Chapter 1: A New Form, A New Dilemma

Misfortune really does come in waves.

“Sigh.”

I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh as I stared into the mirror. Staring back at me wasn’t my reflection, but that of a young girl.

‘Am I dreaming?’

With a bit of hope, I pinched my cheek hard.

The soft flesh stretched like mochi.

Since it hurt, it didn’t seem to be a dream.

“What… is this?”

As I kept staring at the mirror, confused, I noticed something twitching above my head.

Ears, either of a dog or a cat, were perched there.

Upon closer inspection, I found a tail attached to my waist as well.

The tail looked soft, and without thinking, I reached up to touch the ears.

Squish, squish—

“O…!”

A foreign sensation coursed through me, and my body tensed up.

My tail shot upward, almost as if expressing my surprise.

I had heard that animal tails move according to emotions.

This didn’t seem to be a lie.

‘Could this be…?’

I had heard of a condition like this before.

Sudden Transformation Syndrome.

A disease that turns humans into something… non-human.

‘But why me…?!’

I thought about going to the hospital, but I didn’t have the money for that.

There wasn’t anyone I could ask for help, either. I hadn’t had friends or family for years.

“This is crazy.”

I had already missed my meeting time with Jinhyang.

But there wasn’t much I could do, especially since I didn’t even have clothes that would fit.

‘My clothes are way too big for this body.’

Even though I had a female’s hips now, I thought I might be able to manage with some pants.

But they slipped down immediately, tangling around my ankles like shackles.

I thought I had wide hips, but in this tiny body, it was just a matter of good proportions.

“Sigh.”

Between my now exposed thighs, the white tail swayed.

Why was it moving on its own? Annoyed, I grabbed it with both hands.

Even then, the tip of the tail kept twitching.

‘This is a disaster.’

Jinhyang must have been furious by now because I missed our meeting.

Maybe if I explained the situation, she’d understand, but honestly, I didn’t have the confidence to tell her the truth.

After all, it was humiliating enough that a grown man like me had transformed like this.

‘What did I do to deserve this?’

I had no idea where to start or how to fix any of this.

As I stood there dazed,

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Someone was pounding roughly on my door.

“Is anyone there?”

A woman’s voice called out, following the knocks.

I thought for a moment that it might be Jinhyang, but it wasn’t her voice.

The voice belonged to a younger, livelier woman, rather than someone as mature as Jinhyang.

‘Who is it?’

Whoever it was, I definitely didn’t want to meet them in my current state.

I decided to hide for the time being.

“I can sense someone inside. Don’t pretend you’re not there.”

“Ah.”

She could sense my presence?

She was definitely not an ordinary person.

At the very least, she had to be a hunter—and one with particularly sharp senses at that.

“You know what Jinhyang’s like, right? She told me to drag you out, even if I have to break your arms and legs. I’d rather not, though.”

‘Did Jinhyang send her?’

Jinhyang was infamous for her foul temper.

She wouldn’t let anyone who defied her off easily.

“W-wait a moment!”

I rushed toward the door.

She really might break my limbs if I didn’t come out.

Jinhyang was exactly the type of person who would do that.

Screech—!

The door creaked open just a crack, and when I peered through, my eyes met with the woman outside.

‘Huh?’

It was a familiar face.

Yoon Bora, one of Jinhyang’s associates.

She was sometimes referred to as Jinhyang’s errand girl, and now it seemed that title was well-earned.

‘Yoon Bora came to get me?’

It felt like overkill to send someone like her for someone like me.

This was proof of just how angry Jinhyang was.

“Oh?”

The fierce look in Yoon Bora’s eyes softened the moment she saw me.

In fact, her gaze turned gentle.

Given how different I looked now, she must’ve thought I wasn’t the person she was looking for.

“I was told a man lived here alone?”

Yoon Bora looked at me with a confused expression.

Then, slowly, her gaze drifted upward, toward the top of my head.

‘Where is she looking…? Oh.’

The animal ears that had no business being on a human’s head.

Her face turned to one of shock as she realized what she was seeing.

‘Sigh.’

There was once a famous internet meme that went viral.

“Suspiciously wealthy furry.”

It was a meme mocking a ‘small group’ of people with an unusual sexual preference for half-human, half-animal hybrids.

In other words, ‘most’ people had no interest in creatures mixed with animals.

Chances were, Yoon Bora belonged to that majority.

‘Why couldn’t I have transformed into something more… normal?’

Of all things, why did I have to grow animal parts?

“To…”

Still, Yoon Bora was a professional.

Her expression of shock slowly returned to normal.

It was even impressive how she managed to put on a smile so quickly.

“Hey, does someone named Kang Harang live here by any chance?”

Yoon Bora asked me in a gentle voice, even offering a smile.

It was kindness reserved for someone who looked young.

She was probably holding back the urge to gag internally.

What would happen if I revealed my identity to someone like Yoon Bora?

The result was obvious. She’d spit out curses.

A man turned into a woman, and on top of that, part animal.

There wasn’t a single positive spin to put on it.

Except for the fact that I could still communicate.

‘Should I hide my identity?’

I hesitated, but there wasn’t much point. She’d find out soon enough anyway.

I had no choice but to tell the truth.

“T-that’s me.”

“Hmm?”

“I’m Kang Harang.”

“What… are you talking about?”

Yoon Bora’s face started to twist with confusion as I spoke.

Just as I expected, this was the inevitable outcome.

Hearing the girl’s words, Yoon Bora could hardly believe her ears.

“You mean, when you woke up this morning, you were like this?”

“Y-yes.”

It was absurd an adult man turning into a young girl overnight.

It didn’t make any sense at all.

“Is this that sudden transformation syndrome?”

“I think so, but I’m not really sure.”

“……”

Yoon Bora stared at the girl standing before her.

‘This doesn’t make any sense.’

A disease that turns a grown man into a girl?

Yoon Bora didn’t want to believe such a disease could even exist.

But she had heard of sudden transformation syndrome before.

There was someone in Jinhyang’s guild who had the condition.

‘But it shouldn’t change someone’s gender, right?’

The syndrome only altered physical appearance and a few bodily features, but it didn’t change a person’s inherent gender.

‘Still, I can’t exactly say I don’t believe it.’

The ears and tail that no human should have were clear evidence of sudden transformation syndrome.

There were no such things as “beast people” on Earth at least, not outside of the few cases of people with the syndrome.

“Are you really… Kang Harang?”

“Y-yes, I am…”

She had no choice but to believe me.

Yoon Bora accepted that the girl standing before her was indeed Kang Harang.

‘What in the world is going on?’

She had expected to find someone trying to escape or hole up in their house to avoid Jinhyang, but instead…

He’d turned into a girl.

It was a far more complicated situation than dragging someone out in restraints to bring them to Jinhyang.

“Unnie said to bring you no matter what… What should I do?”

“I-I was going to go, but I don’t have any clothes to wear…”

Clothes, huh.

Yoon Bora looked the girl up and down.

Only now did she notice how bad the girl’s appearance was.

The oversized shirt was slipping off her shoulders, leaving them exposed.

She wasn’t even wearing any pants.

Her tail swayed and moved the shirt around, making it seem like her lower body could be exposed at any moment.

There was no way she could go outside looking like that.

‘Small body, but impressive.’

The curves of her figure were unbelievable for someone who used to be a man.

If she kept growing like this, she could rival Jinhyang herself.

‘Maybe even… better than me.’

Yoon Bora unconsciously clenched her fists.

She didn’t want to be outdone by someone who used to be a man.

Really, not at all.

“Should I go buy you some clothes?”

“N-no, there’s no need to go that far.”

“Huh? But didn’t you say you needed clothes?”

Was she refusing out of embarrassment?

Yoon Bora tilted her head slightly, noticing that the girl’s face had turned a deep shade of red.

‘Ah, she did say she doesn’t go out much.’

She probably didn’t have any money either.

Yoon Bora realized her lack of consideration.

‘Oops.’

The girl’s ears and tail drooped in a pitiful manner.

If this had been the old male version of Harang, she wouldn’t have cared much.

But now, seeing a delicate girl like this made it impossible to ignore.

Yoon Bora, who had a weakness for anything cute, felt even more uncomfortable.

It didn’t help that she’d never seen Harang as a man, making the situation even more perplexing.

‘What should I do?’

Though technically an adult, the girl clearly looked underage.

Leaving her half-naked like this felt wrong, almost like child neglect.

“Ugh.”

There was no choice.

She’d have to lie a little to get her some clothes.

Putting on her business smile, Yoon Bora turned to the girl.

“So, we’re going to be working together for the next month, right?”

“Y-yes.”

“Our company doesn’t treat temporary employees any differently from permanent ones.”

“O-oh… So?”

The girl’s ears perked up, twitching with curiosity.

“You get a 200,000 won monthly welfare allowance.”

“Then…?”

Please use that money to buy some clothes.

That was Yoon Bora’s only wish right now.