Chapter 339. Gender (3)

Warm sunlight shone on the corner of Yunael’s eyes. Their eyelids and eyelashes slightly fluttered, and soon, their eyes slowly opened. Yunael stared into the air for a long time with blurry vision and soon twisted their body with a groan. Their body suddenly felt strange—not heavy, but new, and on second thought, they had been burning up throughout the night. Yunael, who had never caught even a common cold in their whole life, was surprised.

“Shit…” Yunael struggled to lift their upper body and complained, ‘Did I not sleep properly last night?’ The scene around them was new and different. The reality that they had joined Seven Stars sunk in once again.

When they looked out at the window, the sun was already in the sky. It seemed to be a good night's sleep that they hadn’t had for a long while. That, however, confused Yunael. How did it feel like they hadn’t slept properly but slept well at the same time? What kind of paradox was this? Yunael tilted their head and carefully stepped out of the bed. After taking a few steps, they were sure that their body wasn’t in good condition—no, rather than bad, it felt unfamiliar. Even walking felt different from usual, like their body was not their own.

‘Maybe my body’s still half asleep,’ Yunael thought and murmured to themselves. ‘It may get better after I wash up and get something into my empty stomach.’ Yunael roughly took off their clothes, turned on cold water in the sink, and immediately splashed water all over their face.

‘Gurgggle!’ Yunael shook their head once and turned back forward. Thanks to the cold water, their senses seemed clearer. However, at the same time, the queer and peculiar sensation they’ve been feeling since they woke up became sharper. “What the heck,” Yunael said irritatedly and suddenly paused. They’d caught a glance of their reflection in the mirror.

As they looked at the mirror, they frowned, and their eyebrows gradually went up. Of course, their body hadn’t been completely rectangular before, but it looked especially like an S-shape today. It wasn’t just their body. Their face looked small and delicate like an egg. Their neck looked slimmer than before, and the line from their neck to their shoulder looked more gentle like a sloping orchid. Their waist was more narrow, and their hips curved outwards and fell into a firm but smooth line. Yunael stared blankly at their body, which looked like a white porcelain vase made by a craftsman, and lowered their head.

“What the fuck?” Yunael saw a pair of bulges on her chest that she had never seen before. Yunael blinked quickly and sharply inhaled. It was clear from her expression that she couldn’t believe what had happened to them. Before Yunael could fully process it, she looked further down, and her eyes immediately widened when she saw her groin.

* * *

“Yunael is late today?” Ru Hiana murmured with a spoon in her mouth. “They skipped breakfast, but are they also skipping lunch? I think they’ll be hungry.”

“I think they’ll be fine. When I ate with them last time, I realized that they had a very small appetite.” Ru Amuh, who believed the act Yunael put up in their first meeting, replied without doubt.

“Oh really? How do you know that?”

“We ate together with Teacher’s introduction before. They only ate three pieces and said that was enough for them.”

“Ah, really? That’s amazing.”

Of course, Chi-Woo and Aida knew that was complete bullshit, and they thought Ru Hiana’s concerns were valid.

“It seems like something has happened. I don’t know about breakfast, but that child is not the type to skip lunch…”

“I’ll go check.” Chi-Woo, who had again cooked for everyone today, served the last plate and took off his apron.

Aida said, “No, I’ll go. You should eat while I check on them.”

“It’s all right. I can eat with Yunael after coming back.” Chi-Woo made Aida sit back down and went up the stairs.

“Kyahhhhhhhhhh!”

When Chi-Woo was about to knock, he heard a piercing scream, shrill enough to break glass. “Are you okay?!” Chi-Woo hurriedly opened the door in shock. “What happ—ack?!” As soon as he entered, all kinds of items, including toiletries, flew at him like how everyone at an all-girls high school indiscriminately threw mechanical pencils and pens at a large cockroach that appeared in the classroom.

“No—Wait—Why—!” Thud. A pillow hit Chi-Woo’s face squarely. “Seriously, what’s up with…!” Angry, Chi-Woo rushed forward with determination. He succeeded in forcibly holding both of Yunael’s arms and pushing them down the bed as they screamed continuously.

“Seriously, stop!” Chi-Woo shouted as Yunael kicked at his abdomen like crazy. Only then did Chi-Woo realize Yunael was naked. Of course, it was against courtesy, but he had only entered the room without permission because he heard a scream. Moreover, what was so bad about seeing Yunael’s naked body? Yunael was neither a male nor female anyway, and they had both already seen everything in the bath house in the first place.

“What’s up with…?” Chi-Woo was about to get angry, but suddenly faltered when he saw Yunael look up at him with teary eyes. Then when he looked down, he saw two rising…

“…What?”

Those weren’t there yesterday.

* * *

In the end, Yunael did not leave the room that day. According to Aida, her psychology was very unstable right now, so they should wait for her until she was ready. Aida’s face was full of smiles as she relayed this information; she looked like a parent who was happy to see her child grow up. As a result, she no longer called Yunael a child, but a woman.

Yunael showed up around the afternoon the next day. No matter how shocked she was, it seemed as if she was still hungry, so she ate fiercely and made all kinds of complaints to Aida while waiting for Chi-Woo. “Ah, it’s so annoying! Why do I have to go through this shit once a month!”

“That’s the way it is, Yunael. If you’re a human female, a fairy comes and visits you once a month.”

“Ah, really? That’s great. Please let me know when that fairy comes, so that I can punch and rip her into shreds as soon as I see her!”

“Yunael?”

“Come on, it’s absolute fuckery!” Her loud shout rumbled through the office. “Shit, I have no plans to get pregnant, but the fairy makes a house by herself, and what? She gets disappointed and destroys the house, all by herself again? So I need to be in pain once a month? Isn’t it only right that I beat up a psychopath fairy like that?!” Yunael complained nonstop, but soon became quiet when Chi-Woo entered the office. An awkward silence fell.

Chi-Woo looked flustered. It had only been a day, but Yunael’s image had changed dramatically. He had been unable to tell if Yunael was a man or woman before, but now it was clear to him. Even when she was just sitting, she let out a feminine air. But for some unknown reason, Yunael was glaring at him with an angry face.

It was understandable that Yunael would feel frustrated; she had lived with no sex for twenty years but suddenly became a female overnight. No matter how much she thought about it, it was all because of the man in front of her. Considering that she thought about him the most, she couldn’t think of any other explanation. Did her subconscious yearn to be a woman because Chi-Woo was a man? Yunael’s heart shouted that couldn’t be true, but what made her angry was that her body admitted this.

“…I’m sorry.” Chi-Woo, who only knew that she was neither male nor female but didn’t know the exact circumstances, apologized. Although he was still in the dark, he felt that he had made a grave mistake. “I had no idea your sex would be so fluid.”

Yunael shouted, “What? Fluid?”

“Haha. That’s not the case.” As soon as Yunael was about to vehemently get angry, Aida quickly intervened as if she had been waiting for this moment. “Actually, Yunael is—” However, she couldn’t finish because Yunael shot to her feet and muffled her.

“Don’t say it!”

“Then please stay calm.”

“Really, don’t say it…”

Chi-Woo sighed as he saw Yunael’s voice tearfully crack. It didn’t matter if Yunael was a man or woman. The important part was her prospect as a star.

“I heard from Mr. Eval Sevaru that you want to create a third team.”

Yunael raised her lowered head as soon as Chi-Woo got to the main topic.

Aida also suppressed her laughter and focused on the conversation at hand.

Yunael answered, “…Yes. But why is it the third team and not the second?”

“There’s already a second team. Mr. Emmanuel’s.”

“Ah…but isn’t he not part of Seven Stars?”

“But it’s a partnership.” Emmanuel’s trust and faith in Chi-Woo were beyond doubt, since he came in three seconds whenever Chi-Woo called him.

Yunael looked a little disappointed, but soon shrugged and said, “Well, anyway. Okay. In Seven Stars, the team leaders are guaranteed independent authority, right?” Team leaders could choose their own team members however they wanted and organize their own expedition. In short, they could build their independent power within Seven Stars, and this was the type of system that Yunael wanted the most.

“…I’m sure you’ve heard the meaning of Seven Stars from Ms. Aida.” Chi-Woo clasped his hands and stared at Yunael. The third star was not a position that anyone could take. If Chi-Woo planned to make anyone his star, he would have already gotten all seven. There were many suitable heroes such as Evelyn, Eshnunna, Hawa, and others. However, Chi-Woo didn’t do this because being ‘suitable’ was not enough—it was far from enough. Chi-Woo had his own firm standard.

Yunael cleared her throat under his gaze. “I know. But considering that Mr. Ru Amuh and Mr. Emmanuel are leading a team, I think I’m just as capable of leading one as well.”

“It’s not that I’m not considering your reputation at the Celestial Realm at all,” Chi-Woo answered quietly. “However, this is Liber. But above all, I only believe what I see with my own eyes.” There was nothing more to say for Ru Amuh. Emmanuel had also shown his potential somewhat. However, this was not true for Yunael. Chi-Woo was not satisfied by what she had shown during the rescue mission; he thought he needed more verification even if she was the hero Boboris mentioned in her prophecy.

Yunael smacked her lips. She wanted to start with the title of team leader, but after talking with Chi-Woo, it didn’t seem like he would easily give her his permission.

Aida also thought, ‘Well…I guess it can’t be helped.’ Since a team leader was given great authority, it wouldn’t be easy to obtain the title.

On the other hand, all Yunael had to do was to prove herself to him. Yunael asked, “Then what should I do?”

Chi-Woo tilted his head. ‘What? Why is she so agreeable?’ He was sure that Yunael would complain and whine that she wanted to be a team leader; thus, he had prepared a condition in advance.

“Hmm…let’s set up a temporary term.”

“Temporary?”

“Yes, why don’t we give you a trial period?”

Yunael could make a team and go on an expedition. However, it was only temporary, and Yunael couldn’t act however she wanted. She would be given some rights, but wouldn’t be able to fully exercise the authority of a team leader. In other words, Chi-Woo could intervene whenever he wanted.

Yunael seemed unsure whether she should be happy or sad. Although she had gotten what she wanted, it was merely a test given by someone else.

Yunael organized her thoughts for a while and then nodded. “I got it. Although it’s temporary, I can set up a team I want as a team leader, right?”

“For now, but please keep in mind that it can be disbanded at any time.”

“Fine, I got it. But that won’t happen. You—no, you’re boss now. Boss, I’m sure you’re going to like the team I set up.”

At her confidence, Chi-Woo looked at her with curiosity.

“Hehe. I’m sure you’ll be surprised to hear who I picked.”

At that moment, a notification from his device rang out of the blue. ‘What?’

“So I picked—”

“Ah, please wait a minute.”

“What? Hey, come on. I was in the middle of talking.”

“I’m sorry, but wait, please wait.”

* * *

“How unusual.” A lethargic voice was accompanied by a slow yawn. “I can’t believe Big Choi’s intuition was off. Isn’t this the first time it has happened before?” The speaker was none other than Ismile, who shrugged and shifted his gaze. He looked at the bemused Chi-Hyun and was hit by an ominous feeling.

“Well, it hasn’t been confirmed yet…”

Ismile let out a long sigh. It has been a while since he began wandering outside at Chi-Hyun’s request. However, they haven’t made any proper progress so far. There were no movements at all from the various forces even though normally they should have caught a few suspicious trails by now, no matter how trivial they were. It was quiet as if they had all gone into a long hibernation—the Demon Empire, the Abyss, and the Sernitas. They had been fighting each other nonstop all these years, but why did they suddenly all become quiet?

It was strange to say the least, especially considering that the Demon Empire was reorganizing their internal faction. Besides the Sernitas, it was all too suspicious that the Abyss were also quiet as a mouse. However, the problem was that they couldn’t detect any suspicious activity either. Everyone stopped making a move as if they had promised each other beforehand.

“Anyway, it’s about time to make a decision. It’s not good to leave the city for too long.”

Chi-Hyun agreed with Ismile, but couldn’t easily make a decision. If they went back like this and made the usual preparation, it wouldn’t be any different from fighting back blindfolded. If they knew even a bit of what was happening, he could make plans towards the right direction. But at this rate… No, there was still a way.

“Let’s go back for now.”

“What? Really? I was just saying that.” Ismile asked in surprise.

Chi-Hyun shook his head. “Not to Shalyh, but to the gateway.” The gateway was a fortress at the edge of the sanctuary, guarding the road to Shalyh. Moreover, it was also the place where the device’s connection barely reached.

—Chi-Hyun?

“Chi-Woo.”

—What’s going on? I looked for you when I came back, but I couldn’t find you. Where are you, and what are you doing right now?

“Listen to me closely from now on.”

Chi-Woo straightened his posture at his brother’s words because Chi-Hyun sounded deathly serious.

—What is it? Tell me.

“Let’s throw the die.”

—?

“I’m talking about the World’s Milestone. Like when you went to the future before.”

—Why all of a sudden?

“I’ll tell you the reason later, quickly.”

—…Fine, I got it.

In the video, Chi-Woo took out the die and held it in his hand. Even while hesitating, he was about to throw the die, but faltered again. Chi-Woo quickly grasped the die just before it could fall from his palm.

Chi-Hyun furrowed. “What are you doing?”