I think I’ve lived a pretty ordinary life.
Just like everyone else, I diligently followed the standard path of elementary school, middle school, high school, and eventually entered college.
Of course, since I didn’t have an outgoing personality, I didn’t fit in that well at school.
But now.
[Discussion on the Support Law for Expanding Men’s Domestic Roles…]
I found myself in a reversed-gender world.
A normal world.
In other words, even in a world that isn’t gender-reversed, the culture enjoyed by people who rarely go out remains similar.
Things like animation, mobile games, console games, and web novels—all part of subculture entertainment.
Of course, I was no exception to that.
Because of this, I was able to grasp the situation that had unfolded fairly quickly.
“What the…?”
Even though I understood, it was still absurd.
Enjoying subcultures in daily life doesn’t mean you can immediately adapt when a situation like this arises.
Who in the world could instantly adjust to waking up to find the entire world they live in has changed?
Still.
“Hoo… Let’s calm down.”
I needed to pull myself together.
What’s done is done.
The most important thing now was figuring out how to deal with it.
With that thought, I picked up my phone to check the contact list.
[Contacts]
- Mom
- Dad
- Lee Junseok
- Grandma
- Grandpa
- Ryu Arim (Junior)
- Yoo Ayoung (Class Rep)
- Art Teacher
“…Sigh.”
What’s this?
There were a lot of names in my contact list I didn’t recognize.
As I was trying to figure out what was going on, it happened.
“Argh…!”
The memories of this world’s Lee Jaehun flooded into my head.
Along with a splitting headache.
How long did that headache last?
“Hoo…”
Finally, I was able to understand the situation of Lee Jaehun in this reversed-gender world.
There wasn’t much difference between him and me.
The only notable difference was that he possessed talent in various fields.
Not just moderate talent, but extraordinary talent.
Though Lee Jaehun himself didn’t particularly like having those abilities.
“…If he made a living just from commissions, he must have been earning a lot.”
People might not realize it, but being able to survive on commissions alone in the nerd community was proof of top-tier skills.
After all, there’s no group more brutally critical about paying for quality than nerds.
Thinking how impressive that was, I started examining other memories.
“…Everything else is pretty much the same as me.”
Aside from having talent, he looked just like me, and he was just as much of a shut-in as I was.
The only difference was the addition of “talent.”
Speaking of which.
“It’s almost time to start that commission.”
Apparently, “I” was very meticulous about keeping schedules.
Even when engaging in hobbies, every activity had a set time and was carried out as planned.
With that in mind, I sat down in front of the computer.
It was time to start working on the commission, after all.
But.
“…Wait a second.”
As I searched through my memories, I realized that most of the commissions I had been doing were of men.
Of course, I didn’t draw anything overly suggestive.
‘Thank goodness it’s not NSFW art.’
If it had been, I would have quit doing commissions immediately.
With that thought, I picked up the high-end tablet and decided to test it out.
“…Can I really do this well?”
I felt a bit nervous.
Even though I had a sense of how to draw in my head, there’s still a difference between knowing how and actually doing it.
With that in mind, I sketched a little.
Before long.
“Not bad.”
The drawing came out naturally.
It felt like my body remembered how to do it.
Feeling relieved, I continued working on the sketch.
Swoosh, swoosh.
The only sound in the small one-room apartment was that of the pen gliding over the tablet.
In just two hours, I managed to complete the framework of the drawing.
Since I had received a decent amount of money for the commission, I couldn’t rush to finish it in just one day.
I’d need to steadily put in a few hours each day to get it done properly.
‘I might get criticized if I do a sloppy job.’
Thinking that, I saved my progress, got up, and headed to the bathroom.
I figured I should at least wash my face.
Splash!
As I splashed cold water on my face, my thoughts cleared up.
The confusion from suddenly finding myself in this reversed-gender world began to settle.
“Hoo.”
Letting out a sigh, I looked in the mirror.
There, I saw a face that was almost identical to my own.
“Thank goodness.”
Other than a slightly higher nose bridge, slightly larger eyes, and more defined facial features, nothing else had changed much.
Feeling relieved, I wiped my face roughly with a towel and stepped back out.
A one-room apartment, just the right size for a single adult male to live in.
Now then.
“I need to organize my thoughts again.”
I figured it would be a good idea to go over the information in my head once more.
I couldn’t afford to overlook anything.
With that thought, I started reviewing my thoughts.
“So…”
In my original world, I was living a very ordinary life.
As I mentioned earlier, I followed the same path as most others.
I was attending a decent university in Seoul.
I had taken a leave of absence since I was at the age where I’d soon have to join the military.
And now…
‘Here I am.’
Suddenly, I found myself in this reversed-gender world.
If that’s the case, what happens to my leave of absence?
Curious, I sifted through the memories.
It was simple to figure out.
In this reversed-gender world, I had also applied for a leave of absence from university, but for a different reason: to retake the college entrance exams.
Just in case the retake didn’t go well, I planned to return to university afterward.
That aside.
‘This version of me had a school life similar to mine in my original world.’
The difference was that, while I kept to myself at school, this me had interacted with others in the nerd community.
‘His personality is similar to mine, but also different.’
I avoided getting involved with others so much that I hardly spoke at school.
But this me seemed to maintain at least minimal social relationships.
It was fascinating how similar yet subtly different we were.
After pondering for a moment, I came to a decision.
“…Going to university seems like the right move.”
Originally, I had taken a leave of absence to join the military.
However, with the military no longer being an issue, there wasn’t much reason to continue the leave.
In other words, I could return to university.
‘And I’m too lazy to retake the entrance exams.’
With that thought, I decided to visit the school tomorrow and turned on my phone to check the schedule.
This version of me seemed to have a habit of writing detailed schedules in the phone.
Of course, I wouldn’t bother with such tedious habits moving forward.
Thinking that, I checked the schedule written on my phone.
[Last Day to Cancel Leave of Absence]
“…Wait a second.”
Was I seeing this right?
Today was the last day to cancel the leave of absence.
I had planned to take care of it tomorrow.
“Looks like I have to go right now.”
Annoyed at the inconvenience, I opened the wardrobe and threw on a hoodie and jeans.
Over that, I layered a long padded coat.
“Hah… I really don’t feel like going.”
Although the university was relatively close, I couldn’t help but feel reluctant to go.
Sighing at the thought of the hassle, I grabbed my phone and headed out toward the school.
“Ugh, it’s cold.”
Snow was falling outside.
It was even starting to pile up on the ground.
Thinking I needed to tread carefully, I continued walking when.
“Huh? Oh, Jaehun-sunbae! Hi!”
I heard a familiar voice.
“Hi.”
It was Ryu Arim.
She was the only woman in my contact list who wasn’t a blood relative.
Meeting her here was unexpected.
Since I was already close with Ryu Arim, I greeted her warmly.
“What are you doing out here in the cold?”
“Ehehe, studying.”
“Go home and take a break on a day like this. How do you manage to study that boring stuff every day?”
“It’s fun though~.”
“…Yeah.”
Although I got along well with Ryu Arim and had maintained a close relationship with her, to be honest, I couldn’t really understand her.
I mean, what’s so fun about studying that she does it with such enthusiasm?
“By the way, why are you going to school, sunbae?”
“To cancel my leave of absence. After thinking about it, I feel like I’m a good fit for my major.”
“You’re not retaking the college entrance exam?”
“After reconsidering, I think that’d be too much of a gamble.”
“True.”
Failing could mean wasting an entire year, making it quite a risky move.
And the odds of success weren’t great either.
While thinking about that, I walked alongside her for a while until we finally arrived at the school.
“Well, I’ll head off now, sunbae!”
“Yeah, see you.”
After walking me to school, Ryu Arim turned and headed toward the library.
‘She’s really amazing.’
How could someone study so diligently, even in the middle of winter?
Admiring her dedication, I entered the building, feeling the warmth of the heater slowly thawing my body.
“Hoo…”
As I warmed up and casually checked my phone.
Ding!
I received a message from someone.
Curious about who it might be, I opened my phone.
[Art Teacher: Jaehun]
[Art Teacher: Are you interested in doing illustrations for online broadcasting?]
“Hmm?”
It was a completely unexpected offer.
Illustrations for online broadcasting?
‘Now that I think about it, I didn’t know this art teacher in my original world.’
Searching through my memories, I realized that in this reversed-gender world, this art teacher had a close relationship with me.
We met frequently, and occasionally, the teacher even arranged work opportunities for me.
Now then.
‘…It doesn’t sound bad.’
If it was just drawing illustrations, it seemed like something I could handle.
With that thought, I replied without much hesitation.
[Me: Yep]
[Me: I’m interested]
I didn’t give much thought to what might come next.