Chapter Text
Kim Soleum is a proud feminist. He prides himself on being one.
In his original world, he often defended women and criticized entries on the «Dark Exploration Records» wiki that treat women unfairly.
He never let a woman suffer in his vicinity. He would open doors for them, offer his seat, and smile politely before telling them 'Have a nice day!' and be on his merry way.
Kim Soleum was what anyone would brand as a True Gentleman.
Kim Soleum never fought with a woman. He believes that women are always right.
Because more than a ghost story, an angry woman haunting you with a butcher knife is 10x more terrifying.
So Kim Soleum always told people not to mess with women.
Of course, there are still dumb people in the world who do the exact opposite of what he says.
And of course, those dumb people always face the divine feminine's wrath.
Blessed be to all the women in the world.
Even getting thrown into a different world, a ghost story, Kim Soleum retained his respect for women. That much was already evident in how he treated his female colleagues.
Kim Soleum believes that everyone should treat women as human beings worthy of respect and dignity. But of course, he imposed that belief mostly on himself.
Which was why it was a dilemma to him now.
A proud feminist like Kim Soleum couldn't possibly survive a week with a female Baek Saheon.
It all happened on a cursed day of Monday.
Kim Soleum was on the couch, peacefully watching children's cartoons late into the night, when suddenly, he heard the front door open.
Kim Soleum deadpanned. Great. His snake of a roommate has finally returned.
Glancing briefly at the wall clock, Kim Soleum mentally notes that it was well past 10 o'clock, an unusual time for Baek Saheon to still be out and about.
Kim Soleum began to rehearse how to scold Baek Saheon as a form of instilling social manners, but when he saw Baek Saheon about to pass on his peripheral view—
"Baek Saheon."
—Whatever harsh words he was about to say got caught in his throat.
Baek Saheon was still wearing his suit, but his hair, which already looked fluffy on a normal day, was strangely… long, and reached his waist. It looked even fluffier, almost like it was a bundle of mess that hadn't been combed in days…
Does that even make sense???
Baek Saheon did not turn towards him. But even with his back turned on him, doesn't it seem like he… somehow became smaller? Or did he drastically lose weight?
The Baek Saheon Kim Soleum remembered was already skinny, the healthy type of skinny, but the one in front of him… was smaller. Judging by how the sleeves of his coat jacket were covering half of his hand.
Kim Soleum tilted his head slightly.
'…Did something happen to him in his darkness exploration today?'
He could almost feel pity for him. Almost.
But remember, this bastard is the future Viper, who won't think twice about driving a knife to his chest if given the chance, so Kim Soleum tried to put on a scary expression.
"Are you just going to pass by without even greeting your superior?"
He spoke sternly, hoping that it would straighten up Baek Saheon's nasty personality, even though he is already beyond saving.
Kim Soleum deliberately clicked his tongue loudly.
"Do you even know what time it is? You are disrupting my sleep."
'Let's blame him for the most ridiculous reasons just to mess with him.'
"If you were going to crawl back here at this late hour, you should have slept outside. Who even let you in?"
Kim Soleum was purposely being mean. He needed to. Because the moment Baek Saheon sees an opening, he would not hesitate to flip their dynamic.
Kim Soleum cannot let that happen. Baek Saheon must never feel that he is in control between them. Kim Soleum would be courting death if he let that be.
But strangely, yet again, Baek Saheon just stood there without facing him or answering him.
Normally, just throwing a few words was enough to force Baek Saheon into apologizing before making excuses and running back to his room. Why wasn't he doing anything now?
Kim Soleum made his voice sound angry.
"Baek Saheon."
Flinch!
Finally. A reaction.
Kim Soleum uncrossed his legs and made sure his foot would stomp loudly before he stood.
"So you did hear me? Why are you ignoring me? Am I someone you can ignore, huh, Baek Saheon-ssi?"
He steadily made his way to his roommate, making sure his steps were slow but loud, practically announcing his presence and instilling fear in Baek Saheon. When Kim Soleum was standing next to him now, Baek Saheon turned slightly and nervously avoided his gaze.
"S, S, Supervisor… Sir…."
The voice that came out wasn't like the annoying voice that was slightly deep and airy, but instead it sounded… Sweet and quiet?
No. It wasn't just the voice. Kim Soleum's eyes widened when he saw that Baek Saheon had longer lashes (he normally has long ones, but the one in front of him had even longer) and…
His gaze moved below, looking at… what should be a flat chest.
Warning sirens blared in Kim Soleum's mind.
Before he could even tear his eyes away, Baek Saheon had already seen where he was looking and quickly jumped back, desperately covering his hands on his chest.
His face was red with embarrassment and anger that Kim Soleum looked…. there.
If one had looked closely, one would have noticed that Kim Soleum's soul had left his body.
In his mind, he only had one thought.
'…I'm fucked.'
Baek Saheon strung curses under his (her?) breath before looking pathetically at Kim Soleum through his wet lashes, his gaze screaming that everything was unfair.
Kim Soleum felt his stomach drop to the floor.
"S, Sir- I know it's strange, b, b, but I just got out of a darkness, and I'm really tired and— t, they promised to fix me before next week and if, if you don't like me, then at least bear with it for a week…! They promised that it would go away in a week so—"
Kim Soleum nearly choked on his own spit. He knew Baek Saheon was just throwing words at him so he could run and hide in his room, and honestly, Kim Soleum couldn't blame him.
He also would like to run to his room now!
Kim Soleum would like to cry too!
Baek Saheon bit his lips, holding back tears(?!), and Kim Soleum almost instinctively dropped to his knees and begged for forgiveness.
"I, I promise I won't ever appear in front of you again—!!!"
Baek Saheon ran to his room and slammed the door shut.
Kim Soleum nearly passed out.
He, a proud feminist, just intimidated a woman into tears.
Kim Soleum was fucked.
Kim Soleum was seriously losing his mind.
His evil roommate, Baek Saheon, turned into a woman.
And Kim Soleum has to torment Baek Saheon on a normal basis for the sake of his own survival and in the name of discipline.
But Kim Soleum is a feminist. How is he supposed to do that now?
'Torment a woman? Just kill me instead!'
Kim Soleum had never once desperately wanted to grab Baek Saheon and beg him to go back to his normal, evil self more quickly than he does now!
'Has he been checked by Daydream? Surely they have some solution up their sleeves! This is Daydream Inc. for fuck's sake!'
But listening to Baek Saheon's rapid explanation, it seemed that they had already said it would be fixed by next week.
So it means only one thing:
Kim Soleum has to endure this for a week.
He has to live with a woman whom he had bullied into crying for a week.
Had this been a different person, Kim Soleum would have gone to apologize right away. Giving apology gifts and promising that it would never happen again.
But no! This is Baek Saheon, for Pete's sake! Kim Soleum can't apologize, even if he wanted to! Because Baek Saheon is that damn Viper from Daydream Inc., who would take advantage of the situation once he realizes that he has the upper hand!!
'AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!'
Kim Soleum screamed into his pillow, pounding his feet on the bed.
He had never felt this frustrated in his life. Never. Because he never made a woman cry.
But now he did. And he can't even apologize. That made him twist and turn in agony.
Make a woman cry and pretend he hadn't done anything wrong? Gaslight her into believing that it was her own fault? Kim Soleum is no different from the misogynistic scums he argued with on the internet now!
Kim Soleum was almost crying. He really was. Although he knew it was Baek Saheon, the sight of her wet lashes from her teary eyes was stuck in Kim Soleum's mind, and now he can't even sleep because it was stabbing his heart.
'What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to handle this situation? I don't want to be a misogynistic scum! ㅠㅠ'
This was a dilemma. A serious dilemma.
'Should I just avoid him— er… her… until next week?'
That sounds like the most plausible solution he can do for now. Although Kim Soleum would like to think this through more properly, thinking about a female Baek Saheon was hurting his head and heart.
This situation isn't for the faint of heart. Unfortunately, Kim Soleum has a weak heart. A total softy.
'…Let's just hope that he doesn't catch on and use this information against me.'
Otherwise, Kim Soleum would be doomed. Seriously. Don't ever underestimate Baek Saheon.
And that shitty luck he has.
Poor guy.
The next day, Kim Soleum went to the office at his usual hour. Though before he left, he saw that Baek Saheon's dress shoes were still on the front door.
'…He— I mean, she… ugh…. must still be wallowing in her room.'
Kim Soleum could understand. If this situation were already a dilemma for Kim Soleum, who isn't involved, it must be even harder for Baek Saheon.
But there wasn't much he could do for him—her.
Ugh. Kim Soleum can't get used to this.
Kim Soleum decided to send Go Yeongeun a message.
[Ms. Goral, I'm sorry for bothering you this early morning, and I know this sounds strange, but…
Could I… trouble you with guiding Baek Saheon?
There's a bit of a situation, though I'm sure you'll understand once you see him.
If it's not too much, could you possibly ask him to have lunch together and… extend whatever guidance you can give?
I promise I'll compensate you for your help. Thank you very much.]
'…This should be enough to make up for last night, right?'
Even after sending that message, Kim Soleum's mood did not improve.
Actually apologizing was the proper way, and it sucks that Kim Soleum couldn't do that, not because he didn't want to, but because he shouldn't.
'…Perhaps I should cook dinner for him, too. Then ask the divine feminine for forgiveness. I… I swear I'm not a scum.'
Hngh.
A tear almost fell from Kim Soleum's eyes, but he managed to stop it in time.
His morning at work was as busy as usual. He was thrown into a darkness with an incomplete manual. Was told to figure out half of what's missing on his own.
Damn that massive quack for being the biggest ass in his hole.
Before he knew it, it was already lunchtime. Kim Soleum had received a reply from Go Yeongeun that she was willing to do it for him, though she couldn't guarantee that she would be an actual help.
'No, Ms. Goral. You are the only one who can help us. Please. May the divine feminine be with you.'
Amen.
Kim Soleum swears he isn't a nosy person, but since Go Yeongeun and Baek Saheon would be having lunch together… They should be in the cafeteria, right?
It just so happened that their squad was heading there for lunch too. Kim Soleum curiously searched for their familiar figure, but couldn't see them. Perhaps it was because there were a lot of employees having lunch in the cafeteria too, but maybe…
Oh.
They were right over there.
Baek Saheon looked better than his disheveled state last night.
'Did he come to work later than he usually does to compose himself?'
Good for him. Or her. Fuck. Kim Soleum couldn't get used to it.
"Roe, where are you looking?"
Kim Soleum snapped back to reality at Park Minseong's question.
"Nothing. Just saw some acquaintances."
"Oh! How about inviting them over?"
Kim Soleum smiled politely.
"They seem to be having a great conversation. Better leave them be."
At his response, they dropped the topic.
Although lunch was the same as usual with D-squad, Kim Soleum couldn't help but glance at where they were now and then, and even check his phone every 5 minutes.
'…Did he have his suit re-tailored? Bought new ones that fit his current body?'
The suit Baek Saheon had now wasn't as baggy as the one Kim Soleum saw last night, which fit Baek Saheon's normal physique.
In fact, the one she was wearing now… fit her perfectly.
'But… buying a new one when he'll go back to normal next week. Is it really practical?'
Well, it was none of his business where Baek Saheon spends his (her) money, so he should stop being curious now.
When Kim Soleum glanced in their direction again, it seemed their conversation was over, as Baek Saheon and Go Yeongeun stood. Baek Saheon seems to be saying something before taking her leave first.
Right at that moment, Go Yeongeun met his gaze and waved her hand that was holding her phone, and pointed at her device.
'Check your phone.'
That seems to be what she was trying to say.
Kim Soleum unlocked his phone and saw Go Yeongeun's message.
[Go Yeongeun: Soleum-ssi, I understand your concern now, but I think she didn't need my help after all.]
????
What's that supposed to mean?
Wouldn't Baek Saheon be uncomfortable with his… her situation right now?
Women are built differently, mind you. They have different needs that a man wouldn't relate to. As such, it would be difficult for a man to navigate through life after unexpectedly turning into a woman without the help and guidance of a fellow woman.
So what did she mean that Baek Saheon did not need help?
'…He's been a man his whole life. This must be hard on him.'
Right?
Kim Soleum decided to send her a message.
[Sorry, I don't understand what you mean. Are you free to talk right now? I'll come over.]
[Go Yeongeun: Sure! Let's go to the cafe across the company building instead. Too many people here.]
She's worried that there are too many people? Is it an uncomfortable topic to bring up with so many ears around?
Kim Soleum decided to go along. After all, in this situation, Go Yeongeun would be considered an expert.
"Supervisors, sorry, but I'll go ahead first. Thank you for the meal."
He bowed at their direction before going to exit the cafeteria. Go Yeongeun headed there as well. When they finally crossed, they went straight to the cafe that she mentioned.
"Soleum-ssi, Baek Saheon-ssi already knew how to take care of herself."
She went straight to the point after they found a seat and got their drinks.
"…Excuse me?"
Kim Soleum's reaction wasn't strange. Really.
Thankfully, Go Yeongeun didn't see anything wrong with his reaction and explained patiently.
"Well… I tried to guide her with… things. But when I saw her, she was already prepared."
She raised her right hand, her thumb and pointer finger curled together, showing an 'OK' sign, with a reassuring smile.
But that only made Kim Soleum even more confused.
"…What exactly does that mean?"
Go Yeongeun must have realized that it was hard for Kim Soleum to understand since he's a man, so she coughed on her fist awkwardly, seemingly preparing herself.
"Ahem. Underwear and, uh… ahem…" Go Yeongeun gestured vaguely, "…Bra?"
Kim Soleum stiffened.
…Right.
…Last night, Baek Saheon wasn't wearing any. In fact, he (she) was barely covering herself with her suit coat.
Kim Soleum realized how awkward this must be for Go Yeongeun to talk about with a man. Kim Soleum inwardly winced.
"…Sorry. This must be uncomfortable for you."
Kim Soleum's instincts as a proud feminist kicked in.
Go Yeongeun quickly waved her hand, "No, no, no! Not at all! I understand that Soleum-ssi is just worried about Baek Saheon-ssi! It's just… I don't know how to word it out?"
So she wasn't uncomfortable? Thank goodness.
Kim Soleum barely let out a relieved sigh.
"Please speak of it however you like. I'll try my best to keep up."
This was for the sake of feminism. Because Kim Soleum can't apologize to Baek Saheon.
So this was the least he could do for her (him?).
Go Yeongeun decided to be blunt at Kim Soleum's cue.
"She already bought the necessities before coming to work and wore them. Oh- she said that she bought boxers instead since it's more comfortable… Something like that. And she said she already bought new clothes for her temporary body, including suits. And, hm… she basically has everything prepared?"
Go Yeongeun started to get sheepish.
"Actually… I wasn't of much help. She seemed to already know what she had to do, honestly."
For a brief second, a second that was hard to ignore yet easy to blink away, Kim Soleum had a thought.
'Did he have a girlfriend?'
But that thought flew away as quickly as it came that he didn't actually get to entertain that thought.
Kim Soleum bowed to Go Yeongeun.
"Still. Thank you for taking the time to talk to her. She must have been frustrated, feeling like she was alone. Thank you so much, Yeongeun-ssi. As promised, I'll compensate you for your help."
"Oh- No, no! I really didn't got to help much! We just talked and… I tried to check on her, but… she was really composed. It was amazing."
Composed? That Baek Saheon?
'…He, no, she was frustrated last night, though? Enough that there were actually tears involved.'
Kim Soleum's heart panged with guilt at the memory that he had to quickly bury them down.
His feminist heart was truly weak to a woman's tears.
"The fact alone that you talked to her is enough for me."
Go Yeongeun stared at him for a whole minute before her lips curved into a smile.
"You really care about Saheon-ssi, don't you, Soleum-ssi?"
Kim Soleum stiffened.
"No… There were just circumstances last night. It's not that I care about him— err, her." Kim Soleum coughed on his fist to mask his embarrassment. "Sorry. Still can't get used to it."
Go Yeongeun chuckled.
"You're fine. Since you reached out to me in hopes that I could help her, let's say I did this to help her, too. Is that alright, Soleum-ssi?"
"Are you really fine with not being compensated?"
Go Yeongeun shook her head and beamed.
"It wasn't a burden to me, Soleum-ssi. So it's really okay."
Although Kim Soleum was reluctant, he decided to let it go. He wasn't the type to force someone, especially a woman.
"Alright. Thank you again, Yeongeun-ssi. You were a big help to me."
He really meant it. After all, had Kim Soleum approached Baek Saheon himself, she wouldn't have told him honestly. She might even avoid the conversation and run away.
So Go Yeongeun was truly a big help.
'At least now I'm a little at ease. I just have to go through the rest of the week until Baek Saheon is back to normal.'
At that, they ended their conversation, and work went on as usual.
That night, Kim Soleum cooked dinner for two.
'That punk—I mean, uh… she hasn't come back yet. Did she get stuck in the darkness again?'
Kim Soleum checked the time on his phone and saw that it was nearing 7 pm. Office hours ended two hours ago, yet Baek Saheon was nowhere in sight.
'Aigoo… What kind of trouble did h- she encounter this time?'
Kim Soleum decided to eat first to prevent foreseeable problems, since waiting for Baek Saheon and eating together might lead to indigestion. For both of them.
Aigoo.
It was hard to have a psycho roommate who turned into a woman and to be a feminist at the same time. That was like a perfect ingredient for disaster.
A disaster for Kim Soleum's poor heart.
Finally. He heard the front door open. Kim Soleum tried to act calm and unfazed.
Kim Soleum kept his eyes on his food. But really, his attention was actually on Baek Saheon.
She froze in her spot when she saw him eating at the dining table, contemplated briefly, and then placed a hand to her chest and bowed slightly.
Kim Soleum, "…."
He was close to crying again.
'She must think I'm a pervert who looks at women's chests…!'
Otherwise, why would she cover her chest again after seeing him?
He isn't! Really! He isn't! Please believe him!
Kim Soleum spent a good deal of his life scolding those very people who do that! He isn't one of them!
Before Baek Saheon could even retreat to her room (she's holding three shopping bags in her left hand?), Kim Soleum spoke.
"You should eat."
'I cooked dinner. Please eat. And please get rid of the thought that I'm a pervert. I'm really not!'
Without waiting for Baek Saheon's response, Kim Soleum took his used plates and washed them before returning to his room as calmly as he could.
But in reality, he desperately wanted to escape right away.
He really cannot live with a female Baek Saheon. It was worse than fearing for his life.
Because a female Baek Saheon… might one day accuse him of being a misogynist.
Just thinking about that was already making Kim Soleum feel faint.
Although Kim Soleum was inside his room, he was actually pressing his ears against his door to listen to the sounds on the other side.
'…Has she come out of her room? Did she eat the food I made?'
He wasn't sure. The dorm seemed to be very quiet.
Was… Baek Saheon planning not to eat after all?
Kim Soleum's head drooped.
'….How could I stomach seeing a woman starve? This is the worst.'
He couldn't really blame Baek Saheon for not eating the food he made. They hated each other, after all. If anything, avoiding him was understandable and the most reasonable thing Baek Saheon could do.
But.
A sound.
Click.
"!!!"
Kim Soleum quickly pressed his ears against his door again. He held his breath, as if that would make him hear clearer.
Footsteps. Quiet footsteps. And then…
A furniture gently dragged on the floor.
Kim Soleum counted in his mind.
One. Two.
It felt like five minutes had passed. Kim Soleum checked his phone and saw that only a minute had gone by.
He decided to wait some more.
When he saw that seven minutes had passed, he slowly moved to open his door slightly and peeked through the gap.
He saw Baek Saheon sitting on the dining table… slowly eating the noodles he had cooked.
Kim Soleum felt touched.
'…She ate it!'
Kim Soleum's faith in humanity was restored. Slightly. But it increased steadily the more Baek Saheon ate.
Kim Soleum was content. Now that he was sure that Baek Saheon was eating, he was about to close the door and retire for the night, but then…
Baek Saheon inserted her right hand on the back of her shirt from below and… unclasped her bra smoothly… with just one hand?!
Kim Soleum was shocked. No. He was beyond shocked.
'How could a man know how to unclasp a bra?! Especially with one hand?!'
This is strange. Very strange! Something like that isn't possible without unclasping bras several times before! Someone like Baek Saheon shouldn't have had any experience with unclasping bras! That's not possible!
Unless…
'…Does he have a girlfriend?'
The thought sent Kim Soleum spiraling.
No. Thinking back, didn't Go Yeongeun say it herself?
'She didn't need help.'
'She already had everything prepared.'
'She already knew what to do.'
Ah.
Somehow…
The dots are connecting?
No. Why are the dots connecting?! Why?!
'The guy with a personality defect has a girlfriend?! Does that make sense?!'
In their line of work, that bastard still had the time to get a girlfriend?! What the hell?!!
Kim Soleum felt an intense emotion surging in his chest. He almost stormed off and demanded answers, but he couldn't do it right now because Baek Saheon is currently a woman, and Kim Soleum would rather punch himself than intimidate a woman!
But does it make sense for Baek Saheon to date? Who would even want to date him? Isn't he just playing with some poor woman's heart?
Kim Soleum was so…. so….! He was so……!!
Ah.
Baek Saheon. Right now…
Was tying her hair up into a ponytail. A very, very, neat ponytail.
That a man who had never touched a woman's hair would never be able to pull off.
…
Kim Soleum nearly fainted.