Chapter Text
Gang-tae opened his eyes to darkness and the most intense sense of confusion he had ever felt in his life. His head was swimming with fragmented thoughts and flashes he couldn't begin to piece together. It took a few seconds for him to figure out he was sitting at the wheel of a car with the airbag blown up, obscuring his view. He vaguely remembered the storm getting closer and closer, as if lightning was aiming right at them – then, nothing.
His skull ached like all hell but when he felt around his head with tentative touches, he couldn’t feel blood or find anything resembling a wound.
Reaching blindly for the handle, Gang-tae opened the door and stepped out of the car on shaky legs, only to realize immediately that something was very, very wrong.
His shoes were not his shoes.
His legs were not his legs.
It didn’t make sense. What he saw and what he felt didn’t add up in the least. He patted up his body, trying to comprehend what was going on, until his hands reached his chest and he felt… something he definitely shouldn’t be feeling.
His hands fell off his body as if they’d just touched an open flame and he let out a strangled scream.
“Quiet,” a familiar voice barked back at him. “My head is killing me.”
A chill passed through him as a sense of deep unease settled in the pit of his stomach. Slowly, he turned around, his jaw tight with tension, and found himself face to face with, well, his face.
“Aish,” his reflection said with a grimace, “I’m wearing a poly-blend t-shirt, aren’t I?”
“I–I don’t understand,” Gang-tae said once more.
“And you think I do?”
He pushed the hair away from his forehead with an angry swipe. “But it’s impossible!”
“Apparently, not so much.”
Truth be told, Mun-yeong wasn’t thrilled about their current circumstances either. However, watching herself have a proper meltdown on the side of the road on a dark and rainy night was so surreal, she was entertained enough not to think to complain.
Gang-tae was not having such an issue. Over the past twenty minutes, he’d grumbled about her clothes being too tight and uncomfortable, her high heels actively destroying his arches and twisting his ankles, and the way her hair got in the way of everything. She’d caught him irritatingly pulling at her bra straps a few times as well, but so far he hadn’t dared to openly object to her having breasts.
After it became clear the car wouldn’t start and signal was too spotty to call for a tow truck, they’d resigned to walk to Mun-yeong’s house where they would try and assess the situation. There was... a lot to discuss. It was a long hike under a continuous drizzle and while Mun-yeong was marching ahead as if on a mission, Gang-tae merely hobbled behind with her shoes dangling from his hand and a sour expression on his – well, her – face.
“I can’t go home like this, anyway. My brother–” With his head bowing down, he let out a frustrated moan. “Oh God, what am I gonna tell my brother?”
“Before you ask," she said, the deep tone of his voice surprising her once more, "we won't be swapping places. It’s bad enough that I have to wear this.”
“Where am I supposed to go, then?” he asked in alarm.
“You can stay at my place, of course. Just don't expect me to live in that animal stall of yours.”
He sighed in regretful assent. “How long do you think this is going to last?”
“How the hell would I know?” He kept asking such questions as if it wasn't uncharted territory for her as well. Now she was thinking about it, it was possible things like this happened all the time – or, okay, occasionally – and no one ever talked about it for fear of being deemed insane. One thing was for certain, of all the male bodies available, it was a relief this was the one she’d ended up trapped in. At least, she was still pretty.
“Well, I guess I could– will you please stop?”
Mun-yeong dropped the hem of her t-shirt and let the damp fabric fall back on her abs. She couldn’t help herself from peeking now and then. All those hard lines and ridges that rippled when she moved… fascinating. She couldn’t wait to get a moment alone with all that.
"Aish, there's no point in playing coy. Unless this whole mess magically fixes itself, we’re going to have to get really comfortable with each other. I suggest we take a shower as soon as we get home and get it over with. Rip the band aid, so to speak.”
“No.” Gang-tae's mouth fell open and a distraught expression appeared on his face. "We can’t!"
"Of course we can," she said brightly. "Come on, then, it's getting late. And quit moaning so much, you're gonna scare the deers."
The wine was going straight to Mun-yeong’s head.
Clearly, Gang-tae had no alcohol tolerance to speak of, and she could already feel a tingling sensation sparking in her shoulders after just a few sips. She felt warm even with a wet shirt clinging to her body, and maybe a tiny bit giddy. With a contented sigh, she stretched, letting the tingle spread. Meanwhile, Gang-tae was pouring himself a second glass and seemed intent on getting sloshed as fast as possible.
“Will you slow down?” she scolded. “What if you slip and hit my head? I don’t want my body to bleed to death in a shower stall because you’re scared of seeing a woman’s breasts up close.”
“It’s not– I don’t– oh, damn,” he sobbed, hiding his face in his hands. “This is a nightmare isn’t it? I’m going to wake up any moment and I won’t be all…” Uncovering an eye, he gestured in the general direction of his person, “...this.”
“Do you really think it’s smart to offend the one who’s currently in charge or your body?”
“You know what I mean,” he said in a whiny tone she found embarrassing even though she wasn’t technically the one speaking.
“I don't have the slightest idea of what you mean.”
“Is this funny to you?” Gang-tae snapped. “Why are you so happy about this?”
“I’m not happy. I’m just… curious.” His stubborn refusal to engage with her even though they were very much in this together was getting, quite frankly, a little hurtful. “I didn’t want any of this any more than you did. But if it really had to happen, I’m glad it's happening with you.” She paused before asking softly, “Aren’t you?”
Without a word, he grabbed her hand across the table and gave it a reassuring squeeze. His gaze caught hers and something passed between them, something warm and comforting, and for a moment there, everything felt... well, not normal, but something closely resembling that. Then, the absurdity of the situation hit her all over again.
“Alright then,” she said, breaking the sudden seriousness of the moment. She finished off her glass in one big gulp before getting to her feet. “No point in delaying this any further.”
Gang-tae looked up at her with an expression of deep helplessness she couldn't remember ever seeing on her own face.
"Just don't– don't touch anything."
"How do you expect me to wash up, then?" she asked, suppressing the laughter that threatened to bubble up.
“I don't know! You could just… rinse off?” he suggested weakly. “With your eyes closed?”
“Aish, you really are a child.” And with this, she sauntered toward the master bathroom to discover her new manly body, while he became intimately acquainted with hers.