Episode 4

by Muse · 2026-03-20

Her voice trembled. Her gaze trembled even more. I hesitated once more at the threshold. Ji-hoo lightly pushed my elbow.

Ji-hoo: Let's go.

…Yeah, we've come this far, and there's nowhere to run.

As we entered the inner corridor, the doctor automatically closed the door and pressed the lock button.

Click, a small sound.

Ji-hoo: Why are you locking it?

The doctor briefly looked at both of us in turn and spoke softly.

Doctor: It's because of the CCTV here. Almost everything in the waiting room is recorded. I've turned off the inner consultation room.

Doctor: ...

Doctor: From now on,

Doctor: ... you can't say anything carelessly.

Something really smelled.

As we opened the consultation room door and entered, there was a desk, three chairs, and a medical bed in the small room. It felt like the air would quickly become hot if three people were in such a narrow space.

Doctor: Please sit down.

The doctor pointed to the chairs. I instinctively tried to sit in the patient’s seat, but then realized that I was the "patient" and hesitated. Ji-hoo pulled out a chair first and sat down, then motioned for me to sit next to him. The doctor did not sit across from us but stood for a moment, leaning against the corner of the desk.

The name tag visible under the white coat caught my eye.

〈Jeong Ra-eun〉

…Until now, I had only thought of her as 'the doctor,' but suddenly her name caught my eye.

Strangely, that felt more real. Jeong Ra-eun clasped her hands together.

Ji-hoo: Earlier… you called my name.

He asked in my place.

Ji-hoo: To someone whose face I've never seen before, you said, 'Yoon Ji-yoon'...

Jeong Ra-eun's gaze pierced through me. In her eyes, there was a mix of surprise, guilt, and strangely, relief.

Female doctor: ...Yes.

quietly acknowledged.

Ji-hoo: How did you recognize me?

Ji-hoo quickly asked.

Do you usually recognize patients immediately when their gender changes?

I: Gang Ji-hoo.

My name slipped out of my mouth first.

Unknowingly, I clenched my fist.

I: Right now, um...

Ji-hoo: What time is it now?

I: It's right now.

He muttered.

Ji-hoo: ...Let me be the one to get angry for you. You're about to cry, aren't you?

That statement stung even more. I bit my lip and barely opened my eyes.

Ji-hoo: Please explain. Um... what is happening right now?

Jeong Ra-eun closed her eyes very slightly at those words.

Jeong Ra-eun: I knew you would ask that question...

She slowly sat down in the chair. She straightened her back and looked directly at both of us.

Jeong Ra-eun: Let me say this first. What I'm about to say involves my career, this clinic, and the lives of the three of us here... I'm putting everything on the line.

She became excessively serious.

Jeong Ra-eun: So if possible, please do not record this.

Ji-hoo flinched. It seemed he really was thinking about recording.

I: ...I won't.

Jeong Ra-eun: Alright.

Jeong Ra-eun sighed and tapped the desk once with her finger.

Jeong Ra-eun: Ji-yoon.

When she called my name, she definitely addressed me as a woman. It felt strangely comforting.

Jeong Ra-eun: You came here yesterday. Just after 8 PM.

I: Yes.

My throat felt a bit dry.

Jeong Ra-eun: You consulted about skin fatigue, facial condition, and overall hormonal issues. I suggested a light skin treatment along with medication for fatigue recovery. You remember, right?

I: Yes...

I recalled myself lying face down on the bed. The cold smell of alcohol, the injection seeping near my spine, the feeling that rose warm and then shot up like electricity.

Jeong Ra-eun: The medication used back then…

Jeong Ra-eun stopped speaking and opened a drawer. She took out a small glass vial from inside. A transparent bottle shining between her fingers.

The label and logo.

It was exactly the same as what I had glimpsed yesterday.

〈Neogen Pharma – Skin Regeneration Solution〉

Jeong Ra-eun: This is it.

The liquid inside the bottle swayed slightly. Faintly, a very light pale yellow.

Jeong Ra-eun: The medication I used before, the packaging, the label, the instructions… everything is exactly the same. So I used it without any suspicion.

Ji-hoo: But your tone is quite off right now.

Jeong Ra-eun: …Yes. It is not.

Jeong Ra-eun smiled bitterly.

Jeong Ra-eun: This was not 'that medication.'

I swallowed hard.

I: What does that mean…

Jeong Ra-eun: Ji-yoon.

She met my gaze directly.

Female doctor: Last night around 9 PM, I received a call from the pharmaceutical company's representative. Neogen Pharma, you know? The company that supplies this medication.

I: I only know the name… vaguely.

Jeong Ra-eun: The representative insisted that I report the progress of the patient who used this new product 'immediately.' Very persistently, too.

Her tone grew colder.

Jeong Ra-eun: They asked in detail whether there were any dizziness, any rise in body temperature, any sensory abnormalities, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, numbness in the limbs… It wasn't just a level of checking for side effects. It was as if…

Jeong Ra-eun paused to choose her words and looked at us.

Jeong Ra-eun: “As if they were expecting something to happen.”

The chill ran down my spine. I recalled that seemingly ordinary sign I had seen outside.

〈Hormone Balance & Body Shape Management Center〉

〈First Consultation Free〉

The word "hormone" suddenly took on a different meaning.

Jeong Ra-eun: So... it's strange. After hanging up, I looked at the medicine again.

Jeong Ra-eun carefully turned the vial around.

Jeong Ra-eun: The packaging was the same. The label, the writing, even the impression marks from the printing.

She pointed to the neck of the vial and said.

Jeong Ra-eun: But... the color was a little different. Just a little.

Ji-hoo frowned.

Ji-hoo: You can tell the difference?

Female Doctor: I've worked with this for years here.

Jeong Ra-eun's voice became slightly sharper.

Jeong Ra-eun: This medicine is originally a pale yellow color that is almost transparent. If you look closely, it only becomes cloudy in a very specific direction when light shines through it. But this one... was overall slightly cloudier.

She opened the drawer again and took out another similar vial.

Jeong Ra-eun: This is the stock we used before. Same company, same product name, different supply period.

She placed the two vials side by side. From the front, they looked almost identical.

"You probably won't see it well.

But if you shine the light at an angle like this..."

When she turned on her phone's flash and shone it at an angle, the colors were slightly different. The vial on the right had a slightly denser feel. It probably would have been immediately noticeable to the doctor's eyes, not mine.

Female Doctor: So... I thought I couldn't just let it go. So I compared the two medicines using the portable analysis equipment in the clinic.

She pulled out a few printed sheets from under the desk drawer. Graphs with jagged black lines.

Jeong Ra-eun: This is the ingredient pattern of the medicine we originally used. This is the medicine we received newly yesterday.

Above and below. It was clearly different at a glance. The upper graph was relatively gentle. The lower graph had several particularly sharp peaks in the middle section.

I: ...What does that mean?

Instead of Ji-hoo, I asked. Just seeing this much, my heart was ominously racing.

Jeong Ra-eun: To put it simply... there are almost no skin recovery components.

Jeong Ra-eun pointed to a part of the graph with her finger.

Jeong Ra-eun: Instead, there were substances that directly acted on hormone receptors in very high concentrations.

Ji-hoo: Hormones... receptors?

Jeong Ra-eun: Yes. There are areas in our body that act like 'locks' that accept sex hormones. Originally, hormones fit into them like keys to function.

She glanced at my face for a moment.

Jeong Ra-eun: But this is not a key... it’s closer to completely replacing the lock.

As she finished speaking, my heart sank heavily once.

Jeong Ra-eun: ...What that means is.

My lips went numb.

Jeong Ra-eun: It means that it can forcibly push the hormone system in the body in one direction in a short period. For example... it can drastically reduce the secretion of female hormones and make male hormone-related receptors abnormally sensitive.

It felt like something clicked in my head. The face in the mirror. The low voice. The flattened chest. The rough back of the hand and prominent veins.

I: Don't... joke around.

I blurted out first. My voice trembled.

I: So, because of that medicine... I ended up like this?

Jeong Ra-eun met my gaze directly. Her eyes held no lies.

Jeong Ra-eun: ...Yes.

That one word hit me like a bullet.

Female Doctor: But I never imagined it would be this much...

I: I imagined it to some extent.

I asked hoarsely. My throat felt hot.

I: Like having some facial hair, or a slightly lower voice, or increased body hair… something like that?

Jeong Ra-eun: No.

Jeong Ra-eun shook her head.

Jeong Ra-eun: This is…

Jeong Ra-eun: I’ve only briefly seen animal test data in the clinical stage.

She took out another piece of paper. It had an anonymized table and some brief numbers on it.

Jeong Ra-eun: If it’s a normal case…

Jeong Ra-eun: it takes at least 3 months for noticeable changes to appear after receiving this drug. Gradually, very little by little.

My head went blank.

She tried to keep her lips closed but then opened them again.

Jeong Ra-eun: But…

Jeong Ra-eun: Ji-yoon’s was… overnight.

The air in the room seemed to pause for a moment.

Jeong Ra-eun: You received the procedure at eight o'clock last night. And today… you’ve come like this.

I repeated her words.

Overnight.

What should take 3 months,

happened in just one night in my body.

Jeong Ra-eun: So… I can’t even call this just a ‘side effect’.

Jeong Ra-eun placed the vial on the desk with trembling hands.

Doctor: This should be seen as a designed effect.

Ji-hoo jumped up suddenly.

Ji-hoo: What the hell, that pharmaceutical company, are they crazy?! Without even saying it’s a clinical trial, on a human body...

I: Gang Ji-hoo!

I barely managed to hold him back.

I: If you shout now… everyone outside will hear.

My voice was low, but it definitely trembled.

I: Sit down. Please.

Ji-hoo gritted his teeth and sat back down. The tendons on the back of his hands stood out.

I: …So.

I swallowed my saliva.

I: Those people wanted to know this result… that’s why they called yesterday?

Jeong Ra-eun: Yes.

Jeong Ra-eun lowered her eyes.

Jeong Ra-eun: “Are there any unusual reactions?” “Is there anything wrong with the breathing or heart rate?” “Are there any signs of changes in the skin or appearance?” They asked in that manner.

Changes in appearance.

That word made my stomach churn again.

Female doctor: And… in the end, she said this.

She mimicked the tone of the pharmaceutical company's representative very quietly.

Jeong Ra-eun: If any unexpected, sudden changes occur… please contact us immediately. Don’t handle it alone.

The room grew cold.

Ji-hoo: …I was expecting it.

Ji-hoo gritted his teeth.

Ji-hoo: The possibility of sudden changes occurring.

Jeong Ra-eun: …Yes. It seems like that.

Jeong Ra-eun nodded.

Jeong Ra-eun: So last night… I double-checked the treatment records and confirmed the patient's name.

Her gaze fixed on me.

Jeong Ra-eun: Yoon. Ji. Yoon.

The inside of my throat became hot.

Jeong Ra-eun: And… I tried to go to the house.

At that, my head shot up.

I: Really… did you come?

Jeong Ra-eun: Yes.

She nodded.

Jeong Ra-eun: Just after eleven at night,

Jeong Ra-eun: I took a taxi from here straight there. The address is written on the consent form.

I: Somehow......

Last night, just before falling asleep, I vaguely recalled the intercom light turning on briefly and then going off.

I wondered if it was a dream.

Jeong Ra-eun: But…

Jeong Ra-eun clenched her fingers tightly.

Jeong Ra-eun: Before pressing the doorbell, she… stopped on the stairs.

Ji-hoo: Why?

Jeong Ra-eun: There was a strange sound coming from upstairs.

She closed her eyes and opened them again.

Jeong Ra-eun: It sounded like someone was trying to hold their breath, or maybe it was a mechanical sound… it felt like a very low vibration, coming down the walls.

My spine tingled.

Jeong Ra-eun: Thinking about it now, that might have been the moment you were undergoing changes.