Euforia

05. Memory

"You should have realized your gender by refusing to look feminine like this!" The old woman looked angrily at the person in front of her. "I'm disappointed; how could anyone let you join the research team here?"

The person being humiliated bowed his head. The old woman was one of his superiors. He couldn't fight back. Even though he always received this kind of humiliation without being able to defend himself, Many people disliked her, including her team members.

"It's useless to scold her. He won't listen to you. Strange people like this are naturally ostracized, so there's no point in giving advice. It's a waste of energy," commented a young man with distinctive coconut shell-style hair.

"If you all object to my presence here, Why don't you just propose my dismissal? I won't mind even if I can't work here anymore," said the feminine-looking man, defending himself.

"Expel you? Yikes! Everyone, of course, wants you out. But you are the only person who can continue this research. Like it or not, the organization can't just throw you out or let you go." Still, with her sharp gaze, the woman seemed to want to finish off the man in front of her with her butcher knife-sharp eyes.

"Don't feel proud of those words just now. You are just being used. The organization can even eliminate you without a trace if you are no longer useful. You're just a cash cow for the organization. You're honestly living in hell here. "disliked, hated, and used and then discarded or eliminated." The man with the coconut shell-styled hair also made a scathing comment.

"It's up to you what you think of me. As long as I'm comfortable in my skin, I'll never care what people like you think. Excuse me." The feminine-looking man then excused himself to leave his coworker.

After the feminine man left, the old woman made another scathing comment: "God, look at the people who always fight against the reality of their lives; they are very good at self-confidence. For such people, self-confidence is the only tool for self-defense."

"I agree with you," agreed The Coconut Shell.

***

Being born with natural masculinity made it difficult for Rain to show her true colors.

No one had ever forced him to act this way. Rain just felt he wanted to show himself sincerely, even though he knew people would reject him. Rain, who already knew about his condition, could only surrender. For him, fighting back would never change the situation.

Until one day, a kind-hearted couple came along. They were like angels who came into Rain's life. They were the only ones willing to appreciate Rain's existence and treat him just like any other human being.

They were a beautiful dream for Rain until... Rain lost them both forever.

***

Everything was so dark. I couldn't see anything around me. The only thing I can be sure of is that this must be a dream. Why? Because strange events like this have happened to me before.

I could vaguely smell the disturbing fishy odor. Am I in a fish market right now? Although it didn't seem possible, this horrible fishy odor was increasingly piercing my nose.

As my hand reached out to feel around, I could feel something liquid and sticky on my hand.

What was this disgusting liquid? I waved my hand, trying to get rid of the sticky liquid.

"Long time no see, Saeran; how are you?" Someone appeared from behind the darkness.

Of course, I didn't know who it was because I couldn't see him. "Who are you?" I asked in a loud voice.

"An old friend of yours, if you remember," he replied, still not moving from his spot.

"Old friend?" I was a little surprised to hear his answer.

"You could say that." "But I'm sure a good friend would never forget his friend," he quipped.

I didn't understand what he meant by that. I'm not sure I've ever known this person in my life.

***

The yakgwa was beautifully presented on a plate. Michael smiled kindly and told Rain to eat his country's specialty.

"This is a traditional cake in Korea. I like it very much. Eat it. I hope you like it."

Rain smiled slightly. His heart was touched by Michael's kindness. His friend was sensitive to the fact that he was in a bad mood.

"Okay, I'll try it." Rain took the honey-covered cake and ate it. When he put the cake in his

"Okay, I'll give it a try." Rain took the honey-covered cake and ate it. When she put the cake in her mouth, her tongue could taste the sweet flavor of the traditional cake. Her mood suddenly changed for the better because of the sweet flavor. Without even realizing it, Rain was already smiling widely and looking satisfied.

Michael chuckled to find Rain looking so happy. "Whenever I'm in a bad mood, I'll usually eat this cake, and my mood will quickly improve. This cake has made you feel better too. I'm glad to see that your mood has improved," Michael said sincerely.

"Is that right, Michael?" Rain's eyes were shining.

Michael nodded. "Of course," he replied firmly.

To be honest, what made Rain happy wasn't just the Yakgwa Michael had given her. Rather, it was Michael's concern for her as a friend that made Rain feel happy. To Rain, Michael was one of the most precious people in her life.

"Yakgwa? Ouch... Kasabake-kun, you must be trying to influence Rain with your habit of eating that cake when you're stressed." The beautiful young woman, who still looked like a teenager, gave her husband an annoyed look.

Michael grimaced at his wife's sudden appearance. "Kamo-chan, please listen to me. Rain is sad, so I'm trying to cheer her up. There's nothing wrong with giving her a sweet treat. It's a good stress reliever." Michael tried to make a defense.

"That's right, Irene; Michael was just trying to cheer me up. I felt helped by Michael. Please don't get mad at him." Rain tried to calm Irene down.

Irene let out a long sigh. She then sat down next to Michael. "Are you okay, Rain? To be honest, I get worried too, every time I see you feeling sad."

Rain smiled and took Irene's hand, holding it tightly. "Irene, I promise that I will always be okay, as long as you two are okay. I want you two not to worry about me too much; you've helped me too much. For some reason, it hurts my heart if I can't repay your kindness." Rain honestly didn't like to show her emotional side, but in front of Michael and Irene, the two of them always managed to make her unable to pretend to be strong.

Michael and Irene exchanged glances with each other. Finally, both of them simultaneously looked at Rain.

"You are our family, Rain. You're more than a friend to both of us. Stop acting as if you always have to repay us. It makes us seem insincere to you," Irene whispered.

Hearing Irene whisper like that to her made Rain unable to hold back her tears. Rain, who had despaired that the world hated him, was allowed to meet people who would accept him for who he was.