A champion becomes a fairy?

by Muse · 2026-03-11

A white light flashed in the darkness.

And an unknown warmth was felt. Like lying on a cloud?

Seol-ah: ...Ugh... Where am I... Is this heaven...?

My eyelids felt like they weighed a ton.

When I finally managed to open my eyes, the fluorescent light on the ceiling blurred.

The smell of disinfectant. The beeping of machines.

A hospital.

That much was certain.

Seol-ah: ...I'm alive. Me?

I raised my hand to rub my chest.

But.

'......?'

My hand was too light.

No, "light" wasn't enough. It felt as if gravity had been cut in half.

My forearm used to boast muscles so bulging that it was as thick as any well-toned thigh.

But what was weakly swaying in front of my eyes now... was just a pair of chopsticks.

Seol-ah: What is this... Why is my arm... a dried anchovy that went through a famine experience...?

A chill ran down my spine, and I kicked off the blanket.

If my arms were like this, my lower body would be no different.

A gasp caught in my throat.

Where were my sturdy legs? Two bony sticks lay there instead.

I yanked up the hem of my hospital gown pants.

They were excessively smooth. Pale to the point of being white. Not even a single hair.

Where did all my wild, charismatic leg hair evaporate to? Did someone wax me in my sleep?

No, more importantly, what were these emaciated bones?!

These weren't human legs; they were like mannequin legs ripped off a display window and attached!

I was so shocked that I opened my mouth to scream.

Seol-ah: ......Eh?!

A voice crack.

My voice was high. Too high.

My voice was originally a deep cave bass, echoing from an underground spring on the third basement level.

What was that sound just now?

Seol-ah: ...Ah, ah, microphone test. Uwaaaah?!

This is almost like a nightingale's voice after inhaling helium gas.

It's an anime heroine's dubbing tone!

While I was having a mental breakdown by myself, muttering 'Ah, ah,' *drrrk*.

The curtain was carefully opened.

Auntie.: Seol-ah... are you awake?

A middle-aged woman.

An auntie with neatly tied curly hair, who clearly looked like she had been taking care of children for a long time, came in with teary eyes.

Behind her stood a large 'Men in Black' style man silently.

He was clearly a bodyguard.

The auntie approached and grabbed my emaciated hand.

Auntie.: Oh, my dear child... Thank goodness... God helped you... You're alive...

...Child?

I'm thirty-six? Calling a bearded man 'child'?

But her expression and way of speaking are strangely familiar.

She feels like the teacher who took care of me back in my orphanage days.

Seol-ah.: Um... who...?

Auntie.: Yes, it's our Seol-ah. Do you know how worried I was? I told you to always go with Manager Choi. When they said you collapsed on the street and your heart stopped... Auntie thought her heart stopped too.

Heart? Stopped?

Wait, the pieces of the puzzle are starting to fit together.

Then, the bodyguard standing behind spoke with a heavy voice.

Manager Choi.: Your father and mother have an important meeting today... so we came first. They'll stop by later.

I chewed on those words blankly.

Their child almost died, but the parents didn't come because of business?

They only sent the aunt and a bodyguard?

Memories from my childhood overlapped.

A child abandoned at birth. The dingy ceiling of an orphanage.

And now, this child named 'Baek Seol-ah' too...

'...This family is also a mess. Am I as unlucky with parents as she is?'

A strange pang of sadness welled up in a corner of my heart.

But this is no time for sentimentality. First, I need to sort out the situation.

Based on the conversation, Chairman Baek must be the father, and the madam the mother.

Then, naturally, this child's name is 'Baek Seol-ah'. Baek Seol (White Snow), the name perfectly matches her appearance.

This woman next to me called herself 'aunt', so I'll refer to her as 'aunt'.

And the bodyguard standing like a screen behind her, based on what the aunt said earlier, must be 'Chief Choi'.

Good, rough understanding complete.

...No, wait a minute.

This is no time to be figuring out someone else's family tree.

Then what about me? Kim Cheol-su?

Where did my 197cm, 150kg body go?

My washboard abs? My 200kg squat record?!

My heart wasn't just pounding; it started tap-dancing like crazy.

Anxiety + nervousness + a huge chaotic party.

I instinctively looked at the back of my hand again.

A transparent, white hand where veins seemed visible. The fingers were long and slender, looking like they'd break with just one flick.

If this is my hand... where did I go?!

A siren blared in my head.

[Urgent Quest: Confirm your own face.]

My mouth reacted before my brain.

Seol-ah: ...Um... is there... a mirror?

The aunt's eyes widened.

Aunt: A mirror? Why suddenly, Seol-ah? You didn't hurt your face, did you?

I wanted to say, 'Aunt, the injury isn't the problem, I'm filming a horror movie right now?' but it didn't come out of my mouth.

Seol-ah: I… I just… wanted to see… my condition…….

I tried my best to act pitiful.

Then Chief Choi rummaged through the closet and pulled out a hand mirror.

Chief Choi: Here.

I took the mirror with trembling hands.

Please. Please let it be a dream. If it's a dream, I'll wake up and buy a lottery ticket.

Slowly, I raised the mirror.

Seol-ah: …….

Reflected in the mirror was not Kim Cheol-su.

The gruff old man with stubble was nowhere to be seen.

Skin as white as snow. Eyes like a deer. A delicate jawline that looked like it would collapse with a touch. And lips like cherries.

It was the very girl I had performed CPR on.

'……Crazy. She's gorgeous, though?'

No, this isn't the time to be admiring.

Suddenly, goosebumps spread all over my body.

Seol-ah: Wait… what… is… this….

My voice was a woman's. My expression was a woman's. My body was a woman's.

Moreover, this child… she had clearly stopped breathing just a moment ago?

My soul was currently doing a backflip on a wrestling ring, screaming.

Hey!!! Where did I go!!! Give me back my body!!!

Instinctively, a crude word burst out.

Seol-ah: …Oh, sh-t?

However, even those crude curses were uttered in a voice so clear and cute, like a nightingale.

[System: The impact of the curse has decreased by -100.]

'Ah... I'm screwed...'

I, Kim Cheol-su.

A former heavyweight champion who has been through thick and thin.

As of today, I've changed my class to [Frail Pretty Girl (Lv.1)].

Director Choi tilted his head and mumbled.

Director Choi: ...My voice... seems... a bit... rougher...?

'Gasp.' I quickly covered my mouth.

Don't notice, please.

How do I explain this situation? If I say, "Actually, I'm an old man who's been possessed," I'll be sent straight to a mental hospital.

Suddenly, my mind went blank.

This setup seems very familiar.

It's a common cliché found in dramas, movies, or web novels that kids these days are crazy about.

What they call 'soul swapping' or 'possession.'

'No way. That only happens on screens.'

This is 21st-century South Korea. It's not a fantasy world full of magic.

But I woke up and my gender changed and I became a different person?

I couldn't accept it, but the pain in my pinched cheek was terribly vivid.

And at this moment, a more terrifying question than reality denial flashed through my mind.

'Wait. If I came here according to that obvious cliché... where is my original body?'

Surely... this frail girl didn't go into my body, did she?

I imagined it.

Kim Cheol-su (contents: Baek Seol-ah) screaming in a deep voice, "Kyaaak! What is this!" in a muscular, bulky body.

'......Horrible.'

More than the joy that my heart was beating again, the sense of loss (including muscle loss) from losing my body washed over me like a tsunami.

God. Isn't this a bit of a messed-up balance patch?

Anyway, first I needed to know where my body, the real Kim Cheol-su's body, was.

I swallowed hard and bravely asked.

Seol-ah: Um... excuse me. That day... the person... who saved me... what happened to them?

Ah, I'm going crazy. Is this truly my voice, like rolling jade beads?

My voice gave me goosebumps before the question did, and Auntie's movements stopped abruptly.

Her eyes quickly welled up with tears.

Auntie: ...Seol-ah. That person... is already......

Thump. My heart sank.

Auntie: He passed away. Right there on the spot.

Auntie, with a trembling voice, but clearly, stated the fact.

Auntie: That person who tried to save you... in your place......

The moment those words fell, I felt a 'snap' as if a circuit in my head had broken.

…Wait. Just a moment, time out.

I… died?

When the lightning struck, I was already game over?

If so, then this is…

The 'real me' is inside this radiant girl's body. And the original Kim Cheol-su…

Is just an empty shell with a departed soul, destined for disposal?

My chest grew cold.

That's impossible. I can never accept it.

I had lived in that body for over 30 years.

It was a rough body that never heard compliments like "handsome" or "cute," but only "straighten your face."

Still… that was 'me.'

That body whose back ached as if it would break every morning. My voice that came out hoarse whenever I opened my mouth. My feet, calloused and hardened like stone from being crammed into narrow shoes.

And… these fists that had endured a lifetime of being hit, hitting, and holding on.

There were many embarrassing moments, and many dark pasts that made me want to kick my blanket.

But all of that combined to make the character 'Kim Cheol-su'…

And now, it's like the server was shut down in an instant?

Suddenly, my breath caught in my throat.

To be trapped in this tiny body and live the rest of my life, with no way to return from this absurd situation.

A terrible future I had never even imagined began to choke me.

My mind was on the verge of breaking when my aunt carefully delivered the final blow.

Aunt: He's in the funeral home in the basement of this hospital… He was a mixed martial arts fighter. His name was Kim Cheol-su.

I instinctively snapped my head up.

Kim. Cheol. Su.

Those three letters of his name pounded into my brain.

Right. That was... the name of the 'me' who had died.

To be honest... I had no lingering attachments.

It wasn't exactly a glamorous life.

Always fighting, a player without a single sponsor, all that was left was a dilapidated commercial building and a moldy rooftop room.

Happiness? Give me a break.

It was a pretty crappy life.

But, no matter how messed up a life was, could the ending credits really roll so meaninglessly?

Without even a goodbye?

A corner of my chest felt crumpled like a wadded-up newspaper.

The situation was like a sitcom, but not even an ounce of laughter came out.

It's my funeral.

No matter that this body belongs to a girl, or what state I'm in now.

Still, I have to go. I have to see it with my own eyes.

And... even though I'm trapped here, I should at least properly send off my own body.

That's the only thing I can do in this absurd situation.

I clenched my delicate hands tightly.

Seol-ah: ...I have to go. To the funeral home.

My aunt was startled and waved her hand.

Aunt: No, Seol-ah! You haven't fully recovered yet... You shouldn't go to a place like that!

Seol-ah: I... really have to go.

Regardless of my will, a very soft and pitiful voice flowed out.

This was an unintentional [Special Move: Sympathy Inducement].

Seol-ah: ...That person... saved me, didn't they?

At my words, my aunt's eyes wavered.

She bit her lip tightly, then finally let out a deep sigh.

Aunt: ...Alright. I understand. If that's how you feel... I'll go with you instead.

To go to the funeral home, I first had to change out of these patient clothes.

Auntie said I could just go as I was, but that wasn't right. A patient gown wouldn't be appropriate for my last appearance.

When I asked where my going-out clothes were, she pointed to a cabinet.

In one corner of the hospital room, Seol-ah's private cabinet.

A hotel-grade room with a dedicated auntie, and even a bodyguard outside the door. It was clear at a glance that this family was in a different class.

I got up to check.

'Huh?'

At first, I thought the world was spinning, but my body was so light that I couldn't adjust. It felt like I had become a paper doll?

I swayed slightly, and Auntie gasped and rushed over.

Auntie: Seol-ah! Why are you getting up, it's dangerous. I'll do it for you, you lie down.

No, that's not it.

Right now, I have zero information about this character named 'Seol-ah'.

I need to check what's in the inventory and what equipment I have, right?

I gestured that I was fine and opened the cabinet door.

And.

Thud.

I closed it again in 0.5 seconds.

...What was that?

Lace. Frills. Ribbons. More ribbons. And blinding all-white.

Do this family's parents have a hobby of making their daughter cosplay as an angel?

As my mental state was about to shatter, Auntie asked.

Auntie: Seol-ah, for the funeral... should I prepare a black dress? Or do you just want to wear your school uniform?

Seol-ah: A dress...?

My mind went blank for a moment.

A funeral = black clothes. I know that's the unwritten rule. But to wear that 'shimmering' dress? When there's a 30-something-year-old man inside this body?

Absolutely not.

Wait, hold on. I'm a high school student right now. I have a cheat code.

I cleared my throat and spoke as nonchalantly as possible.

Seol-ah: ...I can just wear my school uniform.

My aunt blinked, as if surprised.

Aunt: Really? Are you sure? You haven't fully recovered yet... and uniforms are uncomfortable, aren't they?

Seol-ah: Yes. A uniform... will be enough.

I said that, but inside, I was breaking out in a cold sweat.

A thin blouse... and a skirt...?

Ha. Kim Cheol-su's second life. The difficulty level is 'hell' right from the start.

My aunt smiled bitterly, with a subtly moved expression.

Aunt: ...Alright. It seems our Seol-ah is finally thinking about going to school a little. That's a relief, truly.

I just lifted the corners of my mouth slightly, giving an ambiguous smile.

Inside, my mind was full of other thoughts.

'Thinking about going to school? Why is that a relief?'

Judging by this reaction, it seems that 'Seol-ah,' the owner of this body, didn't have a smooth school life at all.

Was she bullied despite being so pretty? Or was she a delinquent with a terrible personality who got suspended?

Well, whether it's the former or the latter, it has nothing to do with me right now.

Because I have no intention of going to school whatsoever.

My destination is only one. My funeral, where my body lies.

My aunt, with practiced movements, took clothes out of the cabinet and began to lay them out one by one on the bed.

A pure white silk blouse. A luxurious beige checkered skirt. A thin knit vest with no snags. And even sparkling enamel shoes, not a speck of dust on them.

Seol-ah: ...Wow.

A gasp escaped me without my realizing it.

Just by looking, I could tell. This wasn't just a school uniform.

[Item: Full Set of Top-Tier School Uniform for a Second-Generation Chaebol].

These were clothes of a completely different caliber, exuding elegance, unlike the stretched-out t-shirts or sweat-soaked athletic wear I'd worn my whole life.

Just then, Chief Choi, who had been standing by the door, cleared his throat and quietly stepped out.

Chief Choi: Well then, feel free to change.

Click, the door closed.

Right, of course. A grown man shouldn't be present when a blooming high school girl is changing clothes. Ethically and legally.

But here's the thing.

The problem is that my soul is also that of an old man.

I want to leave too. I desperately want to escape this situation.

But my aunt, who wouldn't hear my cries, brightly placed 'those things' next to the uniform.

Two pieces of white cloth, palm-sized.

The moment I saw them, the circuits in my brain 'snapped'.

Seol-ah: ...Um, Aunt. That... by any chance... do I... really... have to... wear... those?

My aunt's eyes widened. Her expression seemed to say, 'What kind of novel thing are you saying?'

Aunt: Of course! How thin do you think the uniform blouse is! It would be a disaster if you didn't wear them!

Thump.

There was no logical way to refute her.

And I couldn't exactly say, 'Actually, I'm a man, so I don't know how to wear them.'

I recoiled in horror and pushed away my aunt's arm as she reached out to help me put on the clothes.

Seol-ah: Oh, I'll do it myself! I'm not a child!

I'm thirty-six, thirty-six! (Of course, not the shell.)

In the end, I snatched the clothes as if stealing them and fled to the bathroom.

I closed the door and leaned against the wall, catching my breath.

If I don't set rules here, my mental state will break every time I do this for the rest of my life.

I closed my eyes and ingrained three things, like when stepping into a ring.

First. This body is not mine. It's on loan.

Second. So I won't look. I won't even think about it.

Third. I'll only do what's necessary. Clothes are just clothes. They're merely functional garments.

Snap out of it, Kim Cheol-su.

With my eyes closed, I only moved my hands.

The bottom was manageable. The top was the problem.

Hook it behind my back? My arm won't twist. The joint angle isn't right.

'Hey! Why did they make it fasten in the back! Who invented this! Was it made for you to pull your arm off and use it?!'

Sweating profusely, I finally resorted to aboriginal survival skills.

Fasten it in the front, then spin it around to the back.

Done.

Blouse, vest, skirt. I only opened my eyes after zipping them up.

In the mirror was innocence. Frailty. Delicacy.

The Kim Cheol-su I knew was gone, and only a sickly beautiful girl stood there.

Seol-ah: I was... Kim Cheol-su... Ah... Damn it....

And the length of the skirt I looked down at...

Mid-thigh. Exactly mid-thigh.

Seol-ah: ...Nooooo...

I grabbed the hem of the skirt and desperately pulled it down. It wouldn't go down. If I let go, it went back up. This is its original length.

Seol-ah: How do women walk around in this in winter? Don't they freeze to death?

Ah… damn it… Do I really have to go to my funeral like this? My funeral, with me looking like this?

I asked myself hundreds of times, but there was only one answer.

Yes. I have to go.

It's my funeral, after all. Embarrassment is fleeting, but regret lasts a lifetime.

With my mental state in tatters, I opened the bathroom door and walked out.

But then.

Rumble.

My aunt pushed a large wheelchair into the room.

I instinctively stepped back.

Seol-ah: …Uh, what is this?

My aunt said as if it were the most obvious thing.

Aunt: You absolutely have to ride it when moving around the hospital. Seol-ah, your heart condition is….

Seol-ah: Heart condition?!

I practically screamed.

Heart condition? Who? Me?

I'm Kim Cheol-su! A man who has relied on his physical strength his whole life! I have steel-like stamina, I wouldn't even pant after running a half marathon!

I frantically waved my hands.

Seol-ah: Ah, no! I… I'm fine! Really! My two legs are strong, I can walk!

My aunt narrowed her eyes and said.

Aunt: No.

Seol-ah: …But I'm really perfectly fine….

Aunt: No. You can't.

Her tone was so firm that I flinched for a moment.

Chief Choi, who was standing nearby, chimed in.

Chief Choi: It's dangerous to walk, Seol-ah.

I cried out, almost on the verge of tears.

Seol-ah: If I ride that, I'll look even more dangerous! Everyone will stare at me!

Aunt: Seol-ah! Your heart…!

Seol-ah: My heart is beating incredibly well right now! It's practically dancing to a rhythm!

It was true. It felt like an F1 racing car engine had been swapped in. My heart rate was even more stable than before!

But my aunt clutched her chest and sobbed.

Aunt: Oh dear, my child isn't in her right mind. How many hours has it been since her heart stopped and she came back to life, and she's insisting on walking!

Seol-ah: …What? My heart… stopped?

Aunt: Yes! That was just yesterday!

Seol-ah: …Yes???

Crash. My mental state shattered once again.

So, this child collapsed yesterday, or rather, died because of her heart.

And I, not knowing that… performed CPR so ignorantly.

Chief Choi also added with a serious face.

Chief Choi: I heard her blood pressure, pulse, and oxygen saturation were all… at dangerous levels until just a moment ago.

'My dear man, she wasn't just in danger, she was dead! Her heart wasn't beating, she had no pulse, and crucially, her body temperature had dropped.'

But anyway, the 'me' right now is perfectly fine. I'm the very embodiment of youth!

Seol-ah: …No? I'm… completely fine right now?

Chief Choi: That can't be.

Chief Choi crossed his arms resolutely.

Chief Choi: Kids your age are all like that. They say 'I'm fine' and run around, then suddenly collapse.

Aunt: Exactly! It happened last time too!

Seol-ah: Me?!

The two nodded simultaneously. They were perfectly in sync.

'Ah… that was Baek Seol-ah's track record.'

But in their eyes, I must still look like a 'walking time bomb.'

It's no use talking to them. It couldn't possibly be.

Seol-ah: I'm really fine! Shall I try walking for a bit? I'm surprisingly sturdy. I might even be a Hulk…!

I grabbed my school uniform skirt and stood up abruptly, as if to prove it.

Just at that moment.

My aunt shouted in a thunderous voice.

Aunt: Sit!

Seol-ah: Ah, yes.

Instant-death level reflexes. Survival instincts ingrained since my orphanage days kicked in. My aunt put her hands on her hips and began her barrage of nagging.

Aunt: What if a sickly child like you gets so excited, then your blood pressure drops suddenly and your heart stops with a thud!

Seol-ah: I'm not that weak... really... I have strong bones...

Aunt: This is the third time you've collapsed!

Seol-ah: ...Huh? Three times?

Aunt: So, use the wheelchair!

Seol-ah: But I'm... fine now...

Aunt: Even if your body is fine! Our hearts are not!

Manager Choi sealed it.

Manager Choi: Your aunt is a hundred percent right.

The two of them had already entered 'Baek Seol-ah = Glass Doll' mode. I clutched my head. 'Sigh...' This was a battle I couldn't win.

Aunt: Come on, get in. Right now!

Seol-ah: Ugh...

Aunt: Seol-ah!

Seol-ah: ...I'm getting in. I'm getting in.

In the end, I was defeated by the impenetrable [Aunt + Bodyguard Ironclad Defense]. I obediently sat my bottom in the wheelchair. Thud. The moment I sat down, my skirt rode up again. I hastily pulled my skirt down and muttered.

Seol-ah: ...Seriously... do I really have to go to a funeral like this...?

My aunt smiled, finally looking satisfied.

Aunt: Yes, indeed, our Seol-ah looks most innocent in a wheelchair.

Seol-ah: ...That's not a compliment, Auntie.

Chief Choi gripped the wheelchair handles with a determined look.

Chief Choi: Safety is the top priority, Seol-ah.

'The safety in my life is already over, Mister...'

And just like that.

The fantastic combination of [a sickly beautiful girl in a school uniform + an overprotective security team] was complete and set off for my funeral home.

I'm going to my own funeral.

What kind of comedy is this?