148) Chapter 21. ......Huh? (7)
Auntie Yujin and Uncle Dohyun welcomed us enthusiastically—then froze stiff the moment they saw Jinwoo.
The last time they had seen Jinwoo, she had been wearing makeup and girls’ clothes, but honestly, her appearance wasn’t all that different from now.
And yet, perhaps the factor of “gender” really does play a huge role in how people recognize someone.
We looked at one another.
Jinwoo’s opinion was especially important. I had already asked her once before we came here, but still.
Jinwoo met my eyes and gave a small nod.
I nodded back and turned toward Auntie Yujin again—
“My goodness.”
Before I could even open my mouth, Auntie Yujin reacted first.
“My goodness, our Rua brought home a boyfriend.”
“Huh?”
The first person to react to that was Soi.
How should I put it?
She made an expression that felt like something you absolutely shouldn’t make in front of your mother, Soi.
At this rate, you’re just a rebellious teenager. I tried so hard to keep you from becoming one... well, um, not that I actually put in any tremendous effort, but still, I’d been feeling so relieved...!
“It’s not like that, though? Rua doesn’t have a boyfriend. And she won’t in the future either.”
What kind of statement is that, Soi?
Well, to be fair, I do often think I’ll probably never get a boyfriend.
I didn’t live all that long in my previous life, and if I keep living this life, there’s a good chance the amount of time I’ve spent as a girl will far exceed the time I spent as a boy.
I’ve already lived in this world for well over ten years and have almost completely adapted to this body, so I don’t think there’s any confusion about whether I’m male or female.
But those sexual aspects are still the same. Things like feeling really embarrassed and uncomfortable changing clothes in front of girls, or feeling a little scared about going into public restrooms.
In other words, men don’t really register as “romantic interests”—or more precisely, as the opposite sex.
I don’t think that feeling will change no matter how many years pass, so perhaps the orientation determined in my previous life will continue into this one.
“Then what about him? That cute boy over there? Rua, introduce him. He’s your boyfriend, right? Right?”
“Ah, no.”
For some reason, Auntie Yujin became even more dramatic, almost as if she were doing it on purpose.
I looked to Uncle Dohyun for help.
But seeing him stare fixedly at Jinwoo with a stiff expression...
Ah, that look. That exact look.
The face of a father witnessing the daughter he raised with all his heart getting swept away by some random stray mutt.
If this were America, he looked like the type who would stride into the house and come back out carrying a shotgun.
It was even scarier because Uncle Dohyun usually only ever wore one of two expressions around me: cautious or relaxed.
...Hmm.
Maybe I should have at least made Jinwoo wear my school uniform.
“Come on, it’s not like that.”
The one who defused the explosive situation was Chae-yi.
“She’s a girl. A girl.”
Then she grabbed Jinwoo by the wrist and pulled her in front of herself.
Jinwoo’s face instantly turned bright red at being called a girl.
Auntie Yujin and Uncle Dohyun’s eyes widened into circles.
Blink. Blink.
Then they looked at each other.
It was one thing for Auntie Yujin, who had been smiling brightly even when she thought Jinwoo was a boy.
But at least the murderous aura disappeared from Uncle Dohyun’s face.
...Though, Uncle.
Didn’t you say you and Auntie Yujin did everything there was to do together since high school?
Being strict only with your own daughter feels a little unfair.
Of course, I didn’t really have the courage to say that outright.
...Not that I’m in any position to talk when I’m also hoping Soi and Chae-yi never get boyfriends.
*
“Mm, I see. Actually, I recognized her face. It’s just... how should I put it? Back in our day, there were boys who used to sneak into the girls’ dormitory too.”
Ah.
So when Jinwoo came to our house before, they thought she had disguised herself as a girl and infiltrated the place just to visit her girlfriend. Back then, they had completely believed she was a girl.
Um, Auntie Yujin?
Wouldn’t that be dangerous in its own way?
She would have been entering a room full of girls.
“If they were sneaking into dormitories, why wouldn’t they sneak into our house too?”
Auntie Yujin spoke with one hand on her cheek, her face slightly flushed as if embarrassed.
I stared blankly at Uncle Dohyun.
“Ahem.”
Uncle Dohyun cleared his throat awkwardly.
“To be honest, I failed almost every time I tried sneaking into the dormitory. On the other hand, I did succeed in sneaking into her house.”
Soi’s expression was quite something to behold.
When it comes to your parents’ love story, it’s the sort of thing you’re curious about and not curious about at the same time.
The romance itself can be interesting to hear about. The times were different, after all, and the things people did on dates were often different too. Assuming you plan on dating someday, it can even be useful information.
But at the same time, there are depths you really don’t want to hear about.
If a man and a woman were alone together inside a house, what do you think they did?
Unless they had extraordinarily unusual personalities, most people really don’t want to hear that part.
“......”
I stared at Uncle Dohyun again.
He averted his gaze as if he had nothing to say.
For the record, both of them had lost their parents at a fairly early age. Not because their family circumstances had been especially difficult—it had simply happened that way.
After becoming adults and losing their parents, they relied on one another. Because of that, the connection they had formed in high school never broke and instead grew stronger and stronger.
“Ahem, ahem. Anyway.”
Uncle Dohyun hurriedly changed the subject.
“So you’re living as a boy at school?”
“Uh, y-yes...”
Jinwoo answered with her eyebrows drooping.
As if she were doing something wrong.
...Hmm? Well, technically, isn’t she?
If you really think about it, the students sharing a dorm with her and all the people treating her as a boy are victims too, aren’t they?
It’s just that I assume she has circumstances she can’t avoid, so she’s forced into this situation.
Fortunately, both Auntie Yujin and Uncle Dohyun possessed genuinely heroic mindsets. Their understanding was as broad as the Pacific Ocean.
“You must be having a hard time.”
“N-no, not really. I made friends like this, too...”
Jinwoo twisted her body shyly, her face red.
“By the way, Mom.”
Watching that, Soi spoke up.
“If you thought Jinwoo was a boy, did you really think it was okay to let her stay over last week?”
“Oh my. With you and Chae-yi in the same room, what was there to worry about?”
“Huh?”
“Well, Rua always sleeps with the two of you right beside her. Even if someone tried to do something to Rua, the two of you would definitely stop them.”
“Uh, right.”
Soi fell silent for a moment, looking oddly embarrassed.
“What if she’d charmed all of us or something? What if she was that kind of person?”
“Hm? Soi, are you the kind of girl who would sit by and watch if someone you like is with another person?”
Auntie Yujin tilted her head, genuinely curious.
Soi’s face turned bright red.
Well, that makes sense.
If Soi ever got a boyfriend, she seemed like the type who would go all in and devote absolutely everything she had to him.
At least, that’s the Soi I know.
“Then.”
As though her questioning wasn’t over yet, Soi asked again in an oddly irritated voice.
“Why did you think she was Rua’s boyfriend? We’re all girls.”
“Hmm, well.”
Auntie Yujin smiled mischievously.
“Because that child didn’t seem to have as strong an aura as Soi or Chae-yi. Hyeonji still doesn’t seem interested in getting a boyfriend, either.”
Hyeonji nodded repeatedly.
Meanwhile, Soi and Chae-yi wore expressions that seemed half convinced and half unconvinced.
Jinwoo was twisting her body around in embarrassment so much that it was actually difficult to read what she was thinking.
Hmm, is that so?
Honestly, I’m not sure I fully buy it either.
Can’t strong-willed people date soft-spoken people too? Isn’t the gyaru-and-nerd-boy combination pretty popular?
Though if I think about the original Jinwoo, she really would have been like a herbivore standing in front of a carnivore.
...More importantly, I don’t want Soi or Chae-yi getting boyfriends.
Actually, these days, I feel the same about Hyeonji and Jinwoo.
If even one of those four—or worse, more than one of them—got a boyfriend...
Yeah.
I’d be seriously hurt.
I might turn into a genuine villainess and start badmouthing those boys behind their backs.
Though even if I wanted to gossip about them, I don’t really have any friends besides these girls who would listen.
“Welcome to our home.”
Auntie Yujin smiled and warmly welcomed Jinwoo.
“You can relax while you’re here. While you’re staying with us, it’s okay to think, ‘Ah, this is my home too.’”
“That’s right. You’re Rua and Soi’s friend. There’s no way we’d reject you.”
“...You don’t remember the expression you made just a little while ago when you thought Jinwoo was a boy?”
“Ahem, ahem.”
Even while joking around, the smiles never left their faces.
Perhaps they were really that happy that I had gained another friend.
And mixed into those smiles was another message:
We won’t ask why you live that way.
The reason they didn’t even bring those words up at all was because simply drawing attention to it would make Jinwoo uncomfortable.
“Y-yes, thank you...”
Jinwoo’s face reddened, but she smiled softly, looking reassured by those words.
...Though maybe it’s time to start teaching her a little more “manliness.”
If she smiles like that at school, she’s going to get found out immediately.