From Curvy To Stunning

To meet my online boyfriend in person, I lost eighty pounds, transforming from a hundred and eighty pound chubby girl into an absolute stunner. But the day before our grand meeting, I stumbled across a post on a forum. "Transferring my online girlfriend." "Dating for over a year. Great voice, sweet, gentle, amazing emotional value. PM me if interested." Someone asked in the comments why he was giving up such a great girl. He replied: "Dug up her real-life info online. She's super fat. I'm a total eye-candy guy." The comment section flooded with jokes: "Was interested until I read 'fat.' Totally turned off now." "Who wants a human tank? Keep her for yourself, man, haha." Only one person replied: "Check PMs." I looked at the poster's profile picture. It was identical to my online boyfriend's. And the date of that post was three months ago. 1 I froze. It suddenly hit me that three months ago, Brad had indeed changed drastically. Back then, he had grown distant out of nowhere, even initiating a breakup, claiming he was tired of us. I thought he was just going through a phase, so I pleaded with him for a long time until he grudgingly agreed to stay together. Shortly after, he claimed he needed to switch to a new phone number and chat account because his old one was too cluttered, wanting a fresh start for college. So I added his new account. Even after that, he remained cold for a while, his personality shifting noticeably before he eventually warmed back up to me. I had assumed he just had a change of heart after getting bored, but... I stared down at my phone. A message popped up from my online boyfriend, whose avatar was Shin-chan: [Babe, I checked the calendar and noticed your period is coming up soon. I ordered some warm bird's nest and peach gum soup for you. Make sure to drink it while it's hot.] [I can't wait to meet you next month, babe. I'm a little nervous. Are you excited?] I stared at the screen, my thumb hovering over the glass. So... who exactly was the person planning to meet me? 2 When my best friend Jess found me, she beat around the bush, looking hesitant. "Did you and Brad break up?" "Why do you ask?" I replied. Instead of answering, she handed me her phone. "See for yourself." Back when we played online games together, Jess was close with one of Brad's gaming buddies. The guy had sent her a screenshot of Brad's private group chat. In the group, someone asked Brad: [Hey Brad, how come you haven't brought your girlfriend to play games with us lately?] Brad replied: [Broke up with her.] Everyone was shocked. [Wait, weren't you guys doing great? Why the sudden breakup?] [Her voice was sweet, so I always assumed she was hot. But one time she sent a picture where a delivery receipt was visible. I saw her real name, remembered her high school, and had someone look her up.] [Turns out she's a two hundred pound land whale! I was completely horrified. You guys know I'm a looks guy. I almost threw up on the spot, so I dumped her right away.] Someone chimed in: [Haha! Her voice sounded good because the body fat was compressing her vocal cords! The sweeter the voice, the fatter the girl!] [I remember that girl was crazy about you though. She backed you up every time we played. Did she actually agree to let you go?] Brad: [She refused, so I transferred her account to someone else. It's not like she knows my real name anyway.] He then shared a screenshot of the forum post where he put his online girlfriend up for trade. The group blew up: [Holy crap, that's insane! You can actually transfer a girlfriend?] [Brad's legendary. Now she won't bother you anymore. She definitely hid her looks on purpose. If it weren't for an online relationship, a guy like you would never date someone like her for a year. Serves her right.] [Getting suffocated by a wild hog for over a year, Brad must be traumatized. Heart completely sealed off now?] Brad: [Got a new target recently. There's a really pretty girl in the freshman group chat. Total angel.] Brad came from a wealthy family and frequently dropped digital gift cards in the chat, so everyone loved sucking up to him. Replies flooded in: [As expected of Brad! Already found a top-tier beauty.] [Only a goddess is worthy of our Brad.] [Got any photos, Brad? Let us see!] Brad dropped a photo into the chat. The girl in the picture wore a delicate white sundress. Her light hazel hair was tied in a loose side ponytail draped over her shoulder. She was slender, fair-skinned, with soft, smiling eyes. She was undeniably gorgeous. I recognized her immediately. It was Haley, the girl everyone in the freshman group chat had been swooning over. The moment she dropped a picture earlier, the guys had declared her the official campus queen. Jess was fuming. "Brad dated you for over a year! The moment he flipped, he tossed you out like trash and put you up for trade! What a complete scumbag!" "Besides, this Haley girl isn't even prettier than you! She looks like a bean pole. Just a bit pale and skinny!" "Gwen, post your photo in the group! Make him regret every choice he's ever made!" I looked down at the screen. Among the sea of praise, only one guy had spoken up for me: [To be fair, that girl really liked you, Brad. I remember whenever you got ambushed in games, she was always the first to rush in to save you, dying for you every time. Isn't this a little cruel?] A moment later, Brad replied casually: [I'm a visual person, what can I do? Just thinking about being with a human tank for a year makes me want to puke.] [If she wants to blame someone, she can blame her own ugly face.] 3 Walking home that evening, another guy stopped me on the sidewalk to ask for my phone number. After politely declining, I strolled along the street alone. The overcast summer dusk brought a chill, signaling an impending thunderstorm. I glanced at my reflection in a storefront window. A delicate, heart-shaped face framed by dark eyes, a sculpted nose, and full, striking features. I remembered my friend looking at me with envious eyes last week: "I spent six figures on my nose job in Seoul, and it still doesn't look half as natural as yours! Every time we go out, everyone's staring at you!" "I get complimented when I'm alone, but standing next to you makes me feel like a background character. Is this the difference between pretty and drop-dead gorgeous? Unfair!" I knew I was beautiful now. When I went out, strangers offered to pay for my drinks, people asked for my contact info constantly, and talent scouts had even approached me about modeling. But before Brad, my life was the exact opposite. I had been chubby since childhood. By high school, I weighed nearly two hundred pounds. My cheeks were so round my eyes vanished into folds of skin whenever I smiled. Lard bucket. Human tank. Pig monster. I had heard every insult in the book. It fed a deep, crippling insecurity. The heavier I got, the less I dared to dress up, and the less I dressed up, the worse I looked. I had crushes on boys like any teenage girl, but whenever they found out, they reacted as if they had been deeply insulted, hurling vile slurs at my face. Whenever I tried to diet, my parents would stop me, insisting I was cute just the way I was. They were overweight themselves and saw nothing wrong with it. My adolescence was defined by the relentless mockery of my peers. Until I met Brad in an online game. He was drawn to my voice and insisted on adding me as a friend. After a few gaming sessions, we grew close. Not long after, Brad confessed his feelings to me. I tossed and turned all night. I knew Brad came from a good family. During our time gaming together, he had gifted me countless in-game skins and offered expensive presents, all of which I declined. Though he never posted clear facial photos on his profile, his feed was filled with luxury vacation snaps showing his back. He was tall, broad-shouldered, clearly athletic, staying at high-end resorts. I knew he fell for my voice, but I was terrified that if he saw the real me, he would be disgusted. Yet I couldn't help falling for him. Brad was charismatic and funny. Whenever I had a rough day, he would comfort me, even dropping digital gift cards in public chat rooms to get strangers to cheer me up. In the end, I said yes. I hid my weight, my location, and every detail of my personal life, terrified he would look me up. I even tested the waters once, asking softly, "What if I'm not pretty in real life?" He replied instantly: [With a voice as sweet as yours? Impossible. Stop teasing me, babe.] [Babe, when can we finally meet? I miss you so much.] [Babe, let me know which university you're applying to. Let's go to the same school so we can see each other every day.] After a long silence, I made up my mind. I was going to lose the weight. What followed was a year of absolute madness. I went to sleep starving every night, ignoring the sharp pangs of acid reflux and the exhaustion that left my limbs trembling after hours of cardio. No matter how my parents begged me to eat more, I stood firm. I wanted to be skinny. For nearly a year, I didn't touch a drop of oil or heavy seasoning. Countless times, I cried myself to sleep from sheer hunger, holding onto the thought of him to pull through. And finally, the weight melted away. From one hundred and eighty pounds to one hundred and sixty, then one hundred and twenty, and finally settling at a lean one hundred pounds. I learned skincare, makeup, hairstyling, and how to dress for my body. During that year, Brad suggested meeting up several times, but I always found excuses to stall. I constantly felt I wasn't pretty enough yet. Until the boys in my class started looking at me differently. Until love letters began piling up in my locker. Until strangers on the street began blushing when they asked for my number, calling me breathtaking. That was when it hit me: I had actually become beautiful. I finally gathered the courage to meet Brad in person. I applied to the exact same university he chose, agreeing to meet on orientation day. And yet... It turned out I was just a game to him. I had believed every sweet word he ever said. Looking back, he hadn't even given me his real name. The name "Brad" was something I only learned through my friend's acquaintance. From start to finish, he had never truly cared about me. 4 In the freshman group chat, Haley posted another set of photos. She was at Disneyland, wearing a cute Minnie Mouse headband and a pleated skirt, radiating youthful charm. The guy standing next to her had his face blurred out. But I recognized the luxury watch on his wrist immediately. It was the exact same watch Brad wore in his vacation posts. The chat burst into excitement: "The campus queen delivers!" "A goddess is a goddess! Who's the lucky guy next to her?" "Looks like Brad! Brad's a legend!" Jess had told me earlier that Brad started pursuing Haley the moment she dropped her photo in the group chat. He had flown straight to her city, showered her with gifts, and rented a private fireworks display for her. Now, they were officially together. Brad dropped a wave of digital cash into the chat room. "Say hi to my girl, boys." Replies flooded in: "Brad's huge flex! A match made in heaven!" "A total power couple. I believe in love again!" "Only our campus queen deserves a guy like Brad." Someone brought me up: "You guys don't know, but Brad was catfished by a human tank for over a year. Nearly ruined his appetite for life. Glad he finally found a true beauty!" Haley asked innocently: "What tank?" The guy retold the story, exaggerating every detail. The chat erupted into cruel laughter. "Holy crap, a tank actually dared to target Brad? Survived a whole year of that, Brad's an absolute warrior." "That kind of monster probably couldn't get a guy in real life, so she used a fake voice to trick people online." "I heard the tank applied to the same university as Brad! She might be a freshman here. Can't wait to see how hideous she is in person." Haley replied with a soft giggle: "She's probably insecure. Being ugly isn't her fault, but tricking people is definitely wrong." Brad chimed in: "Don't bring up the past. Makes me sick just thinking about it. At least I found you now." Brad had no idea that I had joined the freshman chat using a burner account weeks ago. I had watched his entire romance unfold from start to finish. Someone asked Brad: "What's the tank's real name, Brad? Might run into her during orientation." Brad typed: "Gwen." "Sounds basic as hell. No wonder she's ugly." The very next second, I switched to my main account in the chat. I changed my nickname directly to: Gwen The group chat fell dead silent. I knew every single person behind those screens was holding their breath, waiting for the drama to explode. A few minutes later, Haley sent two messages. "Welcome to the group, Gwen!" "By the way, we're having a freshman meetup at the restaurant near campus on the third. Are you coming?" I knew she wanted to turn me into a laughingstock. A faint, cold smirk touched my lips as I typed a single word. "Sure." 5 Just as I was getting ready for bed, my online boyfriend, username NotAShellfish, sent a string of messages. [Babe, look at this bag! I bought it in Italy. The moment I saw it, I knew it would look amazing on you. I'll give it to you when we meet!] [Babe, why aren't you replying? Did you fall asleep?] [Babe! Babe! Babe!] I frowned at the screen. This guy had bought Brad's account and was really committing to the bit. He was surprisingly generous, though. Last month, he sent me a designer necklace and a high-end skincare set. He transferred money on Valentine's Day and randomly dropped cash into our chat whenever he felt like it. He knew I was supposedly overweight. What was he getting out of this? Did he have some weird fetish? Without hesitation, I dug up a photo of myself from a year ago and hit send. One hundred and eighty pounds. Broad shoulders, round face, eyes squeezed into thin slits by folds of soft cheek. [This is what I look like. If you can't accept it, let's break up. I don't want to waste your time.] I refused to believe he could stick around after looking at that. A second later, his reply popped up: [Babe, you look so cute!] Me: ??? Was he out of his mind?! Frustrated, I typed back: [Look closely! I'm one hundred and eighty pounds! I'm fat!] [I see it! I think you're adorable. Just make sure to stay healthy, babe.] My brows knit together tight. Was this guy also overweight, or did he genuinely have a feeder fetish? [What do you look like?] I asked. [I've never seen a picture of you.] NotAShellfish sent three images in rapid succession. Full body shots, candid angles, even a close-up of sculpted six-pack abs. I let out a cold laugh. The guy in the photos had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, defined obliques, and looked easily over six-two. Even crazier was the face, striking enough to debut as a male model, complete with warm hazel eyes that sparkled like sunlight on water and messy black hair pushed back to reveal a smooth, pale forehead. Full of youthful, effortless charm. Catfishing with stolen internet photos, huh? [Babe, these were just quick, unstyled snaps. Hope you're not disappointed!] I smirked at my screen, typing back smoothly: [Not at all, babe! You look incredible. Is this really you? Can't wait to meet!] [That's awesome! By the way, there's something I need to tell you when we meet.] I smiled knowingly. What else could it be besides admitting he used fake photos? [Sure,] I replied. 6 The moment my flight landed, my phone vibrated relentlessly. [Babe, where are you? I'm waiting at arrivals holding a huge bouquet of roses!] [Image] [Babe, I'm so nervous! What if you don't like me when you see me!] The photo showed a massive bouquet of red roses, completely hiding the person behind it. This catfishing scammer certainly knew how to play the romantic card. My heart softened slightly. Forget it, I thought. When we meet, I'll just lay everything out, clear the air, and we can start fresh as friends. After all, he had been genuinely sweet to me over the past three months. He stayed on the phone with me every single night, comforting me when I couldn't sleep even when he was slurring his words from exhaustion. He bought me gifts for every minor holiday and remembered every detail of my routine, including my cycle dates. He was a genuinely good guy. So what if he was average-looking or a bit overweight in real life? It wasn't a dealbreaker. A guy walking past me bumped my shoulder accidentally. I turned around, and he blushed furiously, rubbing his neck. "I'm so sorry! Actually, I noticed you on the plane. Could I get your number?" I waved my hand politely. "Sorry, I'm taken." He flushed bright red. "Ah, sorry to bother you then!" I dragged my suitcase toward the arrivals gate. From a distance, I spotted the giant bouquet of roses standing out in the crowd. Behind the flowers was a tall, commanding silhouette, broad shoulders, narrow waist, effortlessly lean. Wait. Was he one of those guys who had a killer body but an average face? I refused to believe NotAShellfish actually looked like the model in those photos. What would be the point of catfishing if he already had a body like that? The guy holding the roses seemed impatient, peering over the petals as his eyes searched the crowd anxiously. My jaw dropped. Holy crap. He looked identical to the photos, in fact, in person, he was even more jaw-droppingly handsome! NotAShellfish wasn't a catfish at all?! A few teenage girls nearby were already giggling, pointing at him shyly. I walked over, my mind a jumble of confusion. "Are you..." I expected him to look surprised when he saw my face, but he just frowned at me. "Can I help you?" he asked stiffly. I tilted my head, pulling out my phone. "Who are you waiting for? Want to trade numbers?" His expression darkened instantly. "I'm waiting for my girlfriend. Not interested." I was stunned. Ever since I lost weight, no man had ever treated me with such cold indifference. NotAShellfish... did he actually have a thing for heavy girls?! Seeing that I hadn't moved, he grew impatient. "Could you please step aside? My girlfriend's coming out any minute." I let out a helpless sigh. "Scallop, it's me. Pumpkin." "What scallop, what pump..." He froze mid-sentence, his eyes sweeping over me from head to toe. His eyes nearly popped out of his head. "You?! Pumpkin?!" "Impossible! No way! Don't you look like... weren't you..." "Weren't I super fat and ugly?" I finished his sentence, explaining calmly, "I lost the weight." "Or do you actually have a feeder fetish and only like heavy girls?" The guy who had been ice-cold a second ago flushed a furious, brilliant shade of red from his cheeks all the way to his ears! "No! That's not... I mean, you were super cute before too, you weren't ugly at all, I just..." "So am I cute now?" I found his sudden panic hilarious. "Yes! I mean, you're cute now too, you're gorgeous, I just didn't expect..." In his panic, he shoved the massive bouquet directly into my arms. The heavy bundle caught me off guard, making me stumble backward. He panicked even more, reaching out awkwardly to catch my arms. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" I couldn't help bursting into laughter. "Didn't you promise to take me out for good food when we met?" I smiled. "Let's go." 7 Jasper, his real name, as I soon learned, was just like his online persona. Despite his unreal good looks, he didn't have a single drop of arrogance. He was gentle, attentive, and incredibly sweet throughout the afternoon. Turns out he was a freshman too, enrolled at the same campus, though in a different department. He took me to an upscale steakhouse, pulling out my chair, cutting my steak, and blushing whenever I caught him stealing glances at me. After showing me around town, he dropped me off outside the private dining hall where the freshman meetup was being held. Standing by his car, he looked at me reluctantly. "Text me when you're done. I'll come pick you up." The restaurant was packed. As I approached the private dining room, voices drifted out through the cracked door. "Is everyone here yet?" "Not yet, Gwen hasn't showed up." "Gwen? The tank who catfished Brad? Haha, she's probably terrified to show her face!" "Seriously. Standing next to our campus queen would destroy whatever self-esteem she has left. People like her only dare to flirt behind a screen. Who wants a slab of lard in real life? Haha!" Haley giggled softly, leaning her head on Brad's shoulder. "Don't be so mean, guys. Being ugly isn't her fault." I raised my hand, reaching for the door handle.