Chapter 2: Reality is worse than fiction

Reality is stranger than fiction.

The National Intelligence Service.

The abbreviation for the agency, and a name that sounds incredibly secretive and dangerous.

As an ordinary citizen, I never imagined I’d hear this name directed at me. Especially not with the implication that they had business with me specifically.

What followed from the agent dispatched by the National Intelligence Service was even more absurd.

“A species transformation phenomenon?”

“Yes.”

“This is a dream, right?”

“No, it’s not.”

A phenomenon where a person suddenly transforms into some kind of fantasy race straight out of a game, or the fact that everything I’d dismissed as a dream was actually reality.

Faced with a flood of truths too hard to accept, I could only clutch my forehead with a thud.

“This is a dream, right?”

“I told you, it’s not.”

I felt a lot of things.

Like how even the hardcore agents of the National Intelligence Service have a human side. Or how the seats in this black van are surprisingly cushy.

Or the somewhat trivial thought that a 140cm-tall girl surrounded by burly men might look a little dangerous.

The fact that I was having such mundane thoughts probably meant I was finally calming down. Still a bit confused, though.

Seeing me start to relax, one of the agents spoke up.

“Anyway, now that you seem calmer, let me explain again…”

The agent trailed off, pulling a tablet from somewhere.

“The species transformation phenomenon. It goes by a few other names, but we call it this for now.”

“Okay.”

“It started happening about two weeks ago. As the name suggests, it’s a phenomenon where people suddenly turn into races you’d see in a game, with no warning whatsoever.”

“Like me?”

“Yes, like you, Garam Lee.”

This is the first time we’ve seen an angel, the agent continued.

“We don’t know why this is happening or how it affects the laws of physics. For now, we’re just gathering the transformed individuals together…”

“I see…”

A phenomenon like this exists? Seriously?

I wanted to argue, but looking at my own body, I had no choice but to accept it. I’m living proof of this phenomenon, after all.

Still, I had one question.

“But if this has been happening for two weeks, why hasn’t it been made public?”

“The higher-ups decided that revealing this phenomenon too soon could cause widespread panic, so they’re collecting enough information before announcing it. That’s why the information is being controlled for now.”

“Oh…”

Information control. The agent looked so friendly that I’d almost forgotten, but this reminded me of the National Intelligence Service’s intimidating nature.

“So, the place I’m going to is… where you’re keeping the transformed people?”

“Yes. You’ll undergo a simple investigation… or rather, an examination there. Just think of it as a free health checkup. Others have gone through it, so there’s no need to be scared.”

“Others…”

The mention of others sparked my curiosity. What do they look like? Are there others whose gender changed like mine?

“There aren’t many whose gender has changed like yours, Garam, but there are some. So don’t worry too much.”

“Oh, okay…”

“And… as we mentioned earlier, after the examination, you’ll need to stay at the provided lodging for a few days. Until the phenomenon is publicly announced.”

Oh, right, they did mention that. I have to stay in some specially prepared lodging.

The idea of sudden confinement didn’t exactly sit well with me.

“We’ll do our best to make you comfortable. This is for the safety of the transformed individuals, and the phenomenon is set to be announced in about a week, so you won’t have to stay long. No need to look so upset.”

“Yes, okay.”

Yikes. Did my expression give away my thoughts? I quickly rubbed my face, smoothing out my frown and putting on a professional smile for the agent.

… But the conversation didn’t continue. It seemed the agent had conveyed everything necessary, and I was too overwhelmed by the situation to muster the courage to say anything more.

You’ll get the details when you arrive, the agent said, and with that, the van fell silent.

I tried to pass the time listening to the hum of the engine, but a lingering sense of unease crept into my heart.

Suddenly becoming an angel with wings and a halo, not to mention a tiny girl—how could I be at ease?

I’d dismissed it all as a dream this morning, but now that I was aware, it was impossible to ignore.

The empty space between my legs, the swishing hair, the glowing yellow halo above my head, the twitching wings on my back. Even my lowered perspective and smaller frame.

It’s all so awkward. Everything. Even the soft, squishy texture of my skin when I touch it.

It was a blessing there wasn’t a mirror in this van. If I’d seen one, I think it would’ve dealt a serious blow to my mental state.

…

… Or maybe this really is all a dream. A lucid dream where I just haven’t woken up yet. When I open my eyes, it’ll be, “It was all a dream.”

“Sigh…”

No way. The sensations are too vivid to be a dream.

Frustrated, I pressed my hands against my eyes, and one of the agents spoke to me.

“If you’re tired, you can sleep. We’ll wake you when we arrive.”

“Oh, yes… okay.”

I’d slept enough, so I wasn’t particularly tired, but I decided to accept the agent’s kindness. It felt like an escape from my complicated thoughts.

I worried I wouldn’t be able to sleep in this situation, but thankfully, the warm sunlight and the gentle hum of the van’s vibrations were soothing. As soon as I leaned back, I slipped into dreamland, making my earlier concerns seem silly.

… Yeah. Let’s not overthink this. Worrying won’t solve anything.

Right. Let’s just go with it.

Things will work out somehow.

Okay.

In that sense, we’ve arrived.

After sleeping, I felt much calmer. When in doubt, a good nap does the trick. Yep.

I got out of the van and stretched in the underground parking lot.

I gave my wings a little flap for good measure. The tiny wings, pressed against the seat, reveled in their freedom. Spreading them wide felt oddly refreshing and lifted my mood.

The wings were such a hassle when getting dressed, but now they didn’t seem so bad…

As I loosened up, the other agents got out of the van.

“Now… you’ll get your examination at this hospital, and someone will guide you to the lodging afterward. Once that’s done, your part is over, Garam.”

“Okay.”

The agents said their job was just to escort me to the hospital. It was a short time, but I’d grown a bit fond of them, so parting ways felt a little bittersweet.

We stepped out of the elevator into the hospital lobby, where one of the agents spoke briefly with someone before striding back to me.

“Wait here, and someone will come to guide you. Just sit here until then. We’ll be going now.”

“Okay. Goodbye~”

“Yes. Take care, Garam. Let’s go, guys!”
The agents turned and left. With them gone, the hospital lobby felt empty as I sat on a chair, waiting for my guide.

It’s quiet.

The absence of people made me wonder if this was a government-designated hospital. It would make sense—bringing transformed individuals to a crowded place would make information control difficult.

With nothing to do, I looked around, and everything seemed huge, probably because of my smaller size. The chair I was sitting on, the potted plant over there.

It felt like being a kid again, when everything in the world seemed so big.

Who would’ve thought I’d feel that again?

“Hehe…”

Leaning back and looking at the ceiling, the bright fluorescent lights dazzled my eyes. I raised my hand to shield them, finally able to see comfortably.

As I swung my wings and legs, waiting for a few minutes, I heard the sound of heels clicking in the distance.

A person who looked like a nurse approached, scanning the area before spotting me and walking over.

“Are you Garam Lee?”

“Yes.”

“Alright. Let’s head in for your examination. Is that okay?”

“Yep.”

I hopped up and followed the nurse, my smaller steps making it a bit of an effort to keep up.

The examination wasn’t long. Not exactly short, either.

It was like a regular health checkup, with some extra tests for my wings and halo.

They explained that my transformed body was very close to human, so the tests weren’t particularly different… Does that mean there are people whose bodies aren’t human-like? I got a bit curious.

The doctor told me someone would come to take me to the lodging soon, so I headed back to the lobby.

Clutching my test results, which showed nothing abnormal, I was trotting along when—

Thud!

“Ow!”

I bumped into something and fell backward, rubbing my sore backside as I looked up to see…

“Are you okay? You should watch where you’re going.”

A woman with sharp horns, a tail, and red hair—

No matter how you looked at it, it was a dragon.