READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 282
Pang-pang couldn’t quite grasp what she was doing.
In fact, at least Pang-pang shouldn’t have acted that way.
From the fact that she hadn’t been caught until now, it was clear that the company still hadn’t figured out what kind of being Pang-pang was.
Sure, there was an elderly lady in the chairman position, but that chairman didn’t oversee everything under the company.
Moreover, Pang-pang was the one who knew best how to always keep that individual a secret.
…So, doing something that would attract attention was really not a good idea in many ways.
However, she just couldn’t hold back.
What exactly happened, Pang-pang had no idea.
She knew that Ji-eun was hurt, but she had no clue as to why the circuit suddenly malfunctioned like that.
…But then there were those words she had heard just moments ago.
“You, what are you doing—Cough!?”
Bam!
James’s sudden interjection was cut off midway.
That’s right. Wasn’t it all James’s fault that Ji-eun ended up like that? If so, there was only one thing Pang-pang needed to do.
To cooperate with the magical girl.
—That’s what she thought. Though, whether that was truly a good choice remained uncertain.
“Gasp, gasp…”
James’s limbs were bent awkwardly. It definitely seemed that, as she had heard from behind, those limbs were mechanical.
Thank goodness he was unlike the other Squeaky Adults. If he had been, he surely would have flown off on a drone by now, and since Pang-pang couldn’t fly, she wouldn’t have been able to catch him.
If Pang-pang had merely been someone who ‘knew’ the magical girl, she might not have gone this far after all.
No matter how much she adored her celebrity, in the end, they were still distant figures to Pang-pang.
Even though she liked Earth’s culture and the way Earthlings think, she had never thought about becoming some kind of hero.
But Ji-eun was her friend.
The first proper friend she had made in this world where she had almost no connections. A somewhat unique friend who didn’t wear glasses because of her being an alien, and even when Pang-pang acted like a fool while drinking coffee, was okay with it.
If someone were to ask if she should risk her life over friendship, she might have had a different answer—
Well.
One couldn’t ignore the fact that Eun-hye had often brought her home after drinking and acting foolishly.
“…”
Pang-pang stared intently at James.
It was regrettable, but with Ha-yoon beside her, she couldn’t say anything. She would get caught immediately.
So instead, Pang-pang alternated her gaze between James and Ha-yoon, pointing at James with her hand.
“What? Ah, yes!”
Ha-yoon, staring blankly at Pang-pang, suddenly realized what Pang-pang was trying to say and quickly looked at James.
“…”
After a moment of thought, she spoke.
“Y-yeah, that’s true. We can’t… really do anything about you. But, I think that combatant over there might think differently?”
“W-Why are you…?”
“Seems you’re a Amaryllis fan.”
Pang-pang, feeling a bit proud at Ha-yoon’s words, puffed out her chest.
“Wow, I can’t believe that’s really a thing.”
Hearing this, Rose immediately responded.
“What do you mean, a thing?”
“It’s when you’re such a fan that you take jobs close to the person.”
“Huh… Wait, are you saying you always stick around until the end?”
“…”
Hearing that made Pang-pang feel a bit down, but she still couldn’t think of anything to say.
She couldn’t, in good conscience, claim she had no such feelings.
“W-well, that doesn’t mean—”
But before James could say anything, Pang-pang stepped a few strides closer to him.
“Ah, wait, wait! I didn’t say I wouldn’t tell!”
James, raising his hand in response, found that the arm of the broken robot couldn’t lift properly.
In reality, Pang-pang didn’t have any other methods either.
That said, she couldn’t kill a person. Kidnapping felt a bit off too.
But the other person didn’t know anything about Pang-pang. If they had seriously investigated, they would’ve known at least a little, but they didn’t.
So, she decided to use that ‘fear of not knowing what might happen’ to her advantage.
As she approached with a creaking sound from her knuckles, James tried to escape from Pang-pang by any means possible. After all, it seemed he feared death above all else.
“…”
James shook for a while.
“Looks like you want to settle things between the two of you.”
Only after Ha-yoon said that did James finally open his mouth.
“That is… if you don’t say it was manipulated, then you all…?”
“Just walk away. Leaving just the two of you.”
“That means there’s no way out from the start!”
“That’s how certain we are.”
Ha-yoon stated.
“Yeah, if it’s Noir Corporation, I’m sure such things would happen without a second thought. Isn’t that right?”
“…”
James couldn’t say a word.
After a brief silence, he slowly opened his mouth, his expression showing a desire to disassemble.
*
I picked up the vibrating communicator and answered it.
At that moment, they probably weren’t calling me to do anything as a magical girl.
More like, they had something urgent to notify me.
What that might be, I couldn’t quite recall.
Could it be about me?
[Ji-eun!]
The voice from the other side of the communicator was bright. It was Ha-yoon.
“Ha-yoon?”
[I’ve found out something important!]
“Important?”
[Yes! Very, very important!]
I blinked a few times.
Ha-yoon seemed to have realized she was getting too excited and paused for a moment to calm down.
[So… about that genetic test.]
Ha-yoon spoke in a calm voice.
I blinked again.
Then I turned my gaze to the woman sitting beside my bed.
She was staring at me with wide eyes.
Given Ha-yoon’s demeanor and the fact she suddenly contacted me through the communicator, it was clear what the news would be.
I hurriedly opened my mouth, but Ha-yoon was already continuing with her information.
[That genetic test was manipulated.]
“…”
Yeah, it was the news I had been waiting for.
Just hearing that made me feel at ease.
And at the same time, it was also news that ignited my anger. Until then, I had only thought of that villainous corporation as something that didn’t concern me much, but now they had truly become an ‘enemy.’
But amidst all that emotional turmoil, the first thing I felt wasn’t joy or anger.
Rather, it was—strangely—worry.
That feeling rose to the surface first.
I turned my gaze to the woman. The one who claimed to be my mother.
She stood there, frozen, holding fruit and a knife.
What kind of reaction would she have?
It’s possible she might charge at me with that knife. If she was indeed a being sent by Noir Corporation.
But I didn’t think of that…
If she had intended to harm me, she surely would have found another way long ago. She wouldn’t have acted so brazenly.
So, the reason I was worried was—
A tear rolled down the woman’s face.
“Ha-yoon.”
I spoke calmly into the communicator.
[Huh?]
My weak reaction seemed to surprise Ha-yoon, who was oblivious to the circumstances here. That made sense.
“Let’s talk again in a bit. I think I’ll need some time.”
[Oh, okay! Then… uh…]
“I’ll head to the headquarters.”
[Okay! See you then!]
Ha-yoon answered back in a bright voice.
The call ended like that.
The two of us fell into silence for a moment.
“Ah, no… no.”
The woman spoke.
“I, I mean, the genetic test… it definitely showed that…”
“I know.”
I let out a long breath.
I was… picked up from a baby box.
And that baby box wasn’t made just for me. It was set up to avoid leaving a child on the street. So, it wasn’t just the people who knew about it that gave birth to me.
There must have been many who passed through that place. Just like me and Ji-hye.
It could be a misunderstanding. Noir Corporation might have manipulated it to connect to themselves.
One thing I was sure of was that this woman genuinely believed I was her daughter. Not for money or some act, but because she truly felt that way.
She had come looking for a daughter who had grown up this much.
“It wasn’t a bad thought.”
I carefully said after a moment of hesitation.
“At the very least, I can’t deny that you genuinely thought of me.”
I heard a clattering sound as the knife fell to the floor. The fruit rolled away.
She covered her face with both hands.
And then she sobbed.
I wasn’t sure what to say. At first, I thought she was someone who deceived me, but later I wished it wasn’t so. But now…
Now… all I could think was that she was simply a pitiful person.
I moved a bit closer and sat down. Then I reached out to wrap my arm around her shoulders.
The woman fell into my embrace and cried endlessly.
Perhaps, that person might have been my mother.
“…”
This was what it felt like to carry a heavy heart.
I felt a little relieved that the weight in mine had lifted, but conversely, for this person… it had turned out this way.
I stayed silently by her side until she could cry enough to feel better.
It took a while.