, and we returned to school at the same time.

Siwoo decided to live in Seoul, and suggested that I pay half the rent and live with him. Siwoo, who was worried about how to reduce living expenses, immediately accepted.

Since my parents' house was also in Seoul, I would go back there on weekends, and whether Siwoo got a girlfriend or not, he could use it alone comfortably on weekends…… It wasn't such a bad deal for each other.

The problem was that I was taken to the hospital after living like that for about two weeks.

"I paid for the first month and used it for two weeks, so there are still two weeks left."

"Is it because of your younger sister?"

"……."

"Does she still make fun of you for being shorter than her?"

I pursed my lips.

"So you shouldn't have said that you still have room to grow."

"I didn't say it. I just said one thing."

"No……."

Siwoo, who was about to say something, sighed deeply.

"……Should we order chicken?"

"Sure, order two."

"I have to ask, you're not saying that empty-handed, are you?"

"What do you take me for? I still have the money I earned from my part-time job."

Siwoo was relieved only after seeing me take out my wallet from my hoodie pocket.

*

"But you're not that surprised."

"No, I was surprised."

Siwoo said seriously as we sat facing each other with the chicken between us.

SHIBA Syndrome patients are usually isolated separately. It's a genetic disease, so of course it's not contagious, but the surrounding patients are very anxious.

I can say this now that it's all over, but it was very painful and looked terrible. When the disease was first discovered, the whole world was terrified that smallpox had been revived.

Thinking about it like this, it was a disease that had a flashy debut.

So, Siwoo is seeing the changed me for the first time.

"But your tone of voice is exactly the same. I knew you had the disease. I also knew the day you were discharged."

"If it wasn't me?"

"It would be a cult member or something."

Siwoo said with a shrug.

"Unfortunately, I don't have any women who would come to see me except for my family."

Siwoo got up from his chair listlessly. The computer was still on, but it was just a YouTube screen, and he didn't seem to be doing anything special.

"But a cult member wouldn't greet me so happily as soon as they saw me."

I nodded at Siwoo's words.

He wasn't much different from me.

"Don't worry, Siwoo. You're handsome. You'll definitely get a girlfriend. Fighting."

"It just makes me angry to be cheered on without any soul. Can I hit you?"

"Until recently, you would have hit me without saying anything if you heard something like that, right?"

"……."

Siwoo snorted as if he was dumbfounded at my words.

"Or, is it hard to hit me? Because I'm like this now?"

I looked down.

The clothes I'm wearing were bought by my family. A slightly oversized hoodie and cargo pants. Ironically, the pants size hasn't changed much.

Almost nothing of my 'previous appearance' remains in my current appearance. In fact, I don't even know if I can use the word 'almost.' If I stare at myself in the mirror, it feels like something of me remains, but I'm not sure if that's just because I've gotten used to this appearance over the past week or so.

"Your family didn't come even though you were discharged after six months?"

"They would have come if I had stayed for another hour. But I just came out."

Without bothering to point out that Siwoo was blatantly changing the subject, I flopped down on the floor.

The reason isn't anything great.

It's just that I felt awkward with my family.

At least in this country, no deaths from SHIBA Syndrome have been found. Globally, there have been deaths, but those are usually cases where people whose bodies were very weakened by the syndrome died from complications because they didn't receive proper care.

But the feelings that families have when they see their loved ones with blisters all over their bodies and skin almost peeling off for months are different.

Moreover, hormone imbalances right after the onset of the syndrome make people's personalities strange.

"Eat the chicken. It's getting cold."

Siwoo said when I suddenly became quiet.

I got up from my seat again and picked up the chopsticks.

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