Chapter 2 : Your name is Hyo-jeong from now on

To briefly describe the life of a man named Han Jeongho, I would say he is an ordinary South Korean man.

There is nothing particularly outstanding about him, but he has not lived a lacking life either.

If you were to line up everyone in the world, he would probably be somewhere in the middle.

However, one unique point is that he was abandoned by his parents at a young age.

He raised his younger sister alone as the head of the household, and as soon as he became an adult, he received his draft notice.

Why wasn’t he exempt?

I found out that the names of our parents, who abandoned us, were still on the family registry.

So, he was not classified as an orphan without relatives.

In the end, it was the Nonsan diving ending.

Some might say that this is unfortunate, but.

From a global perspective, I believe it’s average.

There are so many children around the world who starve to death without a single meal.

A month ago, after completing his military service, he rented a small room with a deposit of 5 million won and a monthly rent of 400,000 won, using the 6 million won he saved from his military savings.

It was not a moldy semi-basement, and hot water flowed smoothly.

Since then, he has been making a decent living through part-time jobs, so you could say he is leading a happy life.

“Damn it, no.”

Upon further reflection, there is one unfair point.

Not getting military exemption? That’s understandable. Every man born in South Korea has to go there at least once.

But damn. How did this happen right after being discharged?

Honestly, it made me quite angry.

Any military veteran would sympathize.

‘Aaaargh! Aaaargh!!’

It’s unfair! So unfair!

I should have gone to the military two years later!

Sergeant Choi, you bastard! Corporal Kim, you piece of trash!

Are you good at running away?

Come to the training ground, you bastard!

I clutch my head and writhe in agony.

Flopping around on the wooden floor like a freshly caught flounder, Ye-eun, who was watching quietly from the side, clicked her tongue.

“This is ridiculous.”

Women who don’t go to the military don’t understand my feelings.

I don’t want to cause gender conflicts, but shouldn’t women also go to the military?

The duty of national defense is divided by gender, which causes unnecessary debates.

‘…No.’

A sudden wave of unease.

Han Jeongho has completed his military service. No one, not even Tom Cruise, could deny this fact.

But now? Can I still be called Han Jeongho in this state?

Even if I shout that I served in the military looking like this, the Military Manpower Administration won’t believe me.

They’ll laugh and issue a new draft notice.

It was driving me crazy, but the problem was that I had no way to prove I was Han Jeongho.

So, the worst-case scenario of re-enlisting became a reality….

Upon further reflection, it’s clear that women shouldn’t go to the military.

“I’ll protect you, little sister… Just sleep tight…”

“Ugh, what’s wrong with you?”

“This sucks.”

When I looked in the mirror, an unfamiliar beauty was staring back at me.

A face that I just couldn’t get used to was reflected in the mirror.

Hair cascading down to the waist.

Big round eyes with eyelashes long enough to swing.

Pale white skin, spotless and clean.

The chest was quite big, nearly twice the size of my sister’s.

Height, around 160? Maybe 165? Not sure. From my perspective, it’s all the same short height.

How can a person change so drastically overnight?

It’s not just a girlfriend saying ‘You’ve changed’ with a hint of resentment, but a real transformation at the DNA level, something unexplained even in this age of advanced science.

It’s like having a result without a cause.

As someone who values coherence in movies, this was unbelievable.

“How about going to the hospital?”

My sister said, coming out of the bathroom.

“That’s ridiculous.”

For a tough guy, the hospital is a place you reluctantly go to when you feel like you’re really dying.

Most of all, I have no idea how to explain this to a doctor.

I woke up, and my junior was gone?

My chest got bigger, my height shrunk, and my voice got thinner?

At that moment, the hospital sign would change to a mental hospital.

Even if the doctor was a very empathetic person and believed every word I said.

That in itself would likely cause another problem.

‘I’d be lucky if they don’t turn me into a lab rat, claiming they’ve discovered a new possibility for humanity.’

Yes.

I was a new human.

Maybe I became the prototype of a magical girl who would shake the world.

Oh? Then perhaps…?

“Transform off.”

No response.

“Status window?”

Silence.

“Inventory!”

“…Pfft!”

There were other commands like status or logout that came to mind, but I couldn’t bear to try them in front of Ye-eun, who dismissed my desperation as mere playfulness.

“Nom nom.”

After a brief commotion.

We munched on chicken while discussing our future.

By the way, Ye-eun ordered the chicken.

“So, no one else knows that you’re like this besides me?”

“Yep.”

Fortunately, my social circle wasn’t that wide.

At most, I kept in touch with a few friends from my school days.

The contacts in my phone could be counted on two hands.

Just thinking about those people, there’s Kim Taeksoo, Oh Byungtae, Yoo Minshik……

Wow. What a scary lineup.

As of today, my contact list is officially a blacklist.

Yeah. It’s a relief that it was my sister who found out.

What if it had been Kim Taeksoo ringing the doorbell? What if Oh Byungtae or Yoo Minshik had broken in?

Thinking about that sends chills all over my body.

Ye-eun just bought me chicken out of curiosity, but imagining what those senseless guys might do is terrifying.

They would surely lead me to social death.

I might even hang myself, unable to overcome the impulse.

-Han Jeongho, leaving only a suicide note, took his own life.-

For the record, I already thought of the content of the suicide note.

[Please inscribe on the tombstone: ‘He was quite a manly man.’] [From Han Jeongho.] May I be born as a muscular macho man in the next life. Amen.

“Do you think we’ll be back to normal after a night’s sleep?” “I hope so.”

Since we don’t know the cause, we can’t know how to reverse it. What action could have triggered this? If I repeat yesterday’s actions exactly, might something change? But what did I do yesterday?

During the weekdays, I go out for part-time jobs, but yesterday was Saturday. My weekend routine, when not working, is divided into three main activities. Going out early in the morning for a brisk jog. Having a bowl of rice soup on the way back. At home, having a moment to bond emotionally with my lower half, showcasing my manliness…

A string of heavily censored thoughts that I can’t dare to mention in front of my sister. When I kept silent, Ye-eun expressed her concern.

“What if you can’t return to normal?” “Then I’m screwed.” Lost my manhood. Damn.

In the end, I’ll have to say goodbye to my nether regions without ever using them. The news of the demise of my lifelong companion brought a touch of moisture to my desert-dry tear ducts.

“So, should I call you sister now… instead of brother?” “Oh, hell no.” “Pfft! Oh, Han Yeo-sa. Why is your language so harsh? A girl should, you know, be a bit more cute.” “Oh, hell no no no.”

She was trying to turn me into a fully reformed human. “Shouldn’t you change your name too?” “My name?” “Han Jeongho sounds too masculine. What if you run into someone you know?”

Most of what came out of Ye-eun’s mouth was useless, but this time she had a point. My name isn’t particularly unique, but it’s better to be cautious. Especially with people like Kim Taeksoo and Oh Byungtae around, I needed to thoroughly separate my past self from my current self. All identifiable information about my identity had to be completely erased.

“In that sense, from now on, call me Kang Baekho.” “But the last name is different.” “Han Baekho doesn’t sound right.”

There were other cool candidates like Choi Taesik, Ma Jeongdu, Kang Taepoong, Kim Sooho, etc. All were dismissed without a second thought.

“Yeji, Minji, those are too common.” “That’s a bit….”

“If you reverse Han Jeongho, it’s Hojungho… Hyojeonghan… Hyojeong? How about Hyojeong? Han Hyojeong?” “That’s a bit….”

The parade of delicate names made the tough guy in me squirm and express displeasure. Even though my new appearance could slap any female celebrity out of the park, the inner me was still a hardcore macho man. The name Han Hyojeong was too much of a hurdle for someone like me. Just hearing the name conjured up images of wearing a frilly dress and doing a soda commercial. I couldn’t accept that.

If I ever did a commercial, it would be for a men’s skin care product, showcasing my beastly charm.

“Han Hyojeong… Han Hyojeong is good. It suits you perfectly.”

But it seemed that my desperate wishes didn’t reach the T-psychopath’s ears. At this rate, I’d be stuck with the name Han Hyojeong on my chest badge. Realizing the gravity of the situation, I urgently added.

“How about Hanho instead? Just Hanho. Nice and clean.” “That’s lame. Just go with Hyojeong.” “…”

Perhaps I never had a choice from the start. Like a reckless salmon swimming against the predetermined current, I was fated to be swept away by the powerful flow of Han Yeo-eun. So, was I actually Hyojeong all along? A machine imbued with Han Jeongho’s memories. Han Hyojeong MK2.

A masterpiece created by mad scientist Dr. Han Yeo-eun, who missed her brother so much that she crossed the forbidden line. That was me.

Creak… creak. Master. Command me. “Your name is now Hyojeong.” At the doctor’s words, the killing machine slowly nodded. Even though the machine couldn’t feel human emotions, it somehow looked sad.

“Okay, so the name is decided. Now the issue is the ID….”

Although I don’t drink or smoke, my sister’s point that there would be times in life when an ID is necessary struck a chord.

Indeed. I couldn’t just hand over an ID with Han Jeongho’s face on it every time.

I nodded at her reasonable argument.

“Do you know any brokers around?”

In movies, there are people who make fake IDs or forged documents for money.

I had hoped, but unfortunately, my sister had no connections to shady pawnshop owners or retired former NIS agents.

What had you been doing while I was protecting the country in the military, Han Ye-eun?

As I silently blamed my sister’s incompetence, she proposed another solution.

“How about going to the district office and asking them to change it?”

“Is it that easy?”

“Oh, right, you can’t verify your identity because your gender is different.”

This fucked-up situation was inherently fucked up, but the most fucked-up problem was that I had no way to prove I was myself.

‘ID renewal must be done in person.’ ‘I am the person.’ ‘No, Han Jeongho needs to come in person.’ ‘I am Han Jeongho?’

This vicious cycle would repeat.

While I was imagining an infinite Tsukuyomi-like argument with a hypothetical receptionist, my sister, deep in thought, suggested another idea.

“How about applying for a gender change first?”

“Gender change?”

“Just say you had your peanuts removed. Pfft!”

“…Are you crazy?”

I was speechless.

Comparing my lost member to a pet cat’s neutering.

My missing part was a national and even global loss.

It was a situation that warranted a tearful memorial service by all women in the world, and what? Peanuts?

Anger surged through me.

This brat with her inappropriate metaphors needed a lesson in manners.

Sssssssss…

I took a deep breath, filling my lungs.

Determination.

One shot loaded.

Fire!

“How dare you speak to your heavenly brother like that, Han Ye-eun!!!”

“Whoa! Your voice is really high-pitched now.”

But my ambitious lion’s roar was futilely blocked by the martial arts expert’s impregnable defense. Instead, she went on about whether I had majored in vocal music, saying I was the best soprano she’d ever heard, thoroughly mocking me. It was a reversal of natural order, something to make the heavens tremble. Anyway, after much discussion, we decided to postpone changing the ID.

Just like how I suddenly became a woman, who knows if one day I might suddenly turn back into a man? Imagine finally returning to normal only to be labeled as transgender? That’s completely holy-shit. So, we concluded to put it on hold for now.

“Then let’s go buy some clothes.”

“Clothes? Why suddenly clothes?”

“Your body size has shrunk, so your existing clothes won’t fit.”

“Oh, damn.”

It wasn’t until she pointed out something I hadn’t thought of that I realized. The clothes I’m wearing now were a perfect muscle fit yesterday, but now they’re quite loose. A man’s three main prides: height, muscles, and that part. The despair of losing all three overwhelmed me.

“Now that I think about it, your fashion sense was terrible, bro.”

Her remark, made as if it was a good thing, hit my tender heart like a clean hit.