Hyunwoo doesn't notice at first. 

He gets up early, as he always does, to go waterboarding. Of course, as soon as he checks the weather and sees how cold it is outside, he decides against it. Still, he shuffles out of his creaky bunk bed and to the bathroom. Since it's still so early, Kihyun won't be getting everyone up for a while longer. This gives him the perfect opportunity to use up as much bathroom time as he wants before Hoseok wakes up and commandeers one for the good part of two hours. 

So, with this in mind, he moves through the dorm at a snail's pace. His eyes are barely open, his glasses just askew on the bridge of his nose. Though, strangely, his clothes feel a bit bigger than normal... He figures drowsily that he's just been losing more weight than he'd realized lately. Maybe he should lay off the working out for a while. God only knows how much Kihyun will nag him about his weight if the younger notices just how much he's lost... His clothes are practically tents on him.  

He sits on the toilet for a while, taking care of some... important business, only flushing when there's a demanding knock on the other side of the door. 

"Hyung!!" Kihyun shouts at him, his tone much too demanding for so early in the morning. "Hurry up in there! I'm about to start the rounds!" Hyunwoo hums in acknowledgment, already moving to the sink to wash his hands and brush his teeth.  

He pushes the 'old-man toothpaste'—as Hyungwon and Minhyuk like to call it—onto his toothbrush, humming a soft tune in his throat as he looks up at his own reflection for the first time that morning. 

At first, he thinks he's just seeing things. His eyes are really bad, after all. He frowns confusedly, rubbing at his eyes and straightening his glasses, but it doesn't change his smaller, yet still surprisingly muscular, frame, his softer jawline... his s. 

"Huh... I'm... a girl," he mutters to himself, the hand clutching his toothbrush stilling. His—no, her—brow creases in concern. Hyunwoo puts down her toothbrush, spitting out what toothpaste had rubbed into the sink and rinsing out . 

She makes a few 'ah' sounds, her heightened tone echoing in the small bathroom. There's a certain depth to it that echoes the voice she'd had last night, but it's noticeably different. 

"Hyuuung?" Changkyun's drowsy voice calls from the other side of the door, sounding only slightly worried. "You okay in there?"  

"Y-Yeah, Kkungie," Hyunwoo replies, trying to deepen her voice back to its normal range but very much not succeeding. She looks to the shower, feeling very much like a ert for considering showering in this body. After all, this isn't his body, so what right does she have to wash it, to see it ? She decides against it and goes to open the door without thinking about whether or not the maknae is still there. She immediately regrets such a rash decision. 

Changkyun seems to take a moment to register the woman standing before him. But, his half-open eyes begin to grow wider and wider, and his jaw practically drops to the floor. He immediately looks behind her, as if expecting to find someone else there. His eyes then dart back to her, his lips pressed into a thin line. 

"Um... hi?" he tries, seeming utterly confused. "Sorry, I thought—" 

"Changkyun-ah..." Hyunwoo says, crossing her arms over her chest and frowning at him. "I know I look different, but you don't recognize me even like this??" She finds herself feeling incredibly hurt by her dongsaeng's ignorance. Changkyun seems to only grow more confused, and she'd be amused if her feelings weren't so wounded. 

"Are you related to Hyunwoo-hyung?" he asks, tilting his head to the side. "You seem very similar to him. Maybe a little softer in the face, but—" 

"I am Hyunwoo," she says, as if it's obvious. Changkyun blinks once, then twice, then a third time. Then, he bursts out into a high-pitched giggle, bending forward and hugging himself round the middle. 

"Yeah, good one," Changkyun tells her, reaching forward to pat her on the shoulder. "Nice to see his cousins have a better sense of humor than him." Hyunwoo frowns in protest at this, but Changkyun slips in passed her and gently guides her out of the bathroom, shutting the door behind her before she can continue the conversation. She goes off to the kitchen in search of Kihyun, knowing at least that nagging little boyfriend of hers will understand. 

She drifts silently through the dorm, luckily not running into anyone else, and is relieved to find Kihyun dutifully cooking away. She moves close and is about to get the boy to look at her. Though, she remembers Changkyun's reaction and decides against it. Instead, she puts her hands over Kihyun's eyes, causing the younger to jump slightly in surprise. He chuckles breathily as he relaxes, though, his hand stilling mid-chop. 

"Hyung," he admonishes, earning a relieved sigh from the girl behind him, "what have I said about sneaking up on me when I have a knife?" 

"You recognize me?" Hyunwoo can't help but ask, beaming from ear to ear. Kihyun hums, as if that's the silliest question in the world. 

"Of course, though your voice sounds a bit off..." he mutters, causing Hyunwoo to grow rigid. "Are you sick or something?" 

"You could say that," she replies. She clears to deepen it a bit before adding, "I'm gonna move my hands, but you need to keep an open mind, okay?"  

"… Okay," Kihyun answers. Hyunwoo smiles, nodding as she drops her hands to the boy's shoulders and physically turns him around to face her. Kihyun, as if sensing that it's okay, opens his eyes.  

Several emotions skip over his pretty features as he takes in the girl before her. The first is utter confusion, then aggravation, then confusion again. He purses his lips, his brows squeezing together, and Hyunwoo can just stand there, nervously smiling. Kihyun grabs the hand on his right shoulder and brings the wrist to his nose, inhaling deeply. This doesn't seem to appease him, though, judging by the way he steps close and stares almost demandingly into Hyunwoo's eyes. 

Hyunwoo isn't one to really show when he's nervous, but she can never hide it from Kihyun. She shuffles from foot to foot, gulping thickly. 

Footsteps come into the kitchen, but they immediately stop. 

"Who's this?" Hoseok's voice asks, sounding somewhat tense. Kihyun doesn't answer for a while, the silence following Hoseok's question so thick you couldn't cut it even with the sharpest of knives. 

"Hyung," Kihyun finally responds, though Hyunwoo thinks for a moment it's merely the younger beckoning the second-oldest to come closer. However, Kihyun then drops Hyunwoo's hand, turning to Hoseok as he nods to the girl in the room. "It's Hyunwoo-hyung, there's no mistaking it." Hyunwoo releases the most relieved sigh she's ever let out in her entire life. Hoseok seems about to question it, but then Hyunwoo smiles, and he flaps his mouth shut. 

"Was it... something you ate?" he asks, earning a protest from Kihyun. 

"Bite your tongue!" Kihyun fires at him, snatching up the hand towel on the cabinet and throwing it at Hoseok's face. Hoseok ducks, pouting. 

"Well, th-thorry, Kihyunnie," Hoseok defends. "What am I supposed to say?? It isn't as if it's normal to find one of your boyfriends magically transformed into a girl overnight!!!" He shuffles closer to Kihyun, smiling nervously to Hyunwoo as he mutters in the shorter's ear, "You sure it's him?" 

"Don't you recognize him?" Kihyun asks, flabbergasted. Hoseok turns a scrutinizing gaze onto the girl, seemingly taking in all her features. 

"I guess," he says slowly, as if deep in thought. Kihyun 'hmmph's under his breath, rolling his eyes as he begins to guide the girl in question to the couch. 

"Hoseok-hyung, call our managers," he instructs as he moves. "Tell them some awful epidemic has swept through the dorm, tell them we're all either down with illness or about to be, just tell them something. We're not leaving the dorm today." 

"W-What??" 

"We can't leave Hyunwoo-hyung... noona... hyung..." Kihyun drifts off, glancing thoughtfully over to Hyunwoo. The girl only shrugs, telling Kihyun either honorific is fine with her, and Kihyun only shakes her head in aggravation. "We can't leave her all alone here." 

"That's sweet, Kihyunnie, but I don't want—" 

"No buts," Kihyun insists, holding up a silencing hand. "What if this gets worse? What if you die while we're gone? We don't know what caused this, so we're not leaving you alone. And that's that." He then stalks off, heading back to the kitchen. Hoseok gulps thickly, eyes darting this way and that as he slowly takes a seat beside Hyunwoo, seemingly at a loss for where else to go. They're silent for a few seconds, neither quite sure what to say.  

"You uh," Hoseok says suddenly, playing anxiously with his hands, "you make a pretty girl..." Hyunwoo chuckles warmly, and it sounds so close to his normal laugh that it eases Hoseok somewhat. 

"Thank you, Ttoki." Hoseok meets her eyes then, a genuine smile pulling at his lips, and Hyunwoo easily returns the expression.  

Minhyuk's characteristically quick steps come into the room, but they halt as he probably catches sight of who's on the couch. He draws in a sharp breath, and Hyunwoo can only imagine his expression. 

"What the fu—??" 

"Language, Minhyukkie," Hyunwoo instinctively interrupts, whirling about in her seat to give the younger a warning glare. The blonde's eyes are blown wide, his mouth sealed shut. He stands absolutely still for only a moment—which is longer than Hyunwoo has ever seen him be still before—and then goes straight to the kitchen. Hyunwoo hears their hushed whispers from the room, and she crosses her arms over her chest as she relaxes against the back of the couch. She can't help but pout at knowing they're talking about her in there.  

Hoseok watches her, an adoring light filling his eyes at the expression she's wearing. Boy Hyunwoo isn't one to pout typically, but he wishes he was, because Girl Hyunwoo is adorable like that...  

"How can you be sure??" Minhyuk demands loudly from the kitchen.  

"She smells the same," Kihyun explains. "If you doubt me, just look at her eyes. She is Hyunwoo." Hyunwoo blinks, grateful that at least one of her boyfriends is able to recognize her—him—no matter what. Minhyuk hurries into the room, leaning down to glare right in Hyunwoo's eyes. His gaze searches hers, clearly on a mission for evidence. He eventually pulls away, seeming incredibly torn judging by the way he taps his foot rapidly against the wooden floor.  

He takes a seat next to Hyunwoo, his face still contorted in a thoughtful pout as he blinks unevenly at her. 

"… So," he finally says, "what kind of black magic did you perform to get like this?"  

Hyunwoo only shrugs, a wry smile pulling at the corners of her lips. Minhyuk hums, his gaze guarded as he takes in the older's actions. 

 

It takes some explaining to the other three, as well, when they see Hyunwoo and her... condition. Hyungwon, being the most gullible, is of course the first to believe it. Jooheon takes at least half the day to believe it, though, whereas Changkyun doesn’t seem to be able to swallow it until dinner time. They don't leave Hyunwoo alone throughout the entire day, resulting in a makeshift cuddle pile, of sorts, on the sectional by the time the sun sets. 

Hyunwoo falls asleep to the sound of her boyfriends' snores, finding herself incredibly grateful for how they've all looked after her today. Her chest swells with love and adoration at each of the men's sleeping faces, the way they cling to her protectively. 

It's moments like this, she thinks with a smile on her face, when I know I belong, that they all love me and I make them happy...  

 

"Hyung!! Hyung, you missed your alarm! Get up!!!" 

Hyunwoo blinks open his eyes, glancing about confusedly. Kihyun's bent over, staring down at him as he ducks his head to avoid hitting Hyungwon's bunk.  

"You'd better get up now, if you want a chance at a bathroom," Kihyun tells him, leaning close to give him a small peck at the corner of his mouth. Hyunwoo confusedly looks down at himself, noting the lack of s and a certain appendage that most definitely hadn't been there just before... 

"You okay?" Hoseok asks him sleepily from his nearby bed. Hyunwoo turns to watch him rub at his eyes, the tired pout pulling at his lips so familiar.  

"Um... yeah," Hyunwoo replies, moving to stand. He his lips nervously as he adds, "You don't remember yesterday?" Hoseok straightens up, tilting his head to the side. 

"We performed at Inkigayo..." Hoseok begins, his eyes sparkling with thought, "we went to a fan-sign... There wasn't anything out of the ordinary, was there? Did I miss something again?" Minhyuk suddenly bolts into the room, his hair dripping wet as he throws himself energetically at Hoseok. Hoseok protests, telling the younger he doesn't want his blonde hair dripping all over his sheets.  

Hyungwon stirs in his bunk, sleepily looking at Hyunwoo after shooting a glare at the noisy two. 

"You were talking in your sleep again," Hyungwon informs him, his voice groggy and slow. "Something about... being you but none of us knowing it??" Hyunwoo tries for a chuckle, waving off his boyfriend's concern. 

"Just a weird dream," he answers as he turns to snag a bathroom. Hyungwon hums, turning on his other side to try and go back to sleep.  

Hyunwoo goes through the rest of the day doing his best to forget the incredibly strange dream from the night before, it eventually ebbing away to the back of his subconscious like everything else.