Even a guy would admit it—no, even I, who used to be a guy, had to concede that Haon Park's looks were undeniably handsome. He was an alpha male and my 'benefactor.'
"Now that I don't need it anymore."
He'd spouted some cryptic line like that, but it was undeniable fact that he'd helped put out the immediate fire.
"...Maybe he's just sick of it by now?"
Such was the life of an alpha male.
To lend credence to those thoughts, one corner of the closet was stacked with all sorts of sanitary pads.
That was probably a big reason why she was scrutinizing her smartphone, something she'd normally just gloss over.
"How's your body feeling?"
"Have you eaten?"
"Want to grab a meal together?"
"(Sweaty puppy emoticon)"
The familiar messenger app was piled up with messages from Haon Park, whom she'd saved just last time. His profile pic was the bland default one.
"Hmm..."
She hadn't replied yet.
It had been so long since she'd gotten a personal message that the awkwardness hit her extra hard.
On top of that, she didn't have much experience chatting one-on-one with someone whose face she knew.
"Next time."
After fiddling with her fingers and deleting drafts over and over, she finally sent that.
No deeper meaning—just purely postponing to next time.
She did have things to do today, after all...
'Too stiff...?'
The thought crossed her mind, but she hoped he wouldn't misunderstand.
Still uneasy, she tacked on a meaningless 'lol' at the end.
'Would've been fine if it was open chat.'
If they hadn't known each other's faces before—if anonymity had shielded them—maybe she could've been more at ease.
Harboring such trivial thoughts, she solemnly tugged her hat down low.
Even fragmented as it was, the fact that someone was reaching out to suggest grabbing a meal together was encouraging.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇💬 Open Chat— Tasty Apple(Bus stop photo) lol— DokgoWhere you headed, maknae?— Tasty AppleMilitary Manpower Administration lol— DokgoOh— FireflyYou're really going through with it?— Rat MouseYeah, little sis. Go for it! On the path of a 'real man.'— Na HaniDori enlisting? ;ㅅ;
A raid-free day. The open chat, filled with idle banter, suddenly erupted.
— Rat MousePro tip) Bigger junk is better. Pro tip) AK is best for personal firearms if you control the recoil. Pro tip) Left-handers can salute with their left hand.— FireflyIf you don't know, just memorize it.— Na HaniDokgo captain, that stuff real?— DokgoYeah.— FireflyVerified by active duty lololol— Na HaniGotta tell my little bro!— Tasty Apple;;;
Seeing the chat pile up so fast, they must've really latched onto that bait.
It stung a bit that even if she was going, she should find a sub first—but she brushed it off.
— Tasty AppleI'm exempt lol Just going to submit paperwork^^— FireflyNo way;
Because this body was on its way to get officially exempted from service through proper channels.
Not the answer they'd hoped for—the chat exploded with disappointments and jeers. But she couldn't stop the silly grin creeping onto her face.
— Rat MouseFrom now on, I'll call you 'little sister.'
Not meant in any deep way, but Rat Mouse's words pricked at her conscience anyway.
Leaving them to agree that 'onee-chan' would be a better fit, she set her phone face-down on her lap.
'That's plenty of chat for today.'
As she fidgeted with her hands, she felt the distinctive hardness of her ID card, tucked away in her pocket like a sacred relic.
Back in school, getting caught by the 'delinquents' peeking at her phone's browser history by chance.
One of them, especially antagonistic toward her, ending up in the same class for three straight years.
Learning anew that 'stop!' didn't work in reality. And so on.
She'd thought the 'Noeul Lee' she'd defined was just cursed with awful luck—but this time, fortune had smiled.
'...Is this really something you can call good luck?'
It felt bittersweet that 'military exemption' was the payoff for changing genders, but since it came with a body that could wield magic on the regular, it counted as 'special compensation.'
Knowing her own personality all too well, she'd been buried under mountains of anxiety about enlistment—now it felt like a bad tooth had finally been pulled.
Yeah, that was enough.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Not even a no-women zone, yet almost every eye zeroed in on her. She felt like the protagonist.
This vibe she always got at government offices wasn't exactly pleasant. So she shrank into a corner.
"Bet that person's an Awakened."
"First one I've seen in real life."
"Hey! Quiet down. She can hear you."
Unfortunately, she heard everything.
People whispering about her was familiar territory, so she had a knack for catching even the quietest murmurs.
This body, regrettably, had ears that were too sharp for their own good.
"Whoa... did you see her face?"
"Wanna ask for her number?"
"I'll pass. You go—you're 100% her type. For real."
So she ended up hearing stuff she didn't want to. Were they teasing?
She subtly turned toward the voices—guys her age, chattering excitedly among themselves. When their eyes met hers, they startled like spooked cats and hid. Nothing new.
"...We looked at her face."
"Insane..."
"...She won't give out her number, right?"
"She's an Awakened to begin with. No way."
With that, the guys went quiet.
'Sour grapes like the fox, huh...'
For a split second, the fact that she'd even thought that made her cheeks burn with secondhand embarrassment, so she rubbed her face repeatedly to hide it.
No real intention, as they said, but it made her feel like her looks were worth something big.
Honestly, even she'd admit they were pretty striking—but did others feel the same? It was oddly uplifting.
She suddenly wanted to brag, but realizing her only people to tell were the raid crew, she dropped it.
'...They'd just tease me about being gay, right?'
Yeah, they would. Two years in game-time, but all they knew was '22-year-old draft-dodging guy'—super limited info.
She'd never even let them hear her voice.
"...Eul."
This line of thinking made her wonder if her life was too isolated. Strictly speaking, they were all coworkers.
Realizing the only one who knew the old 'her' was family made her a bit down.
"...Noeul."
She hadn't talked to her brother in a while either—hope he was doing okay. ...With college and a solid job, he probably was.
If they met, he'd no doubt pile on the nagging like last time.
"Noeul Lee!"
"...Yek!"
She'd gotten too lost in her spiraling thoughts.
Her name boomed out, startling her into a dumb yelp as she sprang up like a coiled spring.
Giggling from behind.
But she wasn't bold enough to snap at random people, so she just quietly approached the staffer.
"Here for the revised Military Service Act, right?"
"Y-Yes..."
"ID, please?"
"...Y-Yes!"
"When did you Awaken?"
"Uh, um, about... a month ago...?"
Stepping forward meant taking all the stares head-on, filling her with embarrassment, but the outcome right in front of her was so sweet she held her breath and nodded vigorously.
"...Congratulations."
...Was this really something to congratulate? she wondered, but she nodded silently in agreement.
This was a government office, after all—if she pissed them off and they denied the exemption, disaster!
Unnecessary worry.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Ha..."
Haon Park, no longer needing the soundproof booth, stared at his monitor and let out a deep sigh.
📰 Stream Comments[Give Apple's voice back!] This Little Mermaid lost her voice but got legs at least—what the hell did this one get?— Reply↳ ReplyFor real lol game devs pissing me off↳ ReplyShe got the toxic fans lololol↳ ReplyMom come back... Mom come back... Mom come back... Mom come back...📰 Stream Comments[Dropping some reasonable suspicion] 1. Apple never turned on her cam. 2. Apple took a week off sick. 3. Hasn't used mic since coming back. 4. Never seen talking on phone with anyone. 5. Smells like dude-bro vibes. In this situation, Apple was actually a guy and her AI voice sub expired, right? Am I right? Right?— Reply↳ ReplyWas going great then veered off lol↳ ReplySaying she Awakened is more reasonable lol↳ ReplyAwakening my ass lol doesn't happen that easy↳ ReplyFor real if it's that easy I should've Awakened too↳ ReplyDude-bro confirmed pls say no Apple I'm desperate
A veteran third-year streamer by name. She had to stream, so she'd made excuses and gone micless—until this mess blew up.
Of course, she'd known she couldn't hide it forever. The viewers' demands for clarification just came sooner than expected.
『What bullshit! We had an offline meetup last time! She's probably really sick!』
Daesik's indignant voice blasted from the speakers, making Haon Park's chest tighten. The long silence had finally spread to the other streamer tied to him.
『Clarification my ass! Fine! She was fucking gorgeous, happy?!』
– Sudden confession... rare sight.
– Should hear Apple's side too, no?
– Fucking gorgeous... noted...
『Mention it again and you're banned. Shut up... Between Daesik and Apple, who's bigger...? Get out, asshole!』
Seeing Daesik suffer amid the total chat meltdown, Haon felt pity despite everything.
'His behind-the-scenes antics aside...'
Still, same raid team, weekly collab partner—his pain hit close to home. Especially since Haon himself was the spark.
'Should've just bought some AI voice for real...'
As that useless thought surfaced, his phone buzzed.
"Wanna game together?"
The guy from 302. No, girl. Noeul Lee.