"You and I belong to the family of shapeshifters." No Shi Won leans back in his seat, relaxing his shoulders. "Your grandfather was a shape-shifter. Your mother is also from a shape-shifter's family. Usually, marriages are arranged between shape-shifter's families to keep the secret within the community."
If everyone was a shape-shifter, why did she never hear about it? Chang Seol looks at No Shi Won doubtfully. "Why did my parents not tell me about this?"
"There are certain laws in the shape-shifter community." No Shi Won reveals in a smooth tone, "Your father didn't have any idea about it either until you were born. He is a passive gene holder. He can't shape-shift but he passed the gene to you. Hence, you are a shapeshifter."
Passive gene holder? She wrinkles her nose. "What about Mi-Young?"
"Mi-Young is human." No Shi Won answers her, "She doesn't have any mark on her body or so I heard. She's quite normal too. Your mother didn't faint when she gave birth to her."
Didn't faint? The corner of her lips twitch. "What does that mean? What mark?"
"There was a huge uproar when you were born." No Shi Won scratches his chin. "I heard your grandfather talking to my grandfather about it at our home once. When you were born, your mother and the wet nurse passed out. Your grandfather stopped your father from calling an animal helpline and revealed the family secret to him."
"Why?" Chang Seol scowls at him. "Don't beat around the bush."
"It turned out that your mother gave birth to an egg." No Shi Won laughs. "You were an egg. Your parents didn't know what to do. Then, they brought you to my place. My mother shape-shifted and helped you hatch out of it. You were a human baby. That's what I heard. Your nose was completely red. There couldn't be any brighter mark. This mark disappears after you change."
So she was an egg… Chang Seol turns her head toward Sin Jeong-Hyuk who is listening to No Shi Won with great interest.
Feeling her eyes on him, Sin Jeong-Hyuk looks at her. After thinking for a moment, he says, "Your nose isn't red anymore."
"..."
"That's true." No Shi won laughs. "Anyway, your grandfather was worried. It's rare for a shapeshifter to born like that. So he and my grandfather decided that it's best if you marry into our family before you turned twenty. As the law of the shape-shifter community, no one is allowed to tell you about shapeshifters until you change."
No Shi Won takes a breath.
"A female shapeshifter is different from a male shapeshifter. If a female shapeshifter marries before she turns twenty, her shapeshifting ability turns passive even if she's not a passive gene holder. That's why it's usual for women from shapeshifting family to get married before they turn twenty. It's also safe since shapeshifter women often go into heat and lose control of themselves. If they get married and consummate their marriage before they turn twenty, they can live their lives as human beings."
That's why her parents were so keen on making her marry No Shi Won. They were also fine after they heard that she married Mister. Her mother questions make sense to her now. Consummating the marriage… Chang Seol's head is throbbing as it gets heavier with the weight of her lies. "Is it about consummating marriage or just losing virginity before the age of twenty?"
"It only works when the marriage is consummated before the age of twenty whether one is a virgin or not." No Shi Won runs his fingers through his hair and exhales, "Whether the wedding is done in a family court or in a traditional way, it has to be marriage. I don't know why it is like that. You got married but you didn't consummate it with him. Now, you are a shapeshifter. This fact won't change for your lifetime."
This is so sad. Chang Seol holds her head. However, she doesn't regret that she didn't get married before she turned twenty. Marrying this serpent is worse than marrying a stranger. Then again, she didn't like things that need to be done for consummating a marriage. Chang Seol gives a side-long glance at Sin Jeong-Hyuk. How is he calm after hearing all this?
One thing is certain: she likes kissing this Mister. Would he dislike her more after hearing this?
"After the female shapeshifters get married and consummate the wedding, they aren't told about the shapeshifter's world unless it's necessary." No Shi Wo continues, "So your parents didn't reveal it to you because you married a human. There's always a chance that a passive gene holder won't pass the gene and the shape-shifting gene would stop there. In fact, there's a little chance of a shape-shifter being born if one parent is a passive gene holder and the other one is a human."
She's that little chance.
"Do you have any more questions?" No Shi Won inquires.
"No." Chang Seol shakes her head lightly as if she's deep in thoughts. "I believe I have a terminal illness with no cure."
"That's a strange way to look at it," Mister comments in a quiet tone. "So you are a little less human and you see the world differently. But nothing much has changed, has it? You can still live a normal life. Many other shapeshifters have done it. Otherwise, the entire world would have known about it. I am sure that you can also do it."
In this whole world, Mister is the only one who can tell her that everything is okay in such a nonchalant way. She finds no disgust or horror in his eyes. He's looking at her the same way he has always done. So she's a cockatrice or a dragon with a chicken-head. He's still seeing her as his person.
But can she be something more?
"It seems that you were in a heat spell earlier." No Shi Won's eyes dart between Chang Seol and Sin Jeong-Hyuk. "It's strange that you didn't consummate your marriage with him. Since it's like this, give him a divorce and get married to me."
Chang Seol makes a face at him. "No, I would rather die single."
"You aren't single." Sin Jeong-Hyuk barks at her. "We are still married."
There's no need for them to lie anymore. She's already a cockatrice. Isn't it better to reveal the truth now? Why is Mister insisting that they are married? Raising her brow slightly, she eyes him. "Oh?"
He ignores the look that she's giving him and faces No Shi Won. "We didn't consummate our marriage because we are still trying to get to know each other. We will do it when the time is right."
She smiles widely. Her round eyes narrow with a cunning gleam. Consummating a fake marriage with him sounds like an excellent idea. Is it better than kissing? It has to be.
"I don't mind consummating it tonight."
Both men stare at her.
"What?" Chang Seol blinks her eyes slowly at Sin Jeong-Hyuk. "Don't you know already enough about me? Even I didn't know that I was a shape-shifter until today. There is no more secret…"
There's one. He doesn't know that she's Daydream. That's not an important secret anyway. She keeps talking with a bright look in her eyes, "Let's get to know each other in bed."