Chapter 51: Countdown (3)

In a fleeting moment.

Byulmuri, belatedly, regretted it.

She had completely forgotten about the bomb around her neck — and the fact that she had once again committed such an act against Ianna, who was nothing short of a benefactor.

That she might never see Ianna’s face again.

Byulmoori was not indifferent to death.

She was naive and immature — she couldn’t accept death as calmly as other magical girls.

She wasn’t ready.

Especially not a death so miserable.

Fear.

What consumed Byulmoori’s mind was fear of death.

She had wanted to stand on equal footing with Han Hojoon.

She thought that if she climbed to the top by any means necessary, he would finally turn to look at her.

She thought that if she became an adult quickly, Hojoon would acknowledge her.

Because he was her father.

She wanted his love.

The feelings Han Byulhwa had toward Han Hojoon were nothing short of love and hatred intertwined.

A hatred so intense it made her want to kill him — and a longing for family.

But it was Ianna who had filled the place that Hojoon had left vacant.

It was Ianna who had given her the affection her parents never had.

She shouldn’t have treated Ianna like this.

Retribution…

She thought it was karma. That she was paying for her sins.

The reflection of herself in Ianna’s blurred eyes—

Was no different from Han Hojoon, who had inflicted countless atrocities upon Ianna.

She felt so disgusted with herself she could hardly bear it.

The madness of a magical girl was no excuse.

She could accept, to a degree, that such a miserable end was fitting.

Because that’s what she was.

No one truly liked her.

Except for Ianna, those who had approached her with goodwill were extremely rare.

Most looked at her with disdain, as if she were something disgusting.

A curse.

It was a cruel, wretched curse.

Tears, clear and transparent, welled up in Byulmoori’s eyes.

The end was coming.

She could sense it instinctively.

The receiver strapped around her neck had begun to vibrate.

But—

She couldn’t give up yet.

She wasn’t thinking about removing the bomb or trying to escape.

She knew it was impossible.

That wasn’t the last thing she had to do.

Ianna.

Ianna’s wide, astonished eyes came into view.

What she had to do—

Was convey her heart to Ianna.

It had been a short life.

Throughout it all, the only person who had truly cared about her and opened their heart to her was Ianna.

Simply—

She was grateful.

…Thank you.

But no voice came out.

Even her final wish — to say thank you — couldn’t be fulfilled.

It filled her with regret.

That even in her final moment, she couldn’t do what she wanted most.

It made her feel unbearably miserable.

She had lived her life bound by duty, forced to sacrifice herself as a magical girl.

The fact that nothing — aside from Ianna — had ever stood by her side filled her with despair.

…If I had known it would be like this, I would have—

That moment.

She wouldn’t have held back.

Back when she first learned the ugly truth behind the Management Bureau.

She should have acted then.

Her emotions — a chaotic mix of anger, regret, and fear — tore through her.

The strength drained from Byulmuri’s entire body.

BEEEEEEEP—

The rising signal from the receiver and her frantic heartbeat blended into a single, maddening sound.

A funeral march.

Byulmoori thought of it as the dirge for her own pitiful end.

She squeezed her eyes shut. She no longer had the courage to face it.

She didn’t want to face such a miserable, painful, cruel death with her eyes open.

…No.

Maybe she would die so quickly she wouldn’t even feel the pain.

Even so—

She didn’t want Ianna to see her head blown apart.

More precisely, she didn’t want to see the look of horror on Ianna’s face.

If she could, she would have told Ianna to close her eyes.

Yes.

She would smile.

Ianna liked smiles.

For the first and last time, the only gift she could offer was a bright smile.

There was no alternative.

The dice had already been cast.

There was no turning back now.

She would die like this.

Certainly.

That was why—she smiled.

Goodbye, she thought.

Smiling.

Thus—

BEEEEEP—

In a fleeting moment.

‘…’

A short yet infinitely long moment passed.

Until Ianna reacted.

“Stay close—!!!”

Just as the receiver’s beeping reached its peak, Ianna threw herself at Byulmuri and wrapped her arms around her.

Then she slammed her forehead against Byulmuri’s.

Thunk!

“Ugh…”

Byulmuri, stunned by the large bump swelling on her forehead, stumbled.

In that instant, Ianna tightened her embrace.

Clinging to her desperately, refusing to let go, pressing their foreheads together.

“What are you…?”

“Don’t you dare—let go!!!”

Ianna’s actions were swift.

Her resolve was unwavering.

There wasn’t a shred of hesitation.

The Ianna reflected in Byulmuri’s eyes—

Looked just like—

“Janwol’s magical girl.”

Whose long, shimmering black hair fluttered as she raced to save the weak.

The glorious figure of her prime.

While Byulmuri stood dazed, Ianna steeled herself.

Receiver.

The necklace itself wasn’t the bomb.

The real bomb was implanted inside Byulhwa’s neck.

The necklace was merely a receiver for the detonation signal.

And the one who could trigger it—

Was undoubtedly Hojoon.

As long as Ianna stayed tightly pressed against Byulmoori, Hojoon couldn’t detonate the bomb.

Conviction surged in Ianna’s clouded eyes.

She didn’t know exactly what the increasing beeping meant.

Maybe Hojoon had already pressed the button and there was a delay before the explosion.

Even so—

…There’s no way Hojoon would design it like that.

She was sure.

Living under the same roof as him, she had learned firsthand just how meticulous and thorough Hojoon was.

A man who hated anything deviating from his plans more than death itself.

Thus.

He wouldn’t have allowed something so uncertain as a time-delay detonation.

Also.

If Hojoon had realized what Byulmuri was doing and amplified the receiver’s signal as a response—

It meant—

He was watching.

Somewhere.

Hojoon’s eyes were watching this very room.

BEEEEEP—

The beeping grew louder, sharper.

…A warning?

No, not a warning.

The beeping was chilling, like a funeral song.

It was clear: Hojun intended to kill Byulmuri.

Thus, Ianna had no choice but to act.

Even if it meant betting her life.

It was a gamble—but she had a kind of certainty.

A conviction that as long as she acted like this, Hojoon wouldn’t dare push the detonator.

Ianna had grown stronger.

She was no longer the crying, helpless girl who wet herself in fear.

The “Promise Between Ianna” had lightened her burden.

Paradoxically, even though she now carried everything, her back felt light.

It felt as if someone else were supporting her back.

Of course, that was just an illusion.

Still.

Risking her life for Byulmoori wasn’t even a difficult choice anymore.

She was no longer her past self.

She had begun to dream of tomorrow.

She didn’t know exactly how powerful the bomb inside Byulhwa’s neck was.

But—

At this close distance, if the bomb exploded—

She would surely be blown to pieces too.

Because Byulmuri was a magical girl.

A half-hearted bomb couldn’t kill her.

Even if a trick was used to implant it inside her body.

Ianna bet her life in a gamble against Hojoon.

To warn him.

To pressure him.

If Byulmuri died, Ianna — essential to Hojoon’s plans — would die too.

Thus, she was demanding, without words:

Take your hand off the detonator.

It was an unspoken threat.

If Hojoon ignored her warning and pressed the detonator anyway—

She would gladly die.

So that Byulhwa wouldn’t die alone.

“Huff, huff…”

“Stay still…”

Then—

Ianna deliberately kissed Byulhwa, pressing her lips against hers and slipping her tongue into her mouth.

Now it was certain.

If the bomb was powerful enough to blow off Byulhwa’s neck and head—

Ianna would die too.

So.

What are you going to do, Hojoon?

Until Hojun personally came here, until the receiver’s beeping stopped — whether it took hours, days, months, or years — she would stay like this.

Even if it meant dying.

She would never let go of Byulhwa.

Hojun had only one choice left:

Undo everything.

Destroy the detonator inside Byulhwa’s body.

Including all backups.

Ianna wasn’t thinking about what revenge might come later.

Just imagining it was terrifying — but saving Byulhwa came first.

What cards are left in Hojun’s hand…?

***

“Detonate it.”

“Yes, sir!”

While silently observing Ianna’s room—

Hojoon finally made his decision.