Sometimes in life, things happen that you never expect. Like when common sense you know gets turned upside down, or the internet suddenly gets flooded with gay memes, or you start going to college and a girl you've never seen before starts being nice to you.
That was one of those unexpected things.
Situations that are beyond human rationality and completely supernatural.
I was in such a situation right now.
"What should we eat?"
Eunbyeol, who had introduced herself as such, said as she walked ahead.
Thud, thud. With every light step she took, her hair, which resembled the night sky, swayed.
She was a second-year student in the Physical Education Department.
It was one of the few high-ranking departments in this school.
You needed a certain level of academic and practical skills to get in.
She said she was originally preparing for a sports university but decided to come here because she liked teaching kids more.
As expected of a department related to sports, she had a great physique.
Not just good proportions, but well-trained muscles could be seen all over her body when you looked closely.
Muscles that were neither insufficient nor excessive.
Those muscles were further emphasized by the tight leggings she wore, making her butt move firmly with every step.
'Sigh... damn.'
I didn't want to, but my gaze kept drifting downward.
It was a black hole-like charm.
As a result, I felt a mix of guilt and ecstasy.
I wondered if it was okay to keep looking.
'No, damn it.'
Come to think of it, maybe it's okay to just look?
This is a world where genders are reversed, right? If a girl looked at my body and got turned on, I'd feel pretty good.
Maybe girls in this world feel the same way?
'Grrr...'
For a moment, the beast inside me revealed itself.
It whispered devilishly, telling me to just relax and look.
But I barely managed to suppress my desire.
No matter what, we were meeting for the first time. Even someone like me could have that much manners.
"Do you have anything you want to eat, senior? Oh, since we're the same year, should I just call you 'oppa'?"
As I stood there dazed for a moment, she asked again.
The way she addressed me had subtly changed to 'oppa'. She had terrifyingly good social skills.
If the convenience store part-timer I met last time was just a casual social butterfly, the girl in front of me was a social butterfly among social butterflies.
A true socialite.
'Did she really just come to make friends...'
I was still curious about her intentions, but I decided to let it go for now.
After all, relationships don't always have to have a purpose.
For now, I decided to enjoy this situation.
The situation of eating with a pretty girl.
"Um... I wonder if there's a good place nearby?"
I didn't know the restaurants around here well. That's probably because I didn't come to school much, so I didn't know the buildings around here.
And to be honest, I'm the type who eats anything, so it didn't matter where we went. From beef liver to tripe, and even very spicy food.
My stomach could handle anything.
So I left the choice to Eunbyeol.
She would probably choose well...
"Then I'll guide you. I happen to know a restaurant that guys would like."
And I couldn't help but regret that decision soon after.
I had overlooked what kind of restaurants 'men' in this world would like.
"Carbonara specialty store...?"
When I came to my senses, I was already inside the restaurant.
I was looking at the menu, choosing what to eat.
All of them looked bland and cute, like something gay guys would eat.
Wait, come to think of it, most of them here are gay guys.
'Damn...'
"Don't you think it's good? This place is famous for its pasta. It's been on TV too."
I wanted to get up right away, but we had already taken our seats. And Eunbyeol was asking if I was satisfied, right in front of me.
It was already a situation with no way out.
Thanks to that, I could only smile awkwardly.
"Haha... yeah, it's good."
But since we were already here, I had to place an order. I opened the menu to see what was available.
I thought I could just order tomato spaghetti or something.
But...
'Huh?'
It wasn't there!
Surprisingly, the most basic tomato spaghetti was not on the menu. It was surprising.
How could something so basic be missing.
As a carbonara specialty store, it only had cream-related pasta.
Mushroom soup pasta, carbonara, seafood cream pasta...
Wait, in a way, this is also basic.
It's just that the focus and selection were wrong.
Sigh... there was no choice. I decided to order the most basic carbonara pasta. It was the cheapest, after all.
"Here's your food."
The pasta came out quite quickly. After ordering and waiting a few minutes, a steaming hot pasta was served in front of me.
I heard that professional restaurants pre-cook the pasta and keep it ready, and it seemed like this place did the same.
I carefully picked up some noodles and took a bite.
Slurp. The white noodles with parsley went into my mouth.
I slowly savored the taste.
'Hmm...'
It's bland. To exaggerate a bit, it's tasteless.
Is this really a specialty store? Is this the sophisticated pasta?
It was a taste I couldn't understand.
"Mmm~"
But Eunbyeol in front of me seemed to enjoy it. I even thought she might have come here because she wanted to eat it herself.
"Delicious. Hehe, I actually like pasta, but I don't come here often. Since I usually hang out with girls, it's a bit hard to come here."
It was true. My back felt tingly.
"So, how about coming here together sometimes? It's good to talk and get to know each other."
But that tingling feeling was healed by her next words.
An after-meal invitation flowing in like water. And she looked at me with a smiling face, her lips slightly curled up.
If this were the reversed world, she would have been a guy who made many girls cry.
Her overwhelming social skills made me stutter in response.
"Uh... yeah."
"Hehe, okay."
She replied like that and ate her pasta.
The pasta noodles slipped into her mouth over her lips.
Perhaps because she was pretty, even that looked like a photoshoot.
I felt a bit awkward and ate my meal. No matter how reversed the genders were, being with a girl for a long time made me stiffen up. And that was me.
I was okay with short conversations, but being together for a long time made me awkward.
Then, the conversation would occasionally stop, but every time that happened, Eunbyeol naturally continued the conversation.
"By the way, why did you retake the year, oppa?"
"Ah, I was preparing for art college but failed."
"Ah..."
Sometimes dark topics came up.
"Oh! Then you must be good at drawing. I like looking at drawings too."
But she somehow reacted and continued the conversation. To be honest, it was comfortable.
Her reactions, her smiling face. Eunbyeol had a talent for making people comfortable.
Thanks to that, an hour passed quickly.
After sipping some water and having a few conversations, it was already time for class.
She showed a slightly reluctant expression but soon parted ways within the university.
"See you later, oppa."
Before I knew it, we had even exchanged contact information.
In just 1 hour, I had opened up, eaten, and exchanged contact information with someone I had never met before.
"What the hell."
I still had questions, but I felt good.
I even thought, 'Does she like me?'
Of course, I didn't think I would have such feelings for someone I had just met.
But at least I could tell that she had some affection for me.
Maybe it's because of my looks? It's good to be handsome.
Thank you, Lee Se-won. Among the many foolish things you did, I liked this one.
I will inherit your will of using lotion, skin care, and moisturizer, so don't worry.
"Hmm~"
I turned around with a pleasant stride.
In this state, I thought I could endure the upcoming lecture.
Come on, Economic Statistics!
I will endure your damn numerical statistics.
But...
Come to think of it, I had overlooked something.
Ring!
A terrifying notification sound in the midst of a floating mood.
I suddenly remembered the 7,900 won I spent at the pasta shop.
And the small amounts of money I had spent over the past 5 days also flashed through my mind.
"Ah... right."
Now that I think about it, I had hardly checked my bank account. I was too weak to face that cruel despair.
But in the end, I had to check it... then it would be better to check it now while I'm feeling high.
It would offset some of the mental damage.
I went into the banking app as if facing the abyss.
[Dear Lee Se-won, we inform you that 5,500 won has just been deducted from your ○○ card.]
[Dear Lee Se-won, we inform you that 1,200 won has just been deducted from your ○○ card.]
...
[Dear Lee Se-won, we inform you that 7,900 won has just been deducted from your ○○ card.]
The notifications that had piled up over the past 5 days and the balance above them were visible.
[62,400 won]
A desperate number.
'Kheok...!'
Tears welled up in my eyes at the sight of my pitiful bank balance, which had dropped to the ten-thousand-won range. It was a good thing I wasn't at home.
I almost screamed again.
How long could I live with that money? Worries about meals, transportation, and rent weighed heavily on my mind.
Excluding the rent, which wasn't urgent, I still had to worry about meals and transportation.
I would probably run out of money in a week.
A week... I could see myself starving after that.
"I need money... I really need money..."
The situation was more serious than I thought. I needed money right away.
Fortunately, there was a way to make money.
It might be a bit early, but... there was no choice.
It was time to start accepting requests for erotic illustrations.