Drip drip drip.
The beeping sound typical of a hospital room filled the air. What is that sound?
It’s grating on my nerves.
Annoyed, I forced my eyes open.
When I opened them, I saw a white ceiling—but a strangely unfamiliar one.
Is this a hospital?
Why am I in a hospital? I was pretty sure I was in my studio apartment… No, wait a minute.
I’m certain that I went outside to take a walk to clear my head, so why am I here right now?
What in the world happened?
“Ugh… My head hurts… Huh?”
As I clutched my throbbing head and mumbled to myself, something didn’t feel quite right. A peculiar discomfort. And a foreign voice.
The voice—wasn’t that mine?
“Eh? Ah? Ahhhh!?”
Suddenly, a woman’s voice escaped my lips. Panicking, I tried to sit up… Or rather, first I needed to figure out what this IV line was doing here!
Anyway, after glancing around, I searched for something nearby that could reflect my image.
The window.
And upon catching a glimpse of myself in the window, I couldn’t help but be shocked.
There was a woman with horns sprouting from her head—no, not just any woman. An extraordinarily beautiful one.
Common descriptions wouldn’t suffice: her hair was smooth like silk, jet black, and her eyes had golden pupils shaped like those of a reptile.
But the most shocking revelation was that this woman was moving in sync with me—and the curled black horns sprouting from my head.
What… is going on here?
I was filled in on the absurd events by some suddenly arrived nurses and a doctor.
Apparently, at the moment I witnessed a bright, star-like radiance, I wasn’t the only one. And those who saw it—including myself—underwent a sort of metamorphosis where our bodies were entirely reconstructed, as if shedding old skin.
Hundreds of people reportedly experienced such physical transformations, with gender changes occurring in some and not in others.
And perhaps the most critical piece of information: it had already been three months since that moment.
Three months?! Enough time to finish a semester and apply for a leave of absence.
What about my assignments? My grades?
“…Three months?”
“Yes.”
“I’m finished.”
“Huh?”
“Ah, it was during the semester… Looks like I’ll have to retake all my courses.”
The doctor observed my sigh with a bewildered expression.
“Oh, well. I guess it could matter. But Miss Seo-hyun?”
“Yes?”
“Are you not confused?”
At his question, I shook my head. Confused?
Not particularly. Perhaps it was because I’ve always had a narrow emotional range, or because what’s happening to me now feels so surreal that confusion is impossible.
For some unfathomable reason, I’m surprisingly accepting this situation. I’m not sure why.
“Yes. It’s strange. Normally, in a situation like this, one would be screaming, thrashing around, perhaps even grabbing the teacher by the collar.”
“Haha, exactly. If only all the mutants were as calm as you, Miss Seo-hyun.”
“What? Just me? By the way, what’s a mutant?”
“Three months ago, a sudden burst of light enveloped the world. Those exposed to that light had their bodies burn and then began to mutate, just like you.”
“I see.”
“We call those people mutants. And usually… most struggle to come to terms with the situation. Actually, when we entered, we were startled. There are security personnel waiting outside.”
“Security personnel?”
“Yes. Typically, mutants experience a dramatic enhancement in physical abilities. If they lose control, it could lead to serious consequences. So now, security personnel must be stationed around mutants.”
“Hmm…”
At that, it occurred to me that if physical abilities were so enhanced, maybe bullets wouldn’t even work. I asked the doctor about it.
“So, does that mean bullets don’t affect you?”
“Haha. Yeah, in modern novels and comics, there’s a perception of something like that, but it’s not true. Most mutants are stopped by taser guns. Mutants ultimately remain human, so they react to electricity like regular people. Some mutants develop toughened skin due to their unique traits, but even they don’t last against military-grade firepower.”
Military-grade firepower…?
Maybe some terrorist acts involving mutants have happened?
I’ll ask about that later.
“Ah-ha. So, based on what you’ve said, did I regain consciousness notably later than the others? From what I’ve heard, others woke earlier, and it seems like a lot of incidents have happened…”
“That’s correct. You were the last confirmed person in the world to complete the transformation. And as you mentioned, there were plenty of incidents—crimes involving mutants.”
“Ah-ha.”
“To be honest, we were quite worried. Typically, mutants are manageable, but the later the transformation occurs, the more drastically physical abilities increase.”
“Wow.”
“So, do you feel any discomfort? Or any specific pain anywhere?”
Pain…? Not particularly.
“No, nothing in particular.”
“In that case… could you please come this way so we can start the check-up?”
Following the check-up, it was time to test the extent of my physical abilities.
The doctor led me to a space filled with sturdy-looking walls and various structures. This exists in the basement of the building?
It felt like a scene straight out of a secret society movie, so I couldn’t help but exclaim in awe.
“Typically, should hospitals need such facilities?”
“Think of it as a physical test—a medical checkup, if you will. Mutants, too, need to know the extent of their abilities if they’re to return to their daily lives. Honestly, I never expected such facilities would be in our hospital.”
“That’s true. Accidentally swinging something and causing a disaster could easily happen.”
“We’ve seen cases like that. When mutants first appeared and there were no guidelines, one person sustained severe injuries after being hit by a casual swing from a mutant.”
“That does sound dangerous.”
“Definitely. So, we’d appreciate your cooperation.”
The medical check-up proceeded smoothly. And during the process, I confirmed one telling fact.
“This is crazy—miscalculating power might mean collecting multiple bodies.”
“Haha… Seriously, it’s fortunate that you, Miss Seo-hyun, aren’t violent. That could’ve been a disaster.”
“Right. Maybe my unusual calmness is some sort of safety mechanism to keep me from recklessly throwing my strength around?”
“It’s plausible.”
The doctor chuckled at the scene I had unintentionally created. I gazed at what he was staring at.
The wall, which the doctor claimed was made of an extremely durable alloy, had a deep dent from a casual swing of my fist.
Even I, the one who made the swing, was astonished.
If I hadn’t undergone the medical check-up and had been thrust back into everyday life, I might have become a wanted fugitive by now.
Imagine this much power from a casual flick of the wrist.
By the way…
What kind of species trait do these coiled black horns on my head represent? As I smoothed the horns, I asked the doctor.
“So, what animal do these horns belong to? They resemble dragon horns from fantasy media.”
“Ah, there’s a possibility that they’re genuinely dragon-like.”
“Really?”
“Yes. During Miss Seo-hyun’s transformation, scales of sorts kept falling off, wings sprouted, and a tail appeared too. Then, after the final transformation—well, molting may be the more appropriate term—both the tail and wings disappeared, stabilizing into your current form.”
“Just a second… tail and wings…?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm…”
I was lost for words. A dragon?! In 2018?!
It felt like the world around me had transformed into a fantasy.
No, it had genuinely become fantastical.
I vaguely felt a throb in my head.
I realized that the enormity of the transformation that had befallen me was truly overwhelming, regardless of how indifferent I remained on the surface.
Could I even live a normal life again?
“Will I be able to live a normal life…?”
“Let’s try together. Many mutants have worked hard to return to regular life.”
“…Okay. Ah, by any chance, how do I discover other abilities?”
“You’ll find out naturally. That’s how it was for everyone else.”
“I see.”
*
As soon as I returned to the ward after the medical check-up, I was suddenly confronted by a stranger.
This man, dressed in a black suit and with an aura that was far from ordinary security personnel, smiled faintly and said,
“Nice to meet you, Ms. Yoon Seo-hyun. I’m from the National Intelligence Service.”
“…The NIS?”
“Yes.”
All of a sudden the NIS?
Why would people who catch spies be here?
![[TS] Seoul Outsider Dragon](https://i0.wp.com/novelhitam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1743725560-3269-TS-Seoul-Outsider-Dragon.jpg?resize=151,215 "[TS] Seoul Outsider Dragon")
