episode_0001

I feel extremely uncomfortable.

It’s because, right in front of me, there were students who were tightly hugging each other, on the verge of almost kissing each other.

If they are students, shouldn’t they be studying like students? Why are they already indulging in romance?

Ah, is this too much of a conservative viewpoint?

“Jieun, Jieun.”

“What?”

“Jealous?”

“……”

“Are you jealous? Are you?”

“……”

Watching the friends next to me, poking my side and teasing, I seriously pondered what I should say.

I dislike couples. I’ve disliked them immensely since I was young.

There’s no particular reason.

It’s just that I’m not part of a couple.

Isn’t that so? Honestly speaking, it was difficult for me to imagine a relationship where just having someone beside you makes you happy.

“You have relationships other than romantic ones, don’t you?” one might ask, but well, unfortunately, I’ve hardly experienced such relationships.

My personality isn’t particularly good, and I’m neither handsome, talented, nor wealthy.

“If you’re so envious, then did you accept the confession last time and start dating?”

“That’s because no one confessed to you, that’s why you’re saying that to me.”

“Where in the world does such a thing exist?”

“It does exist. When a really pretty girl and a less pretty girl are together, the less pretty one thinks there’s a slight chance.”

“Why do you joke about it like that?”

No, I’m serious.

“Even so, with your looks, you could probably get a guy, couldn’t you? There must be someone who would accept if you confessed, right?”

You should try saying that so easily.

…Well, objectively speaking, I think “possible” is a fair assessment. If you ask if there’s absolutely no subjective judgment, I have nothing to say, but I’m confident that I won’t be completely rejected anywhere.

The problem is, even if that’s the case, it’s not like I can just grab anyone and start dating right now.

I don’t have time, money, and there’s a mountain of work to do, and on top of that, I happen to like girls.

Yeah. I like girls.

I could ask what the problem is with a girl liking another girl in today’s world, but that’s just what other people say, not something that concerns me.

Above all, the situation I’m in right now is very “unique.”

Date a high schooler? No matter how bad my personality is, I’m not that conscienceless. Sure, I’m a high schooler myself right now, but that’s different. A 25-year-old dating a 16-year-old is enough to cause social controversy. By the way, both sides are minors.

You might think the age difference is strange. And you might think it’s insane to assume that someone older is dating a high schooler.

There’s a story behind this.

Um, where should I start telling it?

17 years ago, it feels hazy when I think about it. If I don’t read the notes I wrote in my notebook, my memory becomes somewhat confusing.

So… yes, I was just an ordinary college student. It was a university in an area barely escaping the Gyeonggi Province, an unnamed place where 100% of the freshmen were not enrolled. There were a total of five school buildings, and among them, one, the oldest and most insignificant building, was the dormitory.

Even in a place where 100% of the students were not enrolled, there was always a shortage of dorm rooms. The school didn’t really have any intention of increasing that number. Even the restrooms in the classrooms where we took classes had squat toilets.

It was such a neighborhood, yet the prices of nearby one-room apartments for students were quite high. Both I and my parents decided to commute instead of living nearby. So, I commuted to school for about an hour and a half to two hours on the school bus in the morning and evening.

Ah, yes. That’s right. After being discharged from the military, I commuted like that for over a year. I don’t know what I was thinking back then.

Anyway, well… Inside the swaying bus, of course, there was quite a bit of spare time, and during that spare time, if there wasn’t any assignment to do, naturally, I either slept or did something else to pass the time.

I mostly read webtoons or web novels. It’s not because I had a hipster vibe… I was just a hardcore otaku to the core, reading Japanese web novels by running the built-in translator on my browser, or, anyway, I mainly read those kinds of novels that gave me “that feeling.” You know, the kind of stories that might become popular once they’re animated in Japan.

As for webtoons, I actually mainly watched ones that were uploaded by individuals on blogs or other community sites, rather than those officially serialized sites. Most of them would stop being updated in the middle without any explanation, or even if they were updated, it would be one episode at a time, or worse, they would be officially serialized as webtoons, causing the original series to be discontinued.

And what I hated the most was the “official serialization” at the end.

Why? Isn’t it good when your favorite artist’s comic gets officially serialized? It gets updated regularly, the artist is doing well, and usually, it’s even colored and the rough lines are polished.

The problem is, it loses that “raw” taste. Many short pieces start off on blogs or sites. Usually, those short pieces are made with stimulating content to grab people’s attention.

Characters get naked, have big chests, or each line of dialogue is extremely suggestive, or in general, these features make those comics extremely funny.

However, the problem with such stimulating material is that it’s difficult to sustain the excitement for a long time. Shall we consider an example?

Traditional magical girl stories have certain clichés. Magical girls transform and strike their signature poses without anyone telling them to do so. The battles between magical girls and villains are often detached from reality for various reasons, unbeknownst to others, while more realistic issues intertwine in the background, typically involving fights between friends or romantic tales.

And let’s say there’s a comic that satirizes these clichés. The magical girl is embarrassed about transforming, prefers a more realistic approach over magic, and villains attack while she’s transforming. Their fights make the news, there are organizations managing magical girls, government officials get involved, people protest…

All of this can be made amusing through satire. However, all these “realistic” settings ultimately lead the drama to become serious.

Yeah, that’s the trap.

A webtoon turned long-running comedy novel eventually becomes strangely serious as it progresses, ultimately making the comedy not so comedic.

The magical girl story I was reading was like that too.

“Hey, hey.”

“Yeah?”

The pink-haired girl next to me nudges my arm.

She’s become my childhood friend here for some reason.

Unless she needs to have that hair because she’s an idol, how many high school students would walk around with such perfect pink hair?

Moreover, she’s had this hair since we first met in elementary school.

She claims it’s her “natural color.”

…Well, whatever, let’s just say it could happen due to an incredibly unique genetic trait.

But here’s the thing.

Or the violet bob passing by.

Or the green ponytail next to it.

Orange, lime, blue, sky, navy, yellow… Well, yellow is a natural color, though.

Anyway, the hair colors of the passersby are incredibly diverse.

And eight or nine out of ten people with these striking hair colors also had body hair of the same shade. At least, that’s what I could see of their eyebrows, eyelashes, and beard color.

Just like in a comic book. In this world, that was “normal.”

“Why? Are you feeling lonely because you don’t have anyone to spend Christmas with? Should I be with you?”

“…Sorry. I have a prior commitment that day.”

“Oh?”

The pink childhood friend’s face looked a bit suspicious.

“You’re not secretly dating someone, are you?”

My goal after becoming a college student was to have a girlfriend.

I never dated during college. Not until I died, at least.

…Well, considering my current “unique” situation, I’m not sure if that’s possible.

“Anyway, I’m busy.”

Alright, I’m busy.

Of all things, I’m working part-time for an evil organization of magical girls.

It’s a legal job for an evil organization, but still.

…Honestly, it’s amazing that the person in front of me hasn’t noticed.

The person in front of me is, um…

“Happy Cherry Blossom,” a magical girl belonging to the Galactic Federation. In Korea, all magical girls have flower names, but she’s the only one whose name ends with “Blossom,” so everyone just calls her “Blossom.”

It’s a naming sense so devoid of righteousness that it’s almost delightful.

Well, it’s a one-time blog comic short story, so I guess they just gave her a name that came to mind at the time.

The prefix “Happy-” is something like the official slogan of the Galactic Federation: “We work for the happiness of all planets in the universe!” It’s also a kind of black comedy unique to webtoons.

That doesn’t mean she’s an alien. She’s from Earth.

…Well, let’s save that story for later.

“So… are we staying here today too?”

“Yeah.”

On the way home.

We always part ways at the bus stop.

She takes the bus, and I walk. Saving every penny is good after all.

It goes without saying, but I haven’t invited a friend over to my place yet.

To be honest, apart from her, there’s not really anyone else I’d bother to make an effort for.

“Will you wait a bit?”

I let out a deep sigh.

A white breath poured out of my mouth.

I stopped my steps to turn around and faced “Blossom.”

How many times have we fought?

Since the transformation was released, it hasn’t been used for about a year.

Honestly, at this point, a strange determination arises.

…It’s absurd to think that I could fight someone who’s not even a high-ranking member, let alone the representative position of a magical girl group.

“…Three minutes left.”

“Ugh, why are you counting down like that?”

Muttering as I looked at the bus schedule on the sign, Blossom waved her hand.

I took a deep breath again.

“Normally, you’d go home with your friends. Why, have they all got boyfriends now?”

In response to my words, my childhood friend turned to me, whistling.

“But still, our relationship has soured a bit lately. Sometimes, wouldn’t it be nice for old friends to go home together?”

“…Is that so?”

I looked back at the bus schedule.

“It’s arriving soon.”

“Oh, really.”

Blossom seemed a little disappointed as she looked at the sign.

“Um… Jieun.”

Then, hesitantly, she spoke to me.

“What?”

“Have I done anything recently that might have made you angry?”

I looked at Blossom, filled with unspoken emotions, and she slightly lowered her head, looking up at me.

With both hands in my pockets, I tap the ground lightly with the tips of my shoes.

“No, it’s just that lately you seem a bit distant.”

“…No, it’s nothing.”

I exhale deeply and speak again.

“…I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I feel a bit gloomy thinking I have to spend Christmas like this again.”

“Really? So, it’s not my fault?”

“Did I do something wrong?”

“Yeah… No, I’m not sure.”

“Then maybe there isn’t anything. I don’t know either.”

As I said that, Blossom— no, Hayoon, smiled.

“Is that so? Well, then it’s fine.”

What on earth has happened?

In the meantime, the bus arrived.

“Well, let’s meet up after Christmas!”

I waved back at Hayoon, who was waving her hand at me. It would be nice if the winter break started right after Christmas.

As I watched the bus move away, I turned around and started walking.

…This winter is cold too.

I should buy a lot of hot packs to put in my uniform. I’m glad I saved money on the bus fare.

Thinking that, I breathed in the chilly air.