By the time my senses had fully developed, I could recognize familiar words spoken by my parents. The language, the black hair, the dark eyes—everything around me felt strangely familiar.
I had been reborn in a place not so different from my past life.
Even the country's name was the same—Korea.
And, fortunately, I had been reborn as a man.
By the time I was nine months old, this was all I had managed to figure out.
A slightly androgynous but undeniably beautiful person approached me and spoke in a gentle voice.
"Our pretty Seon-ah, it's time to eat."
"Mama. Mam-mam."
"Aww, our Seon-ah is just the cutest!"
My mother's name was Lee Min-ah. My father's name was Kim Hyun-tae.
In my past life, I had no parents by the time I was old enough to remember.
I grew up in an orphanage, raised by caretakers who maintained a professional distance, coming and going within months or, at most, a couple of years.
I had never known what it was like to receive unconditional love.
Now, for the first time, I felt it.
At first, it was overwhelming. But as time passed, I grew used to it, and with that familiarity came a deep sense of gratitude.
As my mother gently stroked my hair with warm hands, I closed my eyes and fell asleep in her embrace, feeling, for the first time, a longing to cherish my newfound family.
On weekdays, my mother always prepared to leave for work.
My father, on the other hand, made her breakfast and walked her to the door, holding me in his arms as we waved her off.
Something felt… odd.
The fact that my mother was the one going to work while my father stayed home.
The way my father's mannerisms were softer, almost feminine.
Even the news broadcasts seemed strange—men were the announcers for beauty segments, while women discussed politics and economics.
It didn't take me long to realize.
I had been reborn into a world where gender roles were reversed.
But it wasn't just societal roles—everything was different.
Over time, I noticed that not only gender expectations but physical abilities, hormonal balances, and even biological instincts had flipped.
Men were considered delicate, the ones to be protected. Women were the dominant figures, both physically and socially.
It was a world where lingerie and beauty products were marketed using slender, doll-like male models, and cases of sexual violence against men were a serious issue.
I didn't know whether to laugh or despair.
By the time I turned five, I understood that the gender role reversal wasn't the only bizarre thing about this world.
This world had monsters.
Fifty years ago, Gates had opened, linking this world to another filled with creatures beyond human comprehension.
To close these Gates, one had to destroy their core, which lay deep within.
But the Gates had strange properties.
Attacks from the outside could not penetrate their interiors.
And within them, gunpowder-based weapons malfunctioned, exploding upon use.
This forced humanity to revert to cold weapons—swords, spears, and bows.
But no matter how many soldiers they sent, ordinary humans had no chance of surviving against the hordes of monsters inside.
Then, people began to Awaken.
These Awakened individuals gained abilities—enhanced strength, durability, and even supernatural powers.
The strongest among them were called Hunters, those who ventured into the Gates to hunt monsters and destroy their cores.
Over time, the Hunters formed the Hunter Association, a powerful organization that worked with governments to regulate their activities.
The military guarded the outside of the Gates, while Hunters handled the inside.
And then, humanity made a shocking discovery.
The Gates were not just threats—they were opportunities.
Inside, precious resources grew naturally—herbs that could heal wounds instantly, monster corpses that provided new materials stronger than steel.
What was once seen as an existential crisis soon became a lucrative industry.
Fear turned into greed.
The Gates, once considered portals to the unknown, became no different from gold mines or oil fields.
But the most shocking thing I learned…
Was why the monsters invaded in the first place.
For fifty years, researchers had studied their behavior.
And one truth became clear.
They weren't here for territory.
They weren't here for resources.
They were here for men.
The majority of monsters were female or genderless.
Their species had suffered from a reproductive crisis.
And they saw human males as the solution.
They abducted men.
To use them as breeding stock.
It was horrifying.
The implications were sickening.
In my past life, I had seen fictional depictions of alien species capturing human women for the same purpose. But here?
It was the opposite.
Even in this world, human women already had higher stamina and stronger libido. Many men struggled to keep up with them in relationships.
And now, imagine being taken by a horde of monsters, each one more terrifying than the last.
Most men who were captured either died or went insane.
The very thought made my blood run cold.
I needed to prepare.
I needed to be strong.