Through them, I finally realized I was truly in another world.
Jin Sohye and Jin Sojin were still waiting for my response, their eyes sparkling with curiosity. There was something kind of cute about the way they stared at me, wide-eyed and expectant.
"My story isn't exactly a cheerful one… but do you still want to hear it?"
They both nodded eagerly, especially Jin Sojin, whose chest bounced slightly with the motion, drawing my eyes almost instinctively. The moment I noticed, a thought hit me like a reflex:
I mentally criticized my own kind for a moment before starting to tell them about my village.
I described a world completely different from the view outside the window. Sure, the sky was blue, just like here, but instead of gray concrete, the streets were bathed in green. Houses were made of living trees, and the ground was soft earth, not asphalt. Even tables and chairs were shaped by magic no saws needed. The elves manipulated mana to craft whatever they desired.
"In my world, there's a strict social hierarchy: the Great Chieftain, High Elves, Elves, and Half-Elves like me. I lived there as a Half-Elf."
"Half-Elf?" Jin Sohye tilted her head. "Didn't you say you were an Elf?"
Maybe it was my own sensitivity, but her pointing out "Half-Elf" specifically stung a little.
"Yeah, sorry, I did say Elf. It's just… in this world, it seems like there are no Elves, so let me clarify. Half-Elves weren't exactly treated as true Elves back home."
"What?"
Jin Sohye's surprised reaction reminded me again that Elves didn't exist in this world.
"In my world, Elves dedicate themselves to serving the World Tree, who grants them divine blessings. But what do you think happens when a Half-Elf—half-human, half-Elf—shows up?"
"Fake Elves. That's what they called us."
Half-human, half-Elf, born with mixed blood, we were seen as a blemish on the sacred blessings of the World Tree. To the Elves and High Elves, those blessings were meant only for pure Elves. They didn't kill Half-Elves outright, but they worked us to death as slaves worse than death, really.
"I worked in the mines. Fifteen hours a day, digging for iron ore. We got one meal a day, maybe a potato if we were lucky, just to keep us alive."
"So that's why your body is so…" Jin Sojin trailed off, glancing at my darkened skin.
"Yeah. Swinging a pickaxe for hours did this to me."
Both Jin Sojin and Jin Sohye looked shocked, their expressions shifting to unease. Their flustered reactions actually made me smile a little.
"Thanks for worrying about me. I'm okay now. I'm not a Half-Elf here, after all."
They seemed relieved but still glanced at me cautiously, as if checking if I was really alright.
(We've known each other for less than an hour, and they're already this concerned?)
As I shared more about my village, my curiosity about this world grew.
"So, could you tell me about this world?" I asked.
"Oh, sure—"
"Of course, Silian!"
Jin Sojin started to respond, but Jin Sohye cut her off with an enthusiastic nod. Jin Sojin shot her sister a brief glare, probably used to this kind of interruption, before sighing and letting it go.
Undeterred, Jin Sohye launched into an excited explanation of their world.
Her world was wildly different from mine. Here, men were expected to be refined and delicate, while women took on physically demanding roles. Women were stronger than men in this world, which explained a lot.
I raised an eyebrow. "So, for hunters, men use magic, and women wield swords?"
"Exactly! You catch on quick!" Jin Sohye grinned.
I paused, lost in thought. The women here acted like the men from my world, and the men behaved like the women I knew. It clicked.
(A gender role reversed world. Men and women's roles are completely flipped. Men staying home, cooking for their hardworking wives…?)
In my Elf society, you'd occasionally see a domestic man, but here, it was the norm. It was mind-boggling.
"What about you, Silian? Is it the opposite in your world? Men swinging swords and women casting spells?" Jin Sohye chuckled.
I froze for a second. A sudden thought struck me like lightning.
(What if…)
I had to choose my words carefully. If this was truly a gender-reversed world, then the key question was: Did the reversal extend to *everything*? Even… intimate roles? Did women here take the lead in romance, driven by desire, while men played the passive role?
If that was the case if women here were the aggressors and men were expected to be coy then maybe…
(If this is that kind of world… I could be a total playboy!)
I quickly cooled my overheated brain and answered with a casual laugh,
"Nah, it's pretty much the same as here, just a different era."
I lied smoothly, holding back the urge to ask more. If this world reversed even desire, I could be free to… well, let's just say, live a very interesting life.
I glanced at the Jin sisters, trying to gauge them.
"By the way, how old are you both? I'm 23."
"I'm 21!" Jin Sohye chirped. "Since you're older, can I call you oppa?"
"I'm 23, too," Jin Sojin added. "Since we're the same age, is it okay if I drop the formalities?"
(If I'm right about this world, I might not be a slave anymore… I could be the king of the night.)
I kept that thought to myself, letting them drop the formalities. The distance between us shrank quickly, and I couldn't help but hope this world was exactly as I imagined.
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Translated by Reversalmanhwa.web.id