NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 7
After the incident was settled, the first thing I did was take a paternity test with my father.
At first, Dad insisted that it wasn’t necessary, saying it was just a joke and pleaded for just one chance to overlook it, but in the end, it happened because of my mother’s insistence.
The result was a whopping 99.993%.
Until then, my father, who had only been half-heartedly playing along with this ridiculous situation, seemed to have fully accepted that I was Yujin.
“…Honey, just to be sure, we don’t have another child, do we?”
“Stop saying useless stuff.”
“I just can’t believe it. Yujin ended up like this…”
“Like what? What’s so strange about Yujin? She’s beautiful.”
“…You don’t understand the heart of a father who’s lost his son.”
It wasn’t that I couldn’t sympathize. Fathers with sons share a particular dream.
That dream is to share drinks with their grown son, spilling heartfelt secrets.
Of course, I wouldn’t have been able to drink anyway, so in a way, Dad’s dream was probably off from the start.
‘No, maybe it’s me that’s off.’
Even though it wasn’t my fault I was sick, I felt an undeserved sense of guilt.
Lost in all these thoughts, my father’s gaze turned to me.
“Uh… you can walk now.”
“Yeah.”
Even though it was something he must have seen a million times already, his insistence on stating it now meant that he had finally recognized me as Yujin.
“Is there anything wrong?”
“Nope.”
“How about the hospital? What did they say?”
My mother answered for me.
“We haven’t gone yet.”
“…What? Is your mind even working? Your child is like this—”
“Are you going to turn my child into a zoo monkey? I can’t do that.”
“A zoo monkey? You know it’s not like that.”
“Whatever you say, I’ll let Yujin decide.”
“Hmm…”
Feeling that my mother wouldn’t be easily persuaded, my father turned his gaze back to me.
“…Yujin, why don’t you say something? Shouldn’t we go to the hospital? What if there are side effects? Didn’t you have a seizure?”
That was undeniably correct.
Since the seizure, my entire body had changed completely.
The fact that my parents’ genes were still present was almost miraculous.
At that time, I instinctively felt death creeping in, so who knows what would happen if it occurred again?
But… still, I didn’t want to go.
“I’ll go later if I get sick. I’m fine right now. Really.”
“…Stubborn. Just like Yujin.”
My father still seemed unconvinced, but if he sensed anything strange, then I could go to the hospital then.
At least, that’s how I felt.
“Okay, then…”
My father shook his head and checked the time on his smartphone.
“I’m heading straight to the office. You take Yujin home.”
“Got it.”
“Dad.”
“…Hmm?”
My father reacted a second too late.
No matter how much he knew, it would take time for him to adapt to the fact that I was Yujin.
“…Why?”
“If you ever need a drinking buddy later, just say the word.”
The fantasy of a father with a son.
I couldn’t quite grasp what that was, but it wouldn’t hurt to listen just once.
“Heh.”
Eventually, my father let out a laugh, as if in disbelief.
I couldn’t help but laugh along.
*
Changes started manifesting in small ways.
“Uh… we’re eating together…?”
My younger sibling was the first to speak when she spotted me sitting at the dinner table.
“Just speak comfortably.”
“Is it weird to call you ‘oppa’? ‘Unni’ feels weird too.”
It seemed my younger sister had somewhat accepted that I was Yujin, probably after hearing about our test results.
Of course, that only reflected her outer appearance; I could tell she hadn’t fully adapted yet.
“Just call me oppa.”
For now, that felt more comfortable for me.
I had never even thought about the issue of titles before.
“Is my presence weird?”
“No… it’s just that we never ate together before, that’s all.”
I rarely had meals with my family unless it was a special occasion.
There were many reasons, but the biggest one was probably my mobility issues and lifestyle patterns.
It was much easier and faster for me to have my meals separately on my desk than for someone to move me to the table.
Plus, my daily schedule was so different from my family’s that even if I wanted to eat together, our timings didn’t align.
Of course, that was all past. Now that my movement limitations were gone, it was fine to have dinner together.
“From now on, we’ll eat together.”
Like a typical family.
It was something I should have done long ago.
“Ah… I see.”
My sister closed her mouth, perhaps unable to withstand the awkward silence.
As we both silently stared at our smartphones, my sister broke the silence first.
“Uh, oppa. I’ve been curious about something since yesterday.”
“What is it?”
“What tint do you use? The color is really pretty.”
“…I didn’t use anything.”
“Is that your bare face?”
It wasn’t surprising she reacted that way.
Even I couldn’t find the words to describe my face.
“How would I know about makeup?”
“Oppa, that’s so outdated. What century are we in that guys can’t— Ah.”
Finally realizing something was off, my sister sensed the strange atmosphere returning.
“What are you two doing? Get this over with.”
Breaking our silence was Mom’s call.
The timing couldn’t have been better.
“Alright, let’s eat.”
Since Dad was away for work in the morning, dinner ended up being just Mom, my sister, and me.
“It’s delicious.”
“Eat plenty.”
Having dinner with my family after such a long time was incredibly enjoyable.
*
“Yujin, you can wash yourself now, right?”
As I was thinking it was time to wash up, my mother’s bombshell announcement caught me off guard.
“Uh… yeah.”
“Okay, then do that.”
With that, Mom turned and headed back to her room.
She looked noticeably tired after everything that had happened these past two days.
“……”
But for some reason, I felt strangely uneasy.
It should be a natural thing, yet I felt like I was somehow drifting further away from my mother.
Until now, I had needed someone’s help to wash up.
Sure, I could manage to wash my face or brush my teeth alone, but when it came to showering, I definitely needed someone’s assistance.
‘It was bound to happen someday.’
I had become a woman, and the illness that had bound me was gone.
Considering everything except that, this was something I had desperately wanted, so I should be thankful to God.
I needed to slowly accept my changes.
I was still Yujin, but I had to change from how I was before.
“Hmm.”
It’s not a big deal.
Thinking that, I slowly began to undress in the bathroom.
The sound of clothes falling felt unusually loud compared to usual.
The garments that slipped off me revealed another version of myself in the mirror.
“Uh….”
A gasp escaped involuntarily.
Perhaps it was because I had never faced my naked self properly before, the shock was overwhelming.
But what stood out the most?
‘…It’s pink.’
The fact that I could even think this way brought me a pang of self-loathing, but it was the reality.
The reflection in the mirror was still unfamiliar and incredibly beautiful.
But now, that was me.
I had to accept that.
“…Ugh.”
It’s strange.
Everything happening to me right now is purely good, yet tears were spilling down.
“Grrr….”
Fearing that my sobs might escape outside, I tried my best to keep my cries quiet.
I instinctively realized where this sadness was coming from.
I was scared.
I was afraid of changing, and I was afraid of what would happen to the changed me.
Fear comes from ignorance.
I had no idea my mother would drift away from me so suddenly.
I thought I’d have a little, just a tiny bit more time.
It was a delusion, ignorance.
I knew nothing.
And that made me all the more afraid.
“Sniff….”
I swallowed my tears with great difficulty.
Straightening my legs from the crouched position, I slowly stood up, feeling the blessing that had come to me.
“…What a fool.”
This guy is crying over something so trivial.
I can’t even fathom how ridiculous that is.
No, maybe it’s not like that anymore?
After shedding some tears, I now felt my state was unbelievably funny.
“Phew….”
I took a deep breath.
Who knows what will happen next?
Many things will change so quickly that I won’t even get a chance to adjust.
Still—
Even so,
I will live.