NOVEL WEB Chapter 8
A lot has happened.
If I were to pick the biggest issue, it would definitely be regarding my identity.
I became a woman overnight.
No matter how much my family believes me and even after the genetics test confirms that I am Yujin, the legally registered Yujin is undeniably a man.
Surely, even though I am me, Yujin is no longer wholly my identity.
In Korean society, identity is important.
No matter what you do, you need an identity and a resident registration number, which were absolutely necessary for me to live my new life.
Therefore, there were a few ways for me to obtain a new identity.
The first way was to acquire a completely new identity as a non-registered individual with my parents as guarantors.
It was a decent method. I also thought about it after some research initially, but it fell through due to my parents’ opposition.
There were various reasons, but the main one was this.
“You are our child. A non-registered individual? No way.”
To put it simply, they refused to allow me to be in a situation where I lacked real parents, even if that identity was merely legal.
Even if I were to undergo adoption procedures later, I would no longer be recorded as their biological child.
The second option was to apply for a gender correction as Yujin based on the genetics test results and my parents’ testimonies.
I thought my parents wouldn’t oppose this, but that was a huge mistake.
“No way.”
They didn’t provide a specific reason. They just added this.
“It’s for your own good, Yujin.”
As for other illegal methods, I didn’t even need to ask.
“Mom and Dad will take care of it, so just sit still.”
So I kept still.
“I’ve made some bone broth, so heat it up and eat it, okay? Don’t skip meals. Mom has somewhere to go, and Dad will be late.”
My parents weren’t saying this for no reason; they were extremely busy.
“Yes, yes. Please take care of everything.”
I heard they used all sorts of connections and spent significant amounts of money if necessary.
I vaguely remember hearing that the money spent would exceed the value of an entire house…
The way my identity was changed was somewhat unique.
I remained Yujin, the child of my parents, but with only the gender swapped.
It wasn’t just a simple gender correction application.
It went through a much more complicated, annoying, and deemed unnecessarily lengthy process.
I vaguely heard that my original gender itself was processed as intersex, and based on the physician’s opinion, they corrected the error instead of changing the gender…
Since it was such a complicated story, I didn’t quite understand this part.
“But what’s the physician’s opinion? I haven’t even been to a hospital!”
“Just know that.”
I could guess where a house’s value disappeared to.
If I were a conscripted individual, the military would have stepped in, making things much more difficult, but fortunately, I was exempt, so it didn’t go that far.
I just had to submit a few documents slowly.
It was possible because I was a person with a rare disease record and didn’t engage in external activities.
To sum it up, I didn’t go from being a man to a woman; rather, I lived as a woman, but due to a rare disease, I was mistakenly registered as a man.
Honestly, I wondered if it was all really necessary.
“What’s the difference? Isn’t it the same thing?”
“You’ll understand later.”
It seemed my parents were worried about social labels that might stick to me in the future.
Non-registered individual, orphan, transgender, liar, and so on…
‘Well.’
In a world where just a little exposure can lead to all sorts of pasts coming out, it’s hard to say what kind of life I would lead moving forward, but I knew my parents cared about me more than anyone else and were being overly cautious.
“Yujin, what do you want to name yourself?”
A name…
I thought for a moment and then answered.
“I like it as it is. It’s not an awkward name even if I write it as a woman.”
Since I had no relationships apart from family, I didn’t feel the need to change it.
Even if I walked around revealing myself as Yujin with this face, nobody would be able to recognize me.
“Alright, let’s do that.”
My parents seemed okay with keeping the name, or perhaps they had that in mind from the start.
If my name changed too, it felt like there would be almost no proof left that I was their child.
“They say it will take about three months to process these documents and handle things. It might take longer if there are delays.”
Three months.
It might be a short amount of time for a person’s life to end, but knowing it wasn’t the end allowed me to feel less regret.
“I got it.”
Instead of replying, my mother gently smiled and moved on busily.
Once my mother stepped out, I slowly turned my gaze toward the monitor.
“…Three months.”
For Yujin, there wasn’t much to sort out in that time.
I was always alone.
But online, things were different.
I had built quite a few connections online.
In other words, it meant I would have to cut ties with all the connections I had made online at least until three months later.
It felt unsettling.
It was merely online connections, yet…
The feeling was strange.
‘Sure, I could stay like this, but… I’ve already taken the professional test as a Prisoner.’
The results were disastrous, but because of that, information about Prisoners spread wide.
If I were to live a new life, it meant I had to end the life of a Prisoner too.
‘If I hadn’t taken the professional test, I wouldn’t have to do that, but… no. There’s no need for regret.’
Even if the information about being a Prisoner hadn’t spread, I would have needed a personal account to become a professional anyway, so I would have had to create a new ID with my new identity.
One way or another, once I became a woman, it was inevitable that my life as a Prisoner would eventually have to end.
Solo queue rank 1, Prisoner.
Amateur rank 1, Prisoner.
Now, I had to bring my pride to an end by my own hands.
And if I were going to end it, I wanted to do so at the peak as a Prisoner.
Fortunately, I had time.
“…Okay.”
Three months left.
During that time, I would make sure to finish it off in the best way possible.
*
What should I do to achieve the best ending as a Prisoner?
Honestly, the answer to this was already somewhat predetermined.
Solo queue warrior Prisoner.
For such a Prisoner, there was only one thing to do.
[Game Found!]
[Accept / Decline]
“Of course, I accept.”
───────────────
qidpoqwjtw joined the lobby.
Jungler’s Slave joined the lobby.
BangYaBangYaBangYa joined the lobby.
MAX Lineover joined the lobby.
Prisoner joined the lobby.
───────────────
“Oh.”
It’s a last pick.
Specifically, it’s a last pick for the red team.
There’s a common saying.
For the blue team, the first pick is the most important, and for the red team, the last pick is the most crucial.
In this case, what I chose could very well determine the outcome of this match.
‘The problem is my teammates are first picks…’
In such cases, reactions tend to be similar.
[Jungler’s Slave: Is the jungler able to swap?]
Yep, just as I thought.
Jungler’s Slave.
Even though the ID looks like that, he’s actually a top laner.
And I know one more piece of information.
His original nickname was MYE LaLaLa.
He’s a professional gamer from MYE.
As hinted by his ID “Jungler’s Slave,” his playstyle as Lala typically involves pushing lanes first, helping his jungler, or gaining vision in the enemy jungle instead of pressuring the opposing laner.
Unlike other top mains, he contributes significantly to the team, so I thought sacrificing a pick wouldn’t be bad.
I looked at the bans.
[Bans List]
Rumble / Kai’Sa
Graves / Yuni
Morgana / Sylas
Kai’Sa / Jui
Aatrox / Shaku
I guess it’s fortunate that ‘that pick’ is still alive.
[Prisoner: Give me Lee Sin]
There’s no pick better suited for the first pick than this.
[Jungler’s Slave: Thanks, thanks]
Above all, I’ve really been enjoying Lee Sin lately, so it was a solid choice.
– I must go there.
As Lee Sin was picked and the enemy team’s picks flew in quickly.
– Kyaeek.
Rek’Sai.
A traditional counter to Lee Sin, but based on Lee Sin’s skill level, it can be an even matchup.
Of course, that’s considering past situations, and in the current state, Lee Sin is such an OP champion that counters don’t mean much anymore.
The bans and picks continued, and finally, it was my turn.
[Jungler’s Slave: Is it okay if I play Lee Sin?]
Lee Sin is currently a hot OP champion in the top lane.
It was expected, and since it wouldn’t be a bad pick for me either, I had no reason to decline.
[Prisoner: Yep]
[Jungler’s Slave: Thank you!]
This is the benefit of a first pick for an OP champion that can swap lanes.
‘In this case, it’s definitely this.’
Without hesitation, I picked Kindred.
– Either run or face me, the result is the same!
Kindred.
If Rek’Sai is a traditional counter to Lee Sin, then Kindred is a long-standing counter to Rek’Sai.
However, there is a difference between the Lee Sin vs. Rek’Sai matchup and this one; while Lee Sin vs. Rek’Sai is roughly 4.5 to 5.5 in favor of Rek’Sai, Kindred vs. Rek’Sai can swing from 6 to 4 or even a stark 6.5 to 3.5.
This guy’s going to want to dodge.