READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 7
“Hey, did you see that?”
A guy poked the person next to him with his elbow as he spoke.
“Yeah, she’s not as pretty as I thought.”
“Is that really something you should say?”
It was as if he wanted me to overhear. He spoke in a hushed tone but not so softly that I couldn’t hear him.
The most annoying part was that I couldn’t tell if he meant it for me or was just chatting with his friend. If I confronted them, they’d probably respond with, “Why are you eavesdropping?” or “That wasn’t directed at you!” It’s impossible to know if they’re telling the truth either. The technology to read minds hasn’t even been invented by the Galactic Federation yet.
I might be thinking negatively, but honestly, I believe there’s a strong chance he was speaking to me… Still, I know responding to every little jab will only tire me out.
If I confront them, they’ll probably just think I’m some “unrefined girl.”
“….”
Blossom—or Ha-yoon—looked a bit downcast.
Even someone who thinks they’re pretty wouldn’t openly brag about it. Regardless of whether she’s pretty or not, nobody likes to hear that they’re “not that great” in terms of looks.
If Ha-yoon were just pretty without any special status, it might not matter much. If she were like me, just an ordinary student without a presence, I wouldn’t have to deal with comments like that in the first place.
But Ha-yoon is a Magical Girl.
“Do you want to go to the convenience store?”
Saying something like “don’t mind it” in this situation wouldn’t hold much meaning. The moment they hear it, they’ll end up worrying about it.
It’s better to feed them something, I thought.
“Huh?”
“Let’s go. I feel like grabbing something to eat.”
“Huh-huh?”
Without even giving Ha-yoon a chance to respond, I grabbed her wrist and pulled her along.
Ha-yoon followed me without much resistance. Just yesterday, the snow had been falling heavily at night, but somehow, once daytime arrived, the temperature rose above freezing, and the places where the snow was cleared were somewhat dry. So, it wasn’t too difficult to run to the nearest convenience store.
As I entered the cramped store, my neck felt a bit itchy. It seemed Ha-yoon wasn’t accustomed to the rising temperature with the scarf she’d gotten two years ago.
But my priority was to cheer Ha-yoon up, so I brushed this sensation aside.
Let’s see…
“Hey, Ji-eun.”
“Um….”
“Ji-eun?”
“Yeah?”
“Uh… your hand.”
“Huh? Oh, sorry.”
It seemed like I accidentally held her hand instead of just grabbing her wrist.
I wasn’t as shocked as when Ha-yoon suddenly grabbed my hand when we were kids, but I still felt like I made a silly mistake and quickly let go.
Plus, I think I held her a bit too tightly.
“No, there’s nothing to be sorry about.”
Ha-yoon, feeling a bit embarrassed, wrapped her other hand around her own as she spoke. Her face turned slightly pink.
Ah, I see.
Ha-yoon is already a well-known figure. Still, there weren’t that many people in our neighborhood who would chat with her too excitedly, and at school, she would get shunned if she showed too much enthusiasm. But in a place that isn’t our neighborhood or school, things change.
In fact, Ha-yoon currently wore a mask covering her face, a hat on her head, and large framed glasses.
Her pink hair wasn’t tied up like usual either, but simply hanging down.
With the mask on, it was enough to pull her scarf up a bit higher. Surprisingly, people still didn’t seem to recognize her face.
Or rather, even if they did recognize her, they’d probably think, “No, it can’t be her,” and just move on.
Unlike those earlier folks who seemed to know her instantly.
“So, what do you want to drink? Peach?”
I turned my gaze towards the fridge, trying to conceal my embarrassment as I spoke.
Ha-yoon has liked peach-flavored drinks since childhood. It didn’t seem like it was because of her hair color. To begin with, she struggles to keep such “concepts” consistent.
“Yeah….”
Hearing her faint response, I decided it was an emergency and boldly opened the fridge to grab two peach drinks.
There were even some jelly bits inside, making it a decent drink to munch on.
Before Ha-yoon could protest, I hurriedly paid at the register.
The college student working the register stared at Ha-yoon’s face, so I quickly grabbed her wrist and pulled her out. This time, I held it properly without any confusion.
Since we were out, I decided we might as well walk to a nearby park. The weather was around three degrees above freezing, so we could endure it for a few minutes.
The park was nearly deserted. Most people probably went into nearby cafés or shopping malls.
Since the traces of the piled-up snow would make sitting on a bench too gross, I just stood there and opened the drink cap to hand it to Ha-yoon.
“…Thank you.”
She accepted it with both hands and stared at me.
Feeling her gaze, I quickly opened my own bottle.
I tipped my bottle to touch hers, suggesting a toast, and took a sip first.
The sweet yet somewhat artificial peach flavor filled my mouth, followed by the small jelly bits that were perfectly chewable.
As I munched on the jelly, Ha-yoon chuckled softly and filled her mouth with the drink too.
We exchanged glances, not saying anything for a while, just enjoying the moment.
“…It’s good.”
“Really? I’m glad to hear that. I was worried I should have gotten something warmer.”
To be honest, while it was nice to drink at first, I felt a slight chill creeping in after swallowing. Ha-yoon showed no sign of discomfort, though.
Should I just hold on?
If asked to choose the person around me whose mind is the most difficult to read, it would undoubtedly be Ha-yoon. Others think she’s just fun-loving and perfect, but someone who has known her since childhood—
—No, to be honest, I, who know the content of the “original work,” realize how sensitive Ha-yoon truly is.
She’s the type to get upset over a single comment on the Internet and swallows down any nasty remarks to avoid being disliked by others.
I’m careful myself, but honestly, she probably has some words she wants to say to me deep down as well.
…Despite everything, I still believe Ha-yoon is a good person. There aren’t many decent people like her in this world. Including myself, there are far more kids with no potential and bad manners.
If anyone should grow up, it ought to be someone like her.
“So, what do you want for dinner?”
When I asked, Ha-yoon smiled brightly.
“Since you bought this, I’ll treat you to dinner.”
“…This cost less than three thousand won for both.”
“Because you often buy me things.”
In response to my comment, Ha-yoon seemed determined to stand her ground.
Even though, when it comes to receiving, I’d definitely be getting more…
Hmm, maybe since she’s always been well-off, her perception of money is different from mine, almost like she counts things by “numbers.” It seems she doesn’t regard gifts as part of the count.
“Really? Then… let’s go wherever you want. Since I’m treating you, let’s get what you want.”
“Okay!”
And Ha-yoon took me to a sushi restaurant.
It’s located right in the middle of Jung-gu, Seoul, so even if it’s slightly tucked away, it must still be pretty expensive.
…Well, for me, it’s just a treat, and the sushi I enjoyed after a long time was delicious enough to bring tears to my eyes.
Let’s keep this a secret from Ji-hye.
*
And about two days later.
With the New Year just having started, naturally, I had nothing in particular to do.
Ji-hye felt the same way. For teenagers who are short on cash, all they can really do is take a bus to a distant place, see some sights, and then come back, but the cold weather made daily explorations unmanageable, and bus fares had increased too.
By the way, subways don’t come near here either. I sometimes think it’s surprising that there’s even a “wealthy area” in such a neighborhood, but then I remember those people just travel around in cars driven by chauffeurs, and it leaves me feeling really uneasy.
Come to think of it, I went there mindlessly a few years back, walking around for a while.
It was just ridiculously tall, and there was absolutely nothing but “houses” nearby, no convenience stores or restaurants. The composition was strangely similar to the nearby moon village. The only difference was that the “houses” there would probably build five of those moon village homes stacked on top of each other.
There are people who have no choice but to live in places that are empty because they have no money, and then there are others who have so much money that living in such empty places doesn’t bother them.
As I pondered the fact, drowning in the sorrow of the wealth gap as I often did, Ji-hye, who was always lying around, spoke up.
“Wow, check this out.”
As she said this, she held out her phone, which showed Ha-yoon.
With her pink hair, scarf, thick glasses, and mask, she looked—
…..
Oh, this is…
I snatched Ji-hye’s phone, scrolling through the screen.
[Blossom, Dating?]
It was an absurdly simple title.
[▲ Did Blossom dress like this because she didn’t want to be seen by those around her? The disguised Blossom is being led by someone’s hand into a building.]
The description was just as simple, mainly one line explaining the photo rather than a full article.
I guess it means no further explanation is needed. You often get these types of “entertainment news.”
The issue was that this photo was likely taken when we were entering the convenience store.
Ha-yoon’s hand was being tightly held by someone else’s hand. The entrance to the convenience store was slightly elevated above the street, meaning I happened to be caught in the moment as the escalators rose—making the hand’s owner appear a few centimeters taller than Ha-yoon.
Plus, both Ha-yoon and I were wearing gloves, so it wasn’t obvious which gender we were, and my appearance was cut off around the wrist, making it a picture that could certainly lead to misunderstandings for anyone unfamiliar with the situation.
Ha-yoon’s cheeks were slightly flushed, and she seemed a bit surprised, her eyes wide as she looked up at me.
“What do you think? Are they really dating?”
“….”
I narrowed my eyes, glaring at Ji-hye, who was cluelessly staring at me, and she flinched.
“Are you going to ask if she’d actually date?”
Ha-yoon dating… Well, I suppose she could if she wanted to.
Still, she had received (and rejected) several confessions. It wasn’t necessarily because she couldn’t find anyone appealing; rather, the thought of being in a relationship itself seemed to weigh on her.
After all, she was this famous.
I’m sure there would be guys approaching her solely based on that fame.
…Sometimes, in this world, a guy who says he had the first experience with a celebrity might crow, “I was her first.” It’s likely Ha-yoon felt more fear than joy after receiving those confessions.
“It must be that guy.”
“Ah, was it back then?”
Ji-hye’s eyes widened as she said it. That’s right, on January 1st, I had said I was going out to meet a friend. Ji-hye had said the same.
“Ah, I see. Then this is probably a manipulated story.”
A headline about her dating a girl could come out, I guess.
But in South Korea, where same-gender physical contact is relatively common, simply holding hands with a girl wouldn’t cause a dating rumor to spread. It would probably just result in laughter.
In an instant, Ji-hye lost interest in the article, and I quickly passed the phone back to her, picking up my own phone.
Yet once I opened the chat, I didn’t even know what to say.
If this article was from a highly circulated source, I might have been able to send her some comforting words—though, I don’t know.
Wasn’t it a bad idea to inform someone unknowing about an article like that?
Ding.
While I was lost in thought, my phone suddenly vibrated and my heart nearly dropped.
Thank goodness, it wasn’t a message from Ha-yoon.
[Ji-eun, could you come to the headquarters? I have something to discuss.]
“….”
The message was quite politely worded, yet—
I glanced at the clock.
It was five in the afternoon. By the time I got there, it would be about six.
The working hours were defined as six in the evening for these guys, and unless special circumstances arose, the “officers” wouldn’t stay late.
So, I had to be there within about half an hour.
That’s physically impossible, though.
“Uh, where are you off to?”
“Yeah. Just a moment, a friend called me.”
“Oh, really? Pick up some cola on the way back.”
“Okay.”
Despite the orphanage having rules in place for the kids to wash up promptly in the morning, I didn’t need to prepare anything other than changing my clothes.
As I left the room, I sighed deeply.
Surely, they weren’t calling me about that article?
Suddenly, that thought crossed my mind, but I shook my head to dismiss it and dashed to the bus stop.
*
“This photo here, is it Ji-eun’s?”
The officer James placed a photo in front of me, and it was indeed the same photo I had seen in the article.
The only difference was that this photo had its original, unedited form, unlike the cut-off version that only showed Ha-yoon. My face was quite clear.
I was entering the convenience store holding Ha-yoon’s hand, and my expression looked stiff. I didn’t even glance at her—I was just staring straight ahead.
At a first glance, it could appear as though I was dragging her in against her will, but looking at Ha-yoon’s expression showed the exact opposite, making the photo odd overall.
“…Yes, that’s me.”
There was no point in denying it here since the company must have already known, so I answered that way.
As I quietly listened to whatever he was about to say, he responded,
“My, my.”
James exaggeratedly said this, walking away towards the window.
The office had big windows, offering a bright view of Seoul. Against the backdrop of the city was the city hall in front, made into a skating rink by freezing the water in the square below, with people skating in large circles.
“A person in such a valuable position should have told us before. We could have treated you much better from the start.”
“…Did Noir Corporation take this photo?”
“Of course. We’re also in the entertainment business. It’s our duty to provide pleasant visual stimuli to our good citizens.”
Fake news.
Those words nearly escaped my throat, but I bit my tongue and held it back.
“So, what do you want to say…?”
“I shall increase the donation amount.”
“….”
I stared straight at James.
With his hands folded behind his back, he gazed out the window, then turned to face me.
“You know what power drives these circuits, don’t you?”
“…Hope.”
That’s the narrative being widely advertised by the Galactic Federation.
And this company too.
“Precisely. Hope. Hope is good. But really, how long can such a flimsy energy source last?”
Still performing theatrically, James gestured broadly as he spoke.
“Rather, the courage to throw oneself against the obstacles at hand is the true source of advancement for humanity, isn’t it?”
His words weren’t wrong, yet the underlying reason sounded highly dubious.
“But well, all right. We do know how helpful the emotion of hope is to humans. So I suppose they must be out here in the ‘front line’ for that reason.”
“….”
Seeing the photo James pointed at, I fell silent.
So this man was saying that “being photographed like this is the duty of a Magical Girl.”
“So what do you want me to do?”
I asked.
Him saying he would increase donations and spinning this detailed monologue around all seemed to harbor ulterior motives.
“Something to do?!”
James responded like that and was about to place his hand on my shoulder, but then he noticed my fiery glare and withdrew it again.
“Instead, I meant to advise you to get closer to her.”
So he calls me in the afternoon for such nonsense?
“Really. But could you meet her a little more often than usual? We’ll make sure to guard Ji-eun’s safety. Just show up with her every so often. The rest, we’ll handle.”
“….”
“Don’t worry too much. There’s no problem with you hanging out with a Magical Girl. Work is work, and friendship is friendship. Isn’t it okay to have a clear distinction between the two? The donations…”
James told me the amount that was about 1.5 times my usual donation.
And because of that, I couldn’t entirely refuse the order of doing something bad to my friend.
…Even I think this is pretty trashy. No matter how fearful I was of the backlash that might come if refused.
But, considering the amount of money I could secure by doing this job while balancing my studies, it seemed almost impossible to find other ways.
After the meeting ended, I wandered outside, skipping dinner as I aimlessly wandered for what felt like a long time.
Usually, when I had too many thoughts, I organized them while walking around, but even after an hour of wandering back to the orphanage, the thoughts in my head still hadn’t been sorted out.