slide
flutter
‘Hmm…’
After spending a considerable time adjusting my attire before the full-length mirror propped against the wall, I finally settled into a satisfied expression, gazing at the adorable girl reflected before me.
‘Indeed, I am undeniably cute.’
Today marked the day I would finally try on the proper women’s clothing I had purchased after much deliberation.
Initially, I had felt a certain reluctance, but once I reframed it as dressing up a beloved in-game character’s avatar rather than myself, the strangeness of the sensation largely dissipated.
“I just couldn’t resist a good ‘look-ddal’ (TL Note: A Korean slang term, ‘look-ddal,’ referring to the act of customizing a character’s appearance in a game, often to an obsessive degree.).”
It was a custom outfit, featuring a vibrant lace blouse layered beneath a black slip dress.
Although I wasn’t particularly well-versed in fashion, my exceptional looks ensured that even a haphazard combination yielded a result of unparalleled quality.
“…”
To be frank, my appearance as a girl was outrageously adorable.
It was a transcendent cuteness, beyond comparison even to a red panda raising its arms in a playful threat or a quokka clutching its favorite leaf.
Could there possibly be any human in this world who wouldn’t fall in love with such an angelic creature?
While I wouldn’t call myself a narcissist, the sheer devastating power of my current appearance transcended the realm of the ordinary, compelling me to gush with unbridled enthusiasm.
[Title: I seriously think I’m ridiculously cute]
[High School Grad Middle Schooler]
[Content]
I’m insanely cute;
[Comments]
– I don’t know about cute, but you’ve definitely lost your mind;
– Yeah, as long as you’re happy.
– Why only you? I want to see too.
– Pics or it didn’t happen.
[Title: Couldn’t the middle schooler ahjussi (TL Note: A Korean term for a middle-aged or older man, often used informally.) actually be a middle schooler?]
[Temu Mountain Sword God]
[Content]
Everyone is so lacking in faith.
The world is truly a harsh place.
[Comments]
– You’re already calling yourself an ahjussi, lol.
– Looking at their taste, there’s no way that’s true.
– ┗ Seriously, they’re always trying to stir up discussion about boomer games and hipster anime; they’re probably older than me.
– But if they’re a middle schooler, how are they a high school grad?
– ┗ Mol?ru (TL Note: A Korean internet slang term, a cute misspelling of ‘molla,’ meaning ‘I don’t know.’)
“…”
The channel users naturally refused to believe me, yet, surprisingly, I had never uttered a single lie in that place.
It didn’t matter, however.
Whether they believed it or not, the fact remained that I was a super-cute, super-amazing, genius-level beautiful girl who was also a high school graduate middle schooler.
Knock, knock!
[Delivery!]
“…Please leave it at the door.”
It had already been a month since I awakened as a Weather Mage, and my remaining bank balance stood at 4.21 million won (TL Note: The currency of South Korea.).
As I pushed a mouthful of the mala rose tteokbokki I had recently grown fond of into my tiny mouth, I closed my eyes and began to seriously ponder my future.
‘No matter what, I definitely need to earn some money.’
Indeed, I had managed to spend a considerable sum, nearly 3 million won, in just one month.
I had spent some money on games, of course, and due to my transformed body, purchasing clothes and various other items made it feel as though my money was melting away like cotton candy.
This meant I couldn’t simply continue repeating a daily routine composed of browsing online forums, gaming, and indulging in hobbies.
‘Part-time jobs are out, and so are full-time jobs.’
Whether considered a civilian or an Awakened individual, there was nothing I, now an illegal immigrant with a forged identity, could possibly do.
In essence, the only viable option was to engage in similar professions that required only an online identity.
Ultimately, it all circled back to ‘ssal-meok’ (TL Note: A Korean slang term, ‘ssal-meok,’ referring to earning money by selling in-game items or currency, often implying a somewhat tedious or grind-heavy method).
“…Well, that’s just how my life goes, I suppose.”
It wasn’t that I had any particular complaints.
I was actually quite talented at ssal-meok, and earning enough to cover my monthly subscription for gacha games and occasionally treat myself to chicken was perfectly sufficient.
With that in mind, I powered on the work computers that had been dormant for a while, then settled into my familiar chair and diligently began the tedious farming grind in my main games.
Click.
Click-clack.
Clunk.
“Ugh, this is seriously inconvenient.”
While I hadn’t noticed when simply playing games with a single computer, now that I was seriously trying to work, my diminished height and physique proved to be more of a disadvantage than I had anticipated.
‘If this were the case, wouldn’t it mean there was virtually no improvement in my daily life?’
After a brief moment of Sage Time (TL Note: A Korean slang term, ‘hyeonja taim,’ referring to a moment of post-clarity or disillusionment after an intense experience.), I hastily shook my head, fearing another rain warning would descend upon Bucheon City, and forced myself to activate my ‘positive thinking circuit’.
“I’m pretty, aren’t I? I’m cute, aren’t I? I’m a beautiful girl, aren’t I?”
But honestly, I didn’t feel particularly good about it.
After all, I had been quite content living in my original form as a man.
If only I had been granted powers without my appearance changing, I could have lived a reasonably normal life using my existing identity, without getting caught up in such trivial worries.
Drip.
Drip-drop.
Plop.
After momentarily falling into a ‘menhera’ state (TL Note: A Japanese slang term, ‘menhera,’ referring to someone with mental health issues, often used in a somewhat self-deprecating or ironic way.), dark clouds, as expected, began to gather in the sky once more.
“Seriously, is there no way to control this?”
While I could easily stop the rain by subtly employing my abilities, preventing such situations from arising in the first place proved to be a far more challenging endeavor.
“Sigh, why am I living like this, I wonder…”
I briefly considered simply preventing major disasters and letting people fend for themselves whether it rained or not, but since I wasn’t entirely devoid of conscience, I couldn’t help but feel concerned.
More precisely, the memory of being crammed into a rain-soaked bus on the day I was practically forced to leave my home remained an extremely unpleasant experience.
“Rainy days are perfectly fine, but only occasionally.”
Having adjusted the weather to a slightly overcast state, I diligently operated my computer, farming for gold and items, and by the end of the day, I had managed to earn a total of 37,000 won.
‘Well, it’s not bad, but…’
Having ostentatiously researched the incomes of other Awakened individuals after my own awakening, the feeling of holding that money somehow no longer felt the same as before.
‘Is it truly the case that once a person tastes the air of the upper echelons, they can never return to their former state?’
To be blunt, it was simply because the efficiency of ssal-meok was ‘changnyeol’ (TL Note: A Korean slang term, ‘changnyeol,’ referring to something that is overpriced or offers poor value for its cost, deriving from a food brand controversy.), yet for some reason, I couldn’t shake the feeling of incurring unnecessary losses.
‘Should I just hold a grand job reveal showcase?’
In truth, I knew.
If I were to reveal all my secrets now and demand appropriate treatment, I could ascend to an astonishing position, one incomparable to anything I had experienced before.
Possessing such a lovable appearance, people’s reactions would undoubtedly be favorable, and perhaps I might even spend my days lauded and adored by the entire nation.
“…”
As I pondered these thoughts, my mood plummeted to rock bottom, for no discernible reason.
Crawling on my knees, I made my way to the second-hand TV I had acquired, picked up the remote, and began frantically mashing the channel buttons.
[Currently, under the influence of Typhoon Ha-noon, the tsunamis observed along the Pacific coast are gaining further momentum. As of 8 PM, warnings have been issued for the eastern Hokkaido waters, Kanto, and Kansai regions, with waves estimated to reach a maximum height of 5 meters.]
“…”
Though I hadn’t ventured outside in the past month, save for taking out the trash, it wasn’t true that I had done absolutely nothing and merely wasted time since my awakening.
More accurately, I had gone beyond simply understanding and testing my abilities; I had researched various ways to utilize them.
For instance… precisely like this.
Whoosh.
Light flashed from the palm of my hand, which I had subtly raised while hugging my knees, and in an instant, my senses expanded, reaching beyond Bucheon City into a vaster domain.
As I extended closer to Typhoon Ha-noon, I could feel the surrounding atmosphere begin to churn.
And with it, the currents shifting in real-time, along with the events unfolding as a direct consequence.
‘…My sight has broadened more than before.’
The temperature drop in Pohang since yesterday, the unusually humid air in Kitakyushu, and even the cool breeze I was currently feeling.
Though they seemed utterly unrelated, all these phenomena were, in fact, connected.
And depending on how one controlled it, this colossal sky could reveal a thousand different faces.
Whoosh!
The atmosphere began to twist under an irresistible, formidable power, and its currents spread far and wide, initiating subtle changes in various locations.
And when this process continued for tens, hundreds, thousands of times, once again becoming intertwined with the vastness of nature, the TV screen already showed the blue sea, surging as it always did.
Splash.
Whoosh!
Swoosh.
“…Hah, I really feel like a god.”
A miracle (TL Note: The Korean term ‘ijeok’ refers to an unusual or miraculous event, often implying divine intervention or supernatural power.), almost unbelievable to have been wrought by a single person’s hand.
Yet, leaving the world within the small TV and returning to reality, I was met with my own diminutive figure, unchanged from before.
“…Alright, hurry now.”
I don’t place my hopes in people.
At least in my life up to this point, that had clearly been a foolish and misguided act.
Swish.
When unpleasant feelings continued to surface, all I had to do was cover myself with a blanket, close my eyes, and drift off to sleep.
As always, as I had always done.
For as long as I could fall asleep, tomorrow morning would inevitably arrive.
****
“This… what on earth happened?”
“I don’t know. It’s certainly not a normal phenomenon…”
At the same time, somewhere within the Japan Coast Guard’s observation center.
Staring at the sea, which had returned to its original state as if time had leaped forward, the team members on duty struggled to conceal their bewilderment.
“Could it be related to a dungeon?”
“Perhaps. Nothing is strange in the ocean these days.”
Yet, Matsui, the center chief, felt an inexplicable sense of unease from the sight he had just witnessed, making it difficult to simply attribute it to a dungeon.
It wasn’t merely a change caused by external factors; it felt as though someone’s hand, or some form of will, had been at work.
However, Matsui himself, despite this feeling, soon scoffed and concluded it was merely his imagination.
‘That can’t be right. As I get older, I just conjure up more pointless fantasies.’
This wasn’t Poseidon from mythology; such a person couldn’t possibly exist in reality.
Not even in this era where common sense had completely crumbled.
“It might be a sign of a dungeon appearing, so we need to closely monitor the nearby waters for a while.”
“Yes, we will keep a close eye on the situation and deploy personnel as appropriate.”
“Then, good work.”
As Matsui patted his subordinate’s shoulder and departed, a cool breeze swirled once, lightly ventilating the air inside the facility.
Naturally, no one paid any mind to where this single gust of wind had originated.
