321. Change (16)

I immediately opened Shi-u's room door. "Shi-u-ya!?" The scene that greeted me upon entering the room was shocking. The big, burly guy was nowhere to be seen, and in the center of the room was a petite girl. I knew it instinctively. This child is my child. First of all, there were parts of her appearance that resembled Saet-byeol. The child was holding a mirror in one hand, with a face full of despair. "Shi-u-ya!" I approached Shi-u. "Uh, Mom?" Those trembling eyes were so pitiful. I know it because I've been through it. It must be quite embarrassing. I hugged Shi-u to help her calm down. "It's okay, Mom and Dad will explain everything." I roughly guessed the situation. Why Shi-u? I had such questions, but I had to think about that later. Right now, comforting Shi-u, who must be the most anxious, was the priority. "Can you move?" "I, I don't know." Where did the thick voice that came with puberty go? I heard a thin, delicate voice. I couldn't adjust at first either, so it was hard to walk properly. First, I lifted Shi-u up. "Li, light." It's also because I'm an Awakener and strong, but she was still too light. I didn't check properly, but she seemed smaller in height and build than me. "Uh, Mom!" Shi-u hugged me tightly, as if anxious. It was such a lovely action, but I had no time to enjoy it now. "It's okay." First, I sat Shi-u on the bed. The clothes she was wearing were baggy because her body had shrunk, and there seemed to be many problems. Calm down, calm down.... "Shi-u-ya, everything's going to be alright." Shi-u was still trembling with anxiety. I wanted to dress her properly, but it was too unstable to leave her side right now. I sat next to her and slowly soothed Shi-u. "It's okay, Shi-u-ya." I held her hand, but it kept trembling. "You're flustered, aren't you?" "Y, yes." "Shi-u-ya, try saying 'Status Window' calmly." She still seemed confused. It can't be helped at first. "S, s, sta, status window?" "Something appeared in front of your eyes, right?" "Y, yes." Is it because she's flustered? Her tone and reactions were different from usual. "You know about Awakening, right?" Shi-u nodded slightly. "Our Shi-u became an Awakener too." "A, Awakener?" "Yes, Mom and Dad are both Awakeners, so there was a high chance Shi-u would Awaken too." "A, Awakener?" Could it be that she still doesn't realize it? Or maybe she had no fantasies about being an Awakener? "Yes, what does it say under 'Abilities'?" "Feminization...." Well, I knew it without even asking, but I asked to confirm it to Shi-u. "That ability is the ability to change gender." Now that she seemed to have sorted things out a bit, Shi-u's eyes sank deeply. "Ah...." Should I tell her that I have the same ability? I was afraid Shi-u would blame me. "U, can't I get rid of it?" Unfortunately, there have been no cases of Awakeners losing their abilities so far, and the accepted theory is that the ability does not disappear until death. Regrettably, I shook my head. Shi-u's expression changed. It was so unfortunate. "Ah...." Shi-u, who covered her face with both hands, began to cry. "Why... why...." I hugged Shi-u, who started crying. "Shi-u-ya...." It was so unfortunate. I didn't know what Shi-u was thinking right now, and I decided to refrain from speaking, as it could unnecessarily stir things up. After comforting Shi-u for a long time, time passed, and everyone started waking up one by one. "Shi-u-ya, can you eat?" I don't know if she has any appetite. "Yes...." "Let's take a few days off from school." "Yes...." Shi-u stood up with a little effort. "Can you walk?" "I, I'll try." I had a hard time at first too... I received a lot of help from Shi-hyun. "Ugh." Shi-u slowly moved forward with trembling steps and left the room. "I did it." Perhaps she got used to her body in a short time, she walked without trembling. "Oh!? Mom? Who is that?" Did Saet-byeol wake up too? Well, it was time to wake up to go to school. "It's Oppa." Saet-byeol's expression turned strange, as if she didn't understand what I said. "Oppa?" "Yes, Oppa Awakened." "That Awakening?" "Yes." "But why did Oppa become Unni instead?" Hearing what Saet-byeol said, Shi-u lowered her head. "Saet-byeol-a!" "Sorry." Seeing Shi-u sitting at the table, I finished preparing breakfast. I quickly set the table, deciding to at least take care of what we had. "Mom, I'm hungry!" Jae-won also came out, opening the door forcefully. "Okay, sit down." "Heu-heung! What's for breakfast today?" Jae-won sat down right away, not even caring about Shi-u. "Mom!" "Okay." I was about to serve rice to Jae-won so he could eat right away. "I'll eat well, hup, -nida!?" Jae-won, who was about to eat, was startled. "Oh, Mom! There's a stranger!" "It's Oppa." "Hyeong-a?" Shi-u lowered her head again. "Shi-u-ya, your younger siblings will get used to it too." "Yes...." "Let's eat first." "U, okay...." Seeing Jae-won's reluctant reaction, I felt like laughing. It's a natural reaction, I guess. After finishing their meal, Jae-won and Saet-byeol were busy preparing to go to school. "Shi-u-ya, don't force yourself to eat." "...Okay." As expected, the amount she ate decreased as her body shrunk. Shi-u was trying to force herself to eat even though she knew that, so I stopped her. It would be easier if Shi-hyun was here, but why isn't Shi-hyun here at times like this? I know he can be late due to Hunter work, but why at this timing? It wasn't the time to complain. "Okay, I'll explain everything to Saet-byeol and Jae-won when they come back from school." "Okay, see you later, Oppa." "I'll be back." As expected, are children pure, or are they just thoughtless? Still, Shi-u became much more stable after seeing her younger siblings' nonchalant attitude. "Shi-u-ya, are you okay?" "Yes." Her voice didn't tremble, and her expression was fine. "Shall we take care of your clothes first?" "Ah, what should I do?" I carefully examined Shi-u's condition, and her height was about 150cm? She was smaller than Saet-byeol. "Wait here." I took out clothes from Saet-byeol's that were too small for her to wear. "Here, let's change into these." "Th, Mom?" "What's wrong?" "U, underwear too?" "Yes, because you have to live as a woman now." "Yes...." Shi-u followed my words more obediently than I thought, perhaps because she hadn't realized other problems yet. After Shi-u put on a sports bra and changed all her clothes, I explained the situation properly. "It would have been nice if Dad was here." "Ah...." First, I told her that several other people had Awakened the same ability as Shi-u. "Besides me?" "Yes, there are about 100 people in our country alone." "100 people...." What should I say to comfort Shi-u? It's difficult... I can't just say it's okay. "Yes, so don't worry too much." I have to apply for gender reassignment and register as an Awakener, but what should I do? Should I wait for Shi-hyun to come? Or should I take her myself? It would be faster and less problematic to take Shi-hyun, who is a B-Rank, than going alone. If that doesn't work, I can call my older brother.... "C, can I not swim now?" Ah, Shi-u noticed the biggest problem. "Y, you can swim." It's just that she can't participate in competitions. Because she Awakened... she was now an Awakener, not a regular person. Therefore, she cannot participate in competitions that regular people participate in. "I can't participate in competitions, but...." The light was disappearing from Shi-u's eyes. It was like a death sentence that she couldn't become a swimmer, which was Shi-u's dream. "Ah...." I couldn't say it was okay. How could it be okay? Her dream disappeared.... "Shi-u-ya...." I couldn't empathize with this. I can say that I achieved my own dream because I Awakened, but it wasn't the case for Shi-u. "Wh, what should I do now...!" Shi-u's eyes shook wildly. I hugged Shi-u tightly. "Let's find something else you want to do." "Mom." It hurt to see Shi-u so sad. Shi-u couldn't hold back and started crying loudly, and I comforted her. After crying for a long time, Shi-u fell asleep in my arms, exhausted, and I took her to the bed. "Is it my fault...?" There's a saying that children are more likely to Awaken if their parents are Awakeners, but I haven't heard that they Awaken the same ability. Could it be that my ability was inherited? That's strange. My mother's ability and my child's older brother and my ability were all different. She really became lovely... Shi-u wouldn't like it, right? First, I should think about a plan for what to do in the future. "Should I contact Shi-hyun first?" Of course, he didn't answer the phone, so I just left a message, and I also contacted the school to briefly explain why Shi-u couldn't go to school. I didn't reveal that she had become a woman, but I told them that there was a problem and she might not be able to go for a few days. They asked for a detailed reason, but when I answered that it was a personal matter, the teacher said she understood, but the attendance issue couldn't be helped. That can't be helped. * Shi-u woke up around lunchtime. "Did you wake up?" "Mom, what do I do now?" "I don't know...." I hid everything and chose to live as a woman. In the first place, it is impossible to return to being a man. She had no choice but to live as a woman. "You can't go to competitions, but you can swim." "Is there any meaning to it?" What should I say? My head was dizzy. Why am I so incompetent? "It's okay." Shi-u lay down on the bed again and covered herself with the blanket. "Shi-u-ya...." She needs time to sort out her thoughts. I left Shi-u in the room. I prepared something simple to eat in the room for lunch and explained the situation to Jae-won and Saet-byeol when they returned. "So, is Oppa going to be a Hunter too?" "That's up to Oppa to decide." "Heu-heung, it must be hard." Neither Saet-byeol nor Jae-won knew why Shi-u was having a hard time. Still, it was fortunate that they accepted it easily. If they saw the changed Shi-u and said she wasn't their Oppa or Hyeong, it would have been a big wound for Shi-u. "Jae-won-i, isn't it strange to you?" "What?" "That Hyeong became a woman." "Hyeong is still Hyeong." Are they believing me... I'm so glad. "Please believe in her, even you guys." "Yes!" Jae-won suddenly got up and headed to Shi-u's room. "Hyeong-a!" I tried to stop him but stopped. It might be stressful for Shi-u, but she had to accept it. "Oppa, will she be okay?" "Are you worried?" "Yes." "You're kind...." I stroked Saet-byeol's head. I don't know what Jae-won and Shi-u talked about, but Shi-u came out of the room. Her hair, which reached her shoulders, was very disheveled, probably from rolling around in bed. "Shi-u-ya, why did you come out?" "Because of Jae-won." Shi-u glanced at Jae-won and smiled. It was a small smile, but it was such a lovely smile. I don't know what he said, but it seemed like Jae-won had restored Shi-u. "Are you okay?" "Yes, I just thought nothing will change." "Yes! Hyeong is Hyeong." "Yes, even if you've changed, Shi-u is Shi-u." Shi-u looked a little relieved after hearing those words. It seems she was worried about that too. I taught Shi-u simply about the female body, now that she had regained her energy. Unlike in the morning, Shi-u was not in a state of confusion, so she listened to the story properly and nodded. "Being a woman is difficult." "Isn't it?" I was like that at first too. I can relate a lot. Saet-byeol, who was listening next to us, expressed her doubts. "Because it's different from being a man." "If you don't know something, ask me! I've lived as a woman for a long time, so I'll teach you well." Saet-byeol said with a smile. "Okay, if you have any questions." She was smiling, but it didn't seem like she was really smiling. It must be hard after all.... "Shi-u-ya, let's take a day off from school tomorrow too." "Is it okay?" "Because I have a lot to do." When Shi-hyun comes at night, we have to take care of several things tomorrow.