Gender Reversed Geum Taeyang - Chapter 22

Chapter 22 – Home Visit (1)

It was a sudden appointment, for both Ari and me.

While I feel somewhat wronged about how such an appointment came to be, since I’m technically the one who made it, there’s nothing I can do about it.

Well, I don’t dislike meeting with Ari since we communicate well and it’s enjoyable being together.

Actually, making appointments and meeting friends is quite rare for me.

I left the orphanage early without waiting to become an adult, jumping into part-time jobs and construction work.

The only acquaintances I had nearby were older men who were much older than me. Naturally, I wasn’t particularly close with them either. Just friendly colleagues?

There was also a noona who handled serving when I worked at the chicken restaurant, but since I was so consumed with work, I couldn’t say we were close. Though I maintained a pretty close relationship with the restaurant owner, given our age difference, it would’ve been awkward to go out and hang around with them.

Then there’s Sehee, who I’m quite close with?

There’s a 6-year age gap. How could I take someone who was a middle school student until recently anywhere? Besides, I was too busy to meet often anyway.

Anyway, what I want to say is that I put a lot of effort into preparing to meet Ari.

It’s one of the few opportunities to interact with others, so I should make myself presentable to some extent, right?

I even used the fancy shampoo and shower products that the director gave me before, which I had tucked away in the bathroom corner – this counts as getting dolled up for me.

The men here seem to consider makeup as a basic part of grooming, but… that’s still too advanced for me to attempt.

Usually, I just used cheap shampoo from the mart since I did a lot of physical work.

I thought that was enough for a real man since it would all end up sweaty anyway.

I only did this kind of grooming occasionally for special events.

The conclusion is that the man staring back at me intensely in the mirror is showing his best appearance.

Even before coming to this world, I felt my appearance level went up after showering when I looked in the mirror – personal opinion – but this time, to put it crudely, I look good enough to eat up a celebrity.

It’s thanks to this appearance that I can maintain minimum composure even with Seong Yuhan’s sudden outbursts.

Of course, that damn tanning, murky blonde hair, and fierce atmosphere cover up that appearance, but still.

The appointment time is getting closer.

Most men in this world, and ordinary women too, would carefully choose their clothes before meeting someone of the opposite sex, but that doesn’t apply to me.

The reason is obvious just by looking at my clothing rack… plain white or black t-shirts.

While I wasn’t particularly interested in fashion, I didn’t dress this simply before – is this Seong Yuhan’s fashion style?

When I put on a white t-shirt, I feel a strange satisfaction, as if proving my hypothesis.

And when I put on the leather jacket, that satisfaction doubles.

Hmm. I should include this bothersome fashion sense among the things that cover up my appearance.

-♩♫♪

Two characters reading ‘Seol Ari’ appear on my phone screen. What a dry contact name. No, is this how people usually save names? Sehee used to add hearts to my name and everything.

When I answer the phone, Ari says she just arrived and asks me to come down.

Glancing at the phone’s clock, it’s exactly 10:30. Seems she arrived right on time.

Looks like she’s as meticulous in personality as her serious and strict appearance suggests. This is somewhat surprising.

Can’t keep her waiting long.

“I’ll come right down.”

… I wonder if lowering my voice every time I speak is also part of Seong Yuhan’s behavioral pattern?

###

I think Ari’s car is quite nice considering her age.

She said she inherited it from her parents… just casually handing down an imported car, what kind of family background does Ari have?

Well, whatever her family background is, it’s not particularly important for friendship.

Anyway, while I personally like this meeting, it was quite awkward.

Isn’t she here because I gave orders in a strange tone?

The body of Seong Yuhan causes trouble, and my sober mind has to deal with it.

“You came right on time? Hehe… well done.”

Never mind. Seong Yuhan’s body is handling this too.

Is this right?

“Uh, yeah… because you asked…”

Seeing how well that went over, maybe it is?

Getting past the first meeting is enough. The beginning is always difficult, but once the conversation starts flowing, the awkwardness disappears instantly.

I brushed off the dirt from my shoes slightly and sat in the passenger seat, fastening my seatbelt.

Ari looked surprised and started searching for her seatbelt. Seems she forgot about it.

To think she has a driver’s license but forgot that. This could be dangerous.

Ari seems a bit flustered as she can’t find the belt right away.

Maybe I should help.

I lean towards Ari’s side and pull the seatbelt for her.

“Hold still for a moment.”

“Uh, okay?”

The seatbelt clicks into place. Maybe because it’s a good car, even the seatbelt looks luxurious.

“Be careful next time. What if you get hurt? If this happens again, you’ll get scolded by me first.”

“Um… sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. I’m saying this because I’m worried about you.”

Going to a good university and even serving in the military in this reversed world – wouldn’t it be a shame to get seriously injured in a simple accident?

Maybe Ari was embarrassed about this simple mistake. Her face turned slightly red.

“This seems like a really nice car.”

“Huh? Do you know what car this is?”

“Of course. I’m quite interested in cars.”

Come to think of it, men in this world relatively don’t have much interest in cars.

She seems surprised that I recognized it, even though it’s a fairly famous car.

I used to keep a list of ‘Cars I Want to Drive When I Succeed’ – how could I not recognize this one?

Anyway, while discussing various car knowledge with Ari, her reactions were quite entertaining.

The conversation that I used to have naturally with the uncles at the construction site – she showed such surprised reactions to everything I said, which honestly felt quite nice.

Is this what they call “nade nade”*¹ on the internet?

It felt a bit like becoming the protagonist of a Japanese isekai light novel, but well, what’s good is good.

One of the biggest changes I think about since coming to this reversed world was the difference in interests between men and women.

The things I used to like became minor interests for men, and I had to talk with women to find people with similar interests.

Though basically, I rarely had chances to talk with people at all.

Anyway, I could feel this most clearly at the orphanage where I meet the most people – boys chatting about idols and makeup, and girls talking about games and internet broadcasts would be examples of this.

Naturally, I was more comfortable talking with girls who had similar interests, and talking with Ari now feels like hanging out with a same-sex friend, which is quite enjoyable.

Though honestly, Ari’s appearance is pretty enough to compare with celebrities, so when I look at her face, she does feel like a woman to me.

Thinking about this, I turned my head towards her.

Ari’s hair was shining blue in the clear morning sunlight.

Though there’s some difference, I wonder if a beauty like Sehee would give off a similar feeling when she becomes an adult.

With looks like that, plus being good at studies and making good money. Did Ari’s boyfriend save a country in his past life?

If there was a woman like that in the previous world, she would have been incredibly popular… no, actually, Ari is already a very popular streamer now. She must be popular in real life too.

How could that boyfriend think of getting angry at someone like her for such a petty reason?

Actually, could he be an incredibly accomplished man? Since they’re childhood friends, he might be from a family similar to Ari’s, who can casually hand down imported cars to their college-age daughter.

If that’s not the case, isn’t he just someone drunk on his luck? That could be described as reversed world-style black comedy.

Well, whatever. Couples must have their own circumstances.

I don’t think it’s particularly good to judge others’ love lives arbitrarily.

Besides, I’m not sure if I, who’s never dated, even have the right to comment.

… Damn. Now that I think about it, it’s kind of bitter.

“Yu… Han? Is something wrong…?”

“Ah.”

Oh no. I was staring too long.

“Just that you look nice”

Ugh. That sounds like something a love-crazy forever-single college senior would say.

Why am I sitting here saying things like that? Is it because I’ve been single for too long?

“Um… haha… thanks.”

“Watch the road, watch the road. You’ll get into an accident.”

I changed the subject appropriately, since her response was quite ambiguous.

Right then, the navigation on Ari’s phone announced we were approaching our destination.

Looking around, it’s an apartment complex that, while not completely new, looks fairly expensive.

Good heavens! She’s 23! Still a college student!

I thought her family must be well-off seeing the car, but I didn’t expect this level.

“You… live here?”

“Yes! I’m living here on rent with the money I earn from streaming and support from home.”

“Wow…”

If you ask if I’m envious… of course. Wouldn’t it be strange not to be?

If you ask if I’m jealous, absolutely not. People can’t always be equal, and I’m not that petty of a person.

Also, it’s not like Ari has ever bragged about money or is that type of person. Our Ari is a kind person.

“That’s amazing… seriously.”

Anyway, that was my biggest emotion.

While she must have had help from her family, she must have also had help from her own broadcasting abilities.

University, looks, money, connections, social recognition. Isn’t this the perfect image of an elite in their 20s?

…

…

Thinking about how such an amazing woman is beside me.

…

…

A dim and lewd smile started to form on its own, then.

Gulp-

…saliva pooled in my mouth.

(End of Chapter)

P.s. 1. Those head pats you see in animes.