Chapter 17
Interview
Wednesday morning arrived, and Lucius was restlessly pacing in his mind as he anxiously prepared for the interview, which was now just two hours away.
Both his sisters had already left for work and school, after helping him the night before to prepare everything he might need.
He now sat at the small round table they used for practically everything, positioned with his back against the wall. They had even replaced the room's ceiling lights with brighter ones so the interviewers could clearly see his face through the webcam.
Lucius wore a formal woman's suit—a crisp white blouse under a navy-blue blazer, paired with matching straight-leg trousers. Even though the webcam likely wouldn't show his lower half, he felt that going all out was the best way to show respect.
Laid out before him on the table was a script: prepared answers for every possible interview question. He had been reviewing it repeatedly since his sisters left the house.
'Damn... This is nerve-wracking! Huff… What should I do? I can't let this anxiety take over.'
'Ugh… Hmm… Wait! Let's just watch some funny cat videos or something. Yeah, that'll help me calm down for a while.'
'I'll do that for an hour, then get back to reviewing the script in the last hour. That should work… yeah.'
Surprisingly, it worked. Watching silly cat videos on YouTube helped him loosen up a bit.
He had already set an alarm for exactly one hour before the interview, just in case—since watching short funny videos often made him lose track of time.
Around thirty minutes in, a notification popped up on his phone—Edward had messaged him.
Lucius instantly picked it up. Edward was checking in about the interview and offering his encouragement. Of course—Lucius had told him just yesterday, asking for luck and advice.
He replied with his usual banter, throwing in a joke or two to lighten the mood. Edward responded quickly, but since he had morning classes, their exchange was brief. Once again, Lucius was left alone.
But this time, he felt better. More confident. More focused.
Closing the video tab, he returned to the script and started practicing his lines again.
The alarm had already gone off some time ago, and now the interview was only minutes away.
A new message arrived on his phone—it was from Chief Song Im-Hyun.
It contained the meeting link.
Lucius took a deep breath and clicked the link.
The screen showed a wide room. A long desk stretched across the front, and behind it sat a handsome middle-aged man. Two vacant chairs flanked him.
The camera was positioned about five meters from the desk—just far enough to simulate the view from an in-person interview.
Lucius immediately recognized the man in the center: Chief Researcher Song Im-Hyun.
With a respectful nod while still seated, Lucius greeted him.
"Good morning, Sir. It's an honor to finally meet you."
Chief Song smiled warmly, radiating calm authority with a presence that reminded Lucius of those confident chaebol types from Korean dramas.
"Good morning, Miss Lucia. Ah, actually it's already almost lunchtime here, haha. Still, I'm glad to finally see you properly. Nice to meet you too.
We'll begin the interview in about fifteen minutes. We're just waiting for the Korean branch president of M.P.T.A and the representative from the parent organization. For now, please make yourself comfortable."
Lucius gave another small bow.
"Ah, yes, thank you, Sir. Um—just to confirm, how should I address you?"
"You can call me Chief Song. As for the others, address them as President Kang and Representative Marcus."
Just then, the sound of a door opening echoed in the room.
Chief Song stood up to greet two men entering from the side.
One was a tall, broad-shouldered Caucasian man with dark blond hair and a stern, serious expression. His posture and vibe were intensely intimidating.
That had to be Representative Marcus.
The second was a Korean man with a similarly commanding presence as Chief Song, but a sharper, more rigid expression—clearly President Kang.
Chief Song shook hands with both men and returned to his seat. Once they were all settled, he faced the camera and spoke:
"Let's begin the interview."
Lucius straightened his back and nodded.
"Yes, Sir."
The Interview Begins
The session began with formal greetings and introductions. Then came the first question, posed by Chief Song.
"Interviewee Lucia, please start by telling us about yourself."
Lucius had prepared for this question.
He explained his background—his original identity, his current living situation, and how he had awakened his powers.
But the atmosphere in the room was heavy. The serious faces of the men watching him made his back sweat. Still, he kept going.
"So, according to your file, you experienced a gender change as part of your transformation. You also mentioned this was linked to a curse associated with your traits."
"Are you telling the truth?" Chief Song continued. "Please provide solid evidence to support this claim."
Lucius was ready.
He retrieved several items from the table:
A recent photo of himself with Eve and Sophia
An old family photo
A close-up photo of a unique birthmark that remained even after his transformation
And a video of Sophia explaining the moment the transformation occurred, as a witness
Looking at the photos, the resemblance between his old and new self was undeniable. Even his current facial features bore a striking similarity to Sophia's.
President Kang, narrowing his eyes, asked:
"Can you send us these files?"
"Yes, Sir."
Lucius promptly forwarded them.
All three men turned to their tablets, studying the photos and video closely. They exchanged a few quiet comments among themselves.
Then President Kang faced the camera, his tone firm and his expression intense.
"Are you certain this is all authentic? You're not lying about anything, are you? We do not tolerate deception of any kind."
Lucius swallowed hard, heart pounding. He kept his gaze steady and replied:
"I swear to God, everything I've told you is the truth—from beginning to end."
The president and representative both gave him skeptical looks.
Only Chief Song smiled faintly and set down his tablet before returning his eyes to the screen…
Chief Song leaned forward with a confident expression and offered a suggestion:
"President Kang, Representative Marcus, how about we conduct a DNA test for Miss Lucia and her siblings? If she's telling the truth, they should be biologically related."
Both men looked at him. President Kang nodded in agreement, but Representative Marcus responded immediately:
"I agree with the DNA verification. However, since she lives in Indonesia, we'll need to dispatch a team to collect the samples.
The higher-ups are expecting the final list of approved candidates by Sunday. Time is tight. We must finish this in three days."
Despite his imposing appearance, Representative Marcus had a surprisingly calm demeanor. His voice was deep, rich, and clear—firm but never forceful.
Both President Kang and Chief Song nodded. Then Chief Song turned to Lucius with a composed tone.
"Miss Lucia, I'm afraid we'll need to pause the interview for now. We'll send agents to your location to collect DNA samples from you and your sisters.
They'll need hair, saliva, and hair strands with the root intact. If everything goes as planned, they should arrive at your home tomorrow morning."
"Do you have any questions before we conclude for today?"
Lucius wanted to ask if this meant he had passed—but he wasn't sure if that would come across as rude or impatient.
So with a heavy heart, he shook his head.
"I have no questions, Chief."
Chief Song gave a small nod and turned to the others.
"Alright then. Let's reconvene on Saturday morning. Thank you all."
And just like that, the call ended.
Lucius slumped in his chair with a sigh.
"Sigh… I guess it's not going to be that easy, huh?"
He stared at the blank screen for a moment, thinking.
'Well… At least I still have a chance. If the DNA test goes well, maybe I can finally move forward—leave this country, get a new identity...
Especially with the self-reporting deadline for Awakened coming up soon.'
With the interview postponed, Lucius changed out of the formal suit and into something more comfortable.
He sent messages to Sophia, Eve, and Edward to explain what had happened—about the interview delay and the upcoming DNA testing.
Then, with some free time on his hands, he began browsing the web for potential outfits—specifically ones he could wear while keeping his wings out.
There were options. Plenty, in fact.
Unfortunately, most of them leaned heavily toward feminine styles. And while Lucius didn't necessarily mind feminine clothes, he wasn't exactly comfortable in many of them yet.
What he wanted was something androgynous—but with a functional design that accommodated his wings. An open-back or slit design would work. But very few items on the market met all those criteria.
'Hmm… Maybe modifying clothes myself would be a good idea?'
'I do have some experience with a sewing machine—from that class in high school… But where would I even find one now? Do I even have the time for that?'
Lucius never overestimated himself. He was practical.
'Yeah… No need to push myself too hard. Why not ask a professional tailor instead? That's what they do, right?'
'I'll wait until after the DNA test. If everything goes well, I'll look into a custom order.'
Since he couldn't go out and didn't have much to do, Lucius spent the rest of his day practicing wing control and light chores.
By evening, he had already prepped samples for the DNA test—hair, saliva, and even a small blood sample from himself and his sisters.
Knowing both girls would have their usual schedules tomorrow, Lucius took the lead.
He searched the house for a sterile container to hold everything. He stored the saliva and blood samples in the fridge, hoping to preserve them.
But later that night, just before bed, a message came from an unknown number.
The sender introduced themselves as the team leader of the agents dispatched by the organization. They had just arrived in the country and asked when would be a good time to visit and collect the samples.
Lucius, still thinking the samples he collected were usable, offered anytime the next morning.
He also asked if the samples he took were acceptable.
The reply nearly gave him a heart attack.
Apparently… he did everything wrong.
The agents informed him that sample collection should be done by professionals. His attempt risked contamination. Also, saliva samples shouldn't be refrigerated—something he had done.
They added a final note: no eating or drinking at least 30 minutes prior to saliva collection.
Fortunately, the agents were cooperative. They would arrive before 6 AM.
Lucius quickly thanked them, then hurried to inform his sisters.
He walked to the bedroom door and knocked.
"Sister Sophia?"
A few seconds later, her calm voice answered:
"Yeah? Come in."
Lucius stepped inside, looking a little sheepish.
"Sister… I messed up. I shouldn't have taken the samples myself—it could be contaminated, and I even refrigerated the saliva... I'm really sorry."
Sophia was just finishing some light stretching before bed, dressed in her sleepwear and sitting on the rug. Their table had already been neatly stored along the wall.
She stood up, looked at Lucius with a relaxed gaze, and replied gently.
"So… they'll take the samples themselves, right? When are they coming? Do we need to do anything?"
Still apologetic, Lucius nodded.
"Yes, they'll arrive tomorrow morning—before 6 AM. And they said we shouldn't eat anything at least 30 minutes beforehand."
Sophia glanced at Eve, already fast asleep, then looked back at Lucius.
"Alright. That's fine. I'll let Eve know in the morning. Is there anything else we need to prepare?"
Lucius thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"I think that's all. Good night, Sister Sophia."
She smiled warmly.
"Good night, Luci. Don't stay up too late~"
Lucius nodded and quietly left the room.
Back in the kitchen, he opened the fridge and discarded the botched samples. Then he cleaned the containers, ensuring everything was ready for tomorrow.
Once that was done, he headed to bed.
His thoughts lingered on the early morning visit—and the next step toward his new identity.