I Became the Husband of a Gender-Reversed World Idol chapter 0

0 – A Fresh Start in the Infirmary

I woke up and got up, but instead of feeling refreshed, I felt dizzy.

This definitely wasn’t just me waking up; I had passed out for sure.

“I ended up collapsing after all…”

Ever since I was young, my body was weak, and I often collapsed.

So, when I looked up at the familiar ceiling of the infirmary, I couldn’t help but think, “I’ve ‘collapsed’ again.”

What’s with the bonding thing anyway?

Spinning someone around until they collapse.

Ugh… It’s my fault for having a weak body.

I’m a weakling, after all.

I’m an orphan.

And not just any orphan, but a pitiful one.

It’s not like my parents passed away in an accident or due to an illness.

They just abandoned me.

On a cold, cold winter day, in a baby box.

I heard that the temperature control inside the baby box was broken at the time.

So, as soon as I was born, my body got cold, and I wasn’t in good shape.

Well, it’s not like I have any illness or anything.

I’m not frail, nor am I healthy. I’m just… average.

“Hmm… But why is it so dark?”

Feeling a slight sense of dissonance from the usual wellness room, I abruptly stood up.

Though I was a regular here and knew it well, our school nurse never let male students lie down on the bed with curtains.

Even if I was about to graduate and depart into society in two days.

So, I always returned to the classroom after lying down, stressed out by the light from the lamp.

Perhaps that’s why male students didn’t have a good reputation for going to the wellness room; they preferred lying down in the classroom.

But somehow, the bed I was lying on now had curtains drawn.

Was it our nurse?

What on earth had gotten into her?

I got up, tidied my clothes, and pulled back the curtain.

With a crisp sound, the sunlight, completely blocked until now, invaded the bed, stinging my eyes.

Maybe I should get blackout curtains for my room at home.

I’ll check when I get back.

Today, for some reason, the wellness room was packed, maybe with many patients.

Even girls from the same class were lying on beds without blackout curtains.

“Are you up?”

Seated on a chair, our nurse turned towards me, sipping coffee, and scanned me from head to toe.

The way she moved the pen in one hand was always fascinating, surpassing not just skill but acrobatic levels.

“Yes… I’m sorry. How are you feeling today?”

“Don’t you remember? Half of you were kicked out during the 3rd grade for being the loudest, regardless of being boys or girls.”

“Well… I know that, but I can’t remember at what point I collapsed.”

“Sigh… Never mind. The real issue is the vice principal who made the guys walk around the field like ducks.”

It seems like I wasn’t the only one who collapsed.

The curtains are drawn, so I can’t see inside, but it seems to be comrades who collapsed together during the punishment.

If you listen to the groaning, it’s definitely a guy’s voice.

In contrast, it’s definitely strange that the girls are lying on a bed without curtains.

Just a few days ago, if the bed with curtains was full, they would have hung up some kind of makeshift curtain to keep the inside from being visible.

I don’t know English, but I stopped thinking about it for no reason.

I wonder if the principal heard what I said.

“Well then, I’ll be going.”

“Yeah, be careful. Since you’re not feeling well, take a taxi or something.”

The taxi fare is 2800 won.

A price that seems enough to cover a meal.

“I don’t have money.”

“What are you talking about? Did you leave your wallet behind? Well, for now, the teacher will cover it, so quietly take a taxi.”

“It’s okay…”

Even if I’m not feeling well, I’m still a guy.

I won’t collapse just walking home.

But looking at Teacher Yangho’s eyes, he definitely won’t just let me go.

Reluctantly, I nodded in agreement.

***

“Sigh…”

I arrived at my apartment.

It was dark and dingy, both on the outside and inside, a typical old corridor-style apartment.

As part of independent living support, the monthly rent is a whopping 120,000 won, while regular rent is only 250,000 won, so people like me who have nowhere else to go live here.

There are even two rooms, so it’s quite spacious.

One is used as a sleeping room, and the other is perfect for a closet.

“Still, it’s lonely here…”

I never felt lonely when I was at the orphanage because it was always bustling.

Sometimes, I regret early independence for no reason.

Lost in thought, I found myself at the door without realizing it.

The large door that has been my sanctuary for two years now feels somehow unsettling.

There’s a sticker on it that I’ve never seen before. Who put it there?

I sighed and entered the password into the door lock.

-Beep beep-

“What’s wrong?”

The door won’t open.

Did I enter the wrong code?

I carefully entered it again.

-Beep, Beep-

“Sigh… What’s this? Is it broken?”

Usually, when a door lock malfunctions, it just doesn’t open, right?

An error recognizing the password input as an error,

It’s an error I’ve never heard of in my entire life.

Frustrated, I raised my hand high to knock on the door.

“Seonghwan, what are you doing there?”

“Oh, Aran Nuna?”

At that moment, a woman with long hair came out from the next door.

Her name is Song Ara.

As an idol, she is a superstar hitting it big in Korea and abroad, including Billboard and Oricon.

I don’t know why a wealthy person like her is living in a house like this, but she’s the neighbor who helped me a lot when I was wandering with nothing.

“Well… the door lock is broken, so the door won’t open.”

“What are you talking about? Where does it hurt?”

“I collapsed at school today, but I don’t feel particularly unwell…”

“What!? You collapsed again!?”

Ara suddenly hugged me, brought her hand to my forehead, checking for a fever.

What’s this, why is she suddenly doing this kind of skinship?

And ‘again’ collapsed, Ara Nuna probably doesn’t know that I’m physically weak.

“N-noona, stay away.”

“Don’t want to.”

“I’m an idol; what if there’s a scandal?”

“….? Seonghwan, you seem really unwell. Shouldn’t you go to the hospital?”

“I’m not in pain.”

Watching Ara pulling him, almost dragging him, and pushing him into his own house was different, almost frightening compared to usual.

Ara never engages in skinship with me.

She probably just thinks of me as the friendly neighbor next door.

I’m the same.

No matter how close she lives, Ara is a presence harder to approach than the stars in the sky.

If I get accused of s*xual harassment, it would be hard for me to live in South Korea.

Eventually, I was led, dragged into Ara’s house.

While coming in, I glanced around a bit. The house was more vibrant than I had imagined.

I sat casually on the sofa.

It was my first time being invited to a woman’s house, and entering someone else’s house was also a first for me. I didn’t know what to do.

Ara looked at me, perplexed by my appearance, but soon chuckled.

A truly beautiful smile.

Fans from around the world spend money just to see that smile, and here I am, privileged enough to have it exclusively because I live next door.

I guess I’m a lucky guy.

“I’ll shower and change; you can relax in the room.”

—

“Is it… really true?”

“When have I ever lied? Hurry up and go lie down.”

“Um… okay.”

Once again, pushed by Ara, I inevitably entered a room that seemed to be larger.

Entering a place like this with a man is reckless.

It’s dangerously daring.

Sitting quietly on the bed and looking around the room, I found something strange.

Something that should be impossible in this world was right in front of my eyes.

“What is this…”

On what seemed to be Ara’s vanity table, there was a framed picture of Ara and me kissing.

The faces looked genuinely happy.