Chapter 8: The Relationship Between Dolls and Thread(4).

I don’t hate shopping.
Back when I had some disposable income, I’d sneak off to big malls on weekends.
I even ordered some pricey seasonal clothes.

Those clothes won’t fit anymore, so I’ll have to sell them or give them to Obin.
…Speaking of, how do I even tell Obin about this?

“Hey, I’m a girl now. Not a guy anymore, so a female trainwreck’s got demand, right?” Should I joke like that?

No.

Do I even need to tell him?
With this new body, maybe it’s better to start fresh as a completely separate person.
New address, new phone number, maybe even a new name—this could be my chance to begin a new life.

Obin’s my only friend, but he’s not exactly a big part of my life.
We just meet every few months, chatting about trivial school memories—mostly me whining.

As for Hyun, he’s just a streaming colleague.
There’s no need or reason to tell him my situation, so cutting contact quietly shouldn’t be an issue.

Is that too scummy?
Well, I’m just that kind of person, so what can I do?
Maybe I’ll leave a final message like, “It was fun while it lasted.”

Lost in these pointless thoughts, I kept my head down, staring at the floor.
I didn’t want to meet my sister’s eyes as she walked ahead.

It might sound ridiculous, but after what happened in the parking lot, I’m on edge.
Even as a guy, I never got along well with her.

A mouse before a cat, a frog before a snake.
Now, with my noticeably smaller frame, Park Hyunseo feels even more intimidating.
So, whatever her reason for dragging me here, I’ll just play along quietly.

Maybe she just wants to play dress-up or something.
My face is undeniably pretty now, with a slender, soft figure.
…Should I be happy or upset about that?

Just days ago, male Park Minseo wasn’t attractive at all.
But the reborn female Park Minseo is a girl anyone would find appealing.
Even with my head down, buried in my sister’s oversized coat, I can feel eyes on me.

Yet my core identity is still that of an average guy from a few days ago.
Despite all my talk about cutting ties with the past and starting anew, I can’t even handle people’s stares.
I can’t imagine ever getting used to this kind of attention.

I’m still the same pathetic Park Minseo.

I want to go home.
Muttering silently, I shuffled along—until I bumped my head into someone.
Of course, it was my sister, who’d stopped a few steps ahead.

Lost in useless thoughts, I didn’t even notice she’d paused.

“S-Sorry!”

I stepped back, apologizing hastily.
I was already on edge, and the thought that she might’ve heard my muttering made it worse.

I braced for a scolding, but thankfully, she just looked down at me without a word.
After a brief silence—

She grabbed my hand firmly.

“Huh.”

Startled by the touch of skin, I was dragged into the store beside us.

“Welcome!”

A cheerful clerk hurried over, but I kept my eyes glued to the floor to avoid my sister’s gaze.

“I’m buying clothes for her. Could you start with measuring her size?”
“Of course! Could you take off the coat first, please?”
“Huh?”

Take off the coat here?

“Yes! Just hand it to me.”

The clerk said it so casually, but I froze.
Under this coat, it’s a disaster.
Just the ill-fitting men’s T-shirt and pants I was wearing when I was rushed to the hospital.

Still staring at the marble floor, I cautiously spoke.

“…Sis.”
“Yes?”
“Do I have to take it off? Can’t we just grab a few things that roughly fit?”

She let out a faint chuckle.

“But if we don’t measure you, how will we know what to pick?”
“I mean, just eyeball it—”
“Is this your first time getting measured, miss?”

The overly eager clerk cut in.

“You look like a high schooler at least…”
“Yes, she’s a bit of a late bloomer. Never needed it before.”

Normally, my sister would be annoyed by such rudeness, but she seemed amused, playing along.

“Leave it to me!”

Something’s off with this conversation.
But with my head down, I couldn’t gauge the situation.

Realizing that, I cautiously lifted my gaze—

“…What.”

I froze like a statue when I realized what kind of store I was in.

“Got it. I’ll leave her to you.”

My sister handed me off to the clerk like passing a baton.
Unlike her soft grip, the clerk’s hand felt strong.

“S-Sis?”
“Do well. It’s your first time, isn’t it?”

I shot her a desperate look for help, but as the one who brought me here, she had no reason to respond.
Smirking silently, she watched as the clerk dragged me deeper into the store.

“You call her ‘Sis,’ huh?”

In what looked like a fitting room, the clerk struck up a friendly conversation.
A woman in her early 20s with a bob cut, brimming with energy—unlike me, whose mental strength was being chipped away in real-time.

“Uh… well…”
“Some people do that. Kids from families with lots of brothers. Am I right?”
“N-No, just one sister.”
“Oh, really? That’s unique! Alright, let’s take off the coat.”

Before I could resist, she swiftly stripped off my coat.
She blinked at my clothes, clearly startled.
But her professionalism kicked in, and she quickly moved on.

“You must be super active, huh?”
“Uh… well…”

Active? I’m a shut-in hikikomori.

As that sarcastic thought swirled in my head, she pulled a tape measure from her waist.

“Let’s start measuring. It might tickle, so bear with it.”
“W-Wait, I need a second to—”
“Wow, your skin is amazing! Even for a student, I’ve never seen skin this good.”
“H-Hold on—Sis, I mean, miss!”

I even called this clerk, younger than me, “miss” in desperation, but—

“This part needs proper support to shape nicely. It might feel weird at first, but you’ll get used to it—”

As an introverted INFP, I was no match for this clearly extroverted clerk.

A little later.

Leaving the lingerie store, I wrapped myself in my sister’s oversized coat again.
The difference now was the unfamiliar sensation of women’s underwear hugging my chest and hips.

“Pfft… hehe…”

And the fact that my sister, walking beside me, kept stifling laughter.
I’d never seen her so amused, but I was too humiliated to find it intriguing.

“Looks like you’re having fun, Sis.”

I tried to jab at her, but—

“Not ‘Sis,’ it’s ‘Unnie.’”
“Unnie, my foot.”
“You were calling that clerk ‘Unnie’ so desperately.”
“That was…”

—I didn’t even break even.

“Minseo.”
“…What?”
“Try calling me ‘Unnie’ once.”

Her eyes glinted like a snake’s.
Normally, I’d cave under that commanding gaze.
But not this time.
Maybe it’s the last shred of male pride buried deep inside.

So, I mustered my courage, looked her in the eye, and said,

“…No way.”
“Hm, really?”

But my small rebellion didn’t faze her.

“You know, Minseo, humans may be the pinnacle of creation, but at their core, they’re just animals bound by instincts.”
“What are you getting at?”
“Just wondering when you’ll start calling me ‘Unnie.’”
“That’s never happening.”

I stormed toward the elevator.
But before I could take a few steps, she grabbed the back of my neck.

“Where are you going?”
“Where else? Shopping’s done.”
“No way it’s done.”

Her voice, still infuriatingly cheerful, sent a chill down my spine.

Right, of course.
Women’s shopping never ends that easily.

“…I can buy the rest online—”
“Stop whining like a kid and follow me.”

She smiled brightly and continued.

“Call me ‘Unnie,’ and I might let you skip next time.”
“…”

For a moment, I genuinely wavered at her devilish temptation—
Seeing my conflicted expression, she tightened her grip on my neck with a satisfied look.

“Kidding.”

It was four hours later when we finally left the department store.