Chapter 2

“This is quite… astonishing.”

“Me? What’s astonishing?”

“It’s just… I’ve never met anyone so emotionally stable.”

“The doctor mentioned something similar…”

“Haha. That makes sense. They’ve likely seen the most mutants in Korea.”

“Is that so?”

Indeed, that doctor… seemed to have gone through quite similar situations.

“Yes.”

“Uh… may I ask why you’ve come to see me?”

“Ah, I’m here to assist mutant individuals with various necessities. No need to be so on guard.”

“Necessities?”

“Well, you see… it’s almost unheard of for mutants to change gender as well. But since Seo-hyun has… we’ll need to issue a new ID card for you.”

“Ah.”

That’s right. An ID. With my appearance having completely changed, all my identifying documents have essentially become useless.

“And, upon checking, I see you’ve completed military service. There’s the matter of the reserve forces as well…”

“Surely you don’t mean I have to participate in reserve training like this?”

“Haha. Ordinarily, yes, but considering the potential for incidents, mutants are usually exempted from reserve duties. However, you seem unusually composed, unlike most who become quite distressed upon changing gender.”

“Yay.”

“Yes?”

When they mentioned the exemption, I unknowingly muttered “yay” under my breath.

“No, nothing. Anyway, as you said… it’s strange, but this situation feels oddly familiar.”

“That’s a good thing, isn’t it? Had Seo-hyun’s mind been unstable and chaotic, it could have led to a very unfortunate situation.”

As the agent of the National Intelligence Service said this, a sense of relief, as if from enduring something for ten years, could be seen on their face. It seemed like something significant had happened.

“I’ve been told I was unconscious for three months… I suppose something occurred during that time?”

The agent nodded silently.

“There were many incidents. Quite a number of mutants were thrown into confusion by the traits inherent to their new forms. There were numerous accidents. People were regularly injured, and in serious cases, fatalities occurred.”

“It was a harsh time.”

“Indeed, a sudden wave of change. Thankfully, modern weapons are somewhat effective against mutants; otherwise, there could have been catastrophic casualties.”

“So, societal perception of mutants isn’t good either, is it?”

“Unfortunately, yes. Not all mutants are harmful, and many live harmoniously with others, but crimes involving mutants do happen. Social perception is often shaped by extreme minorities.”

I felt a headache coming on. Does this mean that, wherever I go, instead of being an ordinary college student, I’ll be treated like a near-terrorist?

“In any case, Seo-hyun will be staying at this hospital for a while longer to practice self-control as training. To live a normal life among others, it’s necessary… please understand. Here are the documents.”

Upon saying this, the agent handed me the papers.

“What are these documents for?”

“As I mentioned earlier, they’re for your new ID and related paperwork. You’ll also need to take a new ID photo shortly.”

“Understood.”

I carefully examined the documents handed to me by the agent, signing where necessary before handing them back.

I was worried I might break the pen, but by consciously thinking about not using my strength, I could feel the tension in my grip ease off.

It felt like my strength regulation was happening naturally, contrary to what I had initially worried about.

Maybe I won’t need training after all?

“Wow. At this level, you might not actually need much training.”

The agent was impressed after observing me.

They said they didn’t expect strength control to come this quickly. Normally, it takes about ten broken pens before people get the hang of it.

After I finished reviewing all the documents, taking the ID photo, and completing the procedures, the agent gathered the paperwork and said,

“Well, that’s about everything. I’ll take my leave then. Thank you for your cooperation. If you need any assistance, please let the doctor know. And, just in case, here’s my contact information. If there’s a problem or if you feel unstable at any point, do call me.”

“Ah, yes.”

As soon as the agent left, I returned to the hospital room where I had been lying. The doctor casually asked if I had finished all the necessary procedures, and I replied that I had.

Soon, I’ll receive my new ID, and my personal information will be updated.

As for the name… I’ve decided to keep it the same. Seo-hyun.

It’s a name that both men and women use occasionally, so I don’t feel the need to change it just because my gender has changed.

I’ve been called Seo-hyun all my life, and I’ll continue to be called Seo-hyun.

Lying in bed, I wished I could use my smartphone to catch up on some information, but even that wasn’t allowed.

The family had taken my phone, they said.

All I could do was lie there staring blankly at the ceiling.

I thought about what I had been told: mutants gain the traits of the creatures they transform into.

And I must have transformed into a dragon—or at the very least, something related to a dragon.

In every fantasy novel, or any medium where dragons appear, they’re consistently depicted as having incredible physical and mental strength.

Of course, they’re also often depicted as tyrannical and cruel, but still…

Perhaps the reason I’m so mentally stable compared to other mutants is because of the dragon-related traits.

Honestly, that’s probably it.

Most mutants, after transforming, lose their grip on reality—either mentally breaking down or going berserk—but that’s not happening to me.

Sure, I feel some confusion, but not the kind that drives someone insane.

…I suppose I should count myself lucky.

My mental health was fragile before, but apparently, I’ve toughened up after the transformation.

If I had been my old self, my face might have ended up on a wanted poster by now.

*

The family is coming.

Since I’ve awakened, it’s only natural.

Originally, I should have been informed earlier, but since mutants without proper medical checks can be extremely dangerous, the notification was deliberately delayed.

The timing coincidentally overlapped with the period when my family couldn’t visit, so it wasn’t until three days later that we met.

Relief was evident in their faces.

“Seo-hyun?”

“Um-hmm.”

“It’s a relief. Really.”

Honestly, I was bewildered. All I did was take a nap, but they reacted like this…

Even my usually rude younger sister, Seo-Ah, wore an expression of relief, so it was obvious the family had been worried sick about me.

“And yet, you recognized me easily?”

“Considering I watched you transform, how could I not? Are you alright? Did you just wake up?”

“No, it’s been about three days now.”

“Huh?”

When my mother realized I hadn’t been immediately informed that I was awake, she seemed ready to confront the doctor but I stopped her.

“Calm down, calm down. It’s because they were doing tests.”

“What kind of tests…”

“Mutants are dangerous, you know. It wasn’t a joke for me.”

“Why? What happened?”

At that moment, my younger sister butted in. Seo-Ah.

She has a rather pretty face but is clearly her mother’s daughter.

We used to fight almost daily since we were young.

Our fights have lessened a bit since I came back from the military but, honestly, it’s more like she’s just treated like one of the guys.

Anyway, she asked with rather blunt curiosity.

Despite everything, she must be curious since I’m a mutant in the family.

“My fists could accidentally kill someone now.”

“What?”

“During the initial medical check, I casually swung my fist and dented an alloy wall.”

“Really!?”

“It’s true. We only called the family because Seo-hyun showed remarkable emotional stability. If there had been any signs of instability, it could have been catastrophic.”

Seo-Ah gasped as she turned to the doctor, who chuckled lightly. The light-hearted laughter was misleading because the words that followed would have shocked most people.

“Unbelievable…”

Even my mom and dad seemed quite surprised.

Well, who wouldn’t be? While growing horns on the head or having animal-like ears is fairly common among mutants, it’s not every day you meet someone who can dent an alloy wall with their fists.

I guess it’s understandable that my parents were in awe, especially given my transformation—whether to call me their son or now daughter.

Either way, the doctor added a few more details.

Compared to most mutants, I demonstrated exceptional emotional stability and showed no signs of confusion.

Typical new mutants’ tendencies towards aggression were also absent, indicating I could live a normal life without much inconvenience.

That was reassuring for my parents too.

“Mom. Can I have my phone?”

“Huh? Oh, Seo-Ah, give your brother the phone.”

“Shouldn’t it be ‘sister’ now? Anyway, here you go.”

“Thanks.”

Setting aside the gender-related identity stuff, the first thing I did was examine the phone.

As expected, there were innumerable messages.

In the group chats for each of the six project groups, the teammates were venting their anger about the group leader who had mysteriously disappeared. They eventually left me out of the chat entirely.

I chuckled. You guys deserve it.

Honestly, how could the slackers who only contributed by dumping papers expect to manage the project effectively at the end?

It was satisfying to see, but satisfaction aside, a profound sense of dismay washed over me.

I now had to retake six courses, and considering the semester had already started, would I even be allowed to retake them?

At least I was thankful that the semester had just started because if the leave of absence had been processed, I could have registered for retakes.

“Mom, there’s a serious issue.”

“Huh? What is it?”

“Did I get a leave of absence?”

“Yes. After you collapsed, we asked them to process a leave of absence just in case. Explained that it was due to a major illness.”

At the thoroughness of my mom’s thinking, I sighed in relief.

---