1

I'm in a terribly bad mood.

Covering my face~

The reason? Because there are quite a few students right in front of me, practically on the verge of making out, tightly hugging each other.

If you're a student, shouldn't you just focus on studying? Why are you already diving into relationships?

Oh, is this too much of a cliché old-fashioned perspective?

"Jieun, Jieun."

"Why?"

"Are you jealous?"

"You are, aren't you? You're jealous, right?"

As my childhood friend from this world poked me in the side and teased me, I seriously pondered how to respond.

I dislike couples. I've hated them immensely since I was little.

The reason? It's simple.

Because I wasn't part of a couple.

Isn't that right? To be honest, the idea of a relationship where just having someone beside you brings happiness is hard for me to even imagine.

You might ask, 'Aren't there other kinds of relationships besides romantic ones?' but, well, unfortunately, I've barely had those either.

My personality isn't particularly great, nor am I exceptionally good-looking, talented, or wealthy.

"If you're that jealous, why didn't you date the person who confessed to you last time?"

"…That's because they only confessed to me because they couldn't confess to you."

"What kind of logic is that?"

"You know, it's that kind of thing. When a really pretty girl and a slightly less pretty girl hang out together, people look at the less pretty one and think, 'Maybe there's a chance there.'"

"How can you even joke like that?"

I'm not joking, though.

"Even so, you're good enough to get yourself a guy, right? If someone confesses to you, just accept them."

That's easy for you to say.

… Well, if I'm being objective, I guess it's not impossible.

It's not like I have zero confidence, though I'd be lying if I said I had no doubts.

But I'm fairly sure I don't have a face that's utterly hopeless in terms of attractiveness.

The problem is, that doesn't mean I can just date anyone right now.

I have no time, no money, and a mountain of tasks to handle. On top of that, I like girls.

That's right. I like girls.

And right now, I'm a girl too.

"People might say, 'What's the problem with a woman liking another woman in today's world?' But that's just what people uninvolved in my life might say. Above all, my current situation is incredibly 'unique.'

Date a high school student? I may have a bad personality and lack morals, but not to the extent of throwing away all decency.

Technically, I'm a high school student myself for now, but that's beside the point.

A 25-year-old plus a 16-year-old, and a 16-year-old romance—it's enough to stir up societal controversy. For the record, both ages mentioned are in Korean age.

You might think counting ages this way is strange.

And considering dating a high school student with that older age in mind might seem insane to you.

But there's a story behind this.

Hmm, where do I begin?

Thinking back to something that happened 17 years ago makes my memories hazy.

If I don't read through my notes, my recollection tends to get muddled.

So…Yes, I was an ordinary college student.

I attended a nameless university in a region just barely outside the outskirts of Gyeonggi-do.

It was the kind of school that couldn't fill its freshman quota, and it only had five buildings in total.

One of them, the oldest and most unimpressive, was the dormitory.

Even in schools that fail to fill their student quotas, dorm rooms are always in short supply.

And the university had no intention of increasing the number of rooms.

Some classrooms still had squat toilets, for crying out loud.

Despite all this, the rent for nearby one-room apartments aimed at students was quite high.

Both I and my parents decided it was better to commute than live near campus.

So, I took the school commuter bus every morning and evening, spending about an hour and a half to two hours each way.

Ah, yes, that's how it was.

After finishing my military service, I commuted like that for over a year.

Looking back now, I wonder what I was thinking.

Anyway.

Time was plentiful on the shaky bus rides.

If I didn't have assignments to work on, I would either sleep or find something else to pass the time.

Most of the time, I read webtoons or web novels.

Not because I had hipster tendencies…

Honestly, I was a full-on otaku.

I'd browse Japanese web novel sites and use browser-based translators to read them.

Or I'd read novels that gave off that 'anime-adaptable' vibe.

You know, the kind of stories you think might gain popularity if turned into anime in Japan.

Even with webtoons, I didn't stick to official platforms.

Instead, I gravitated toward those uploaded by individuals on blogs or community sites.

Most of those either stopped updating midway for no reason, updated one episode per year, or got officially serialized, cutting off the original uploads.

What I hated most was when something got 'officially serialized.'

Why?

Shouldn't it be a good thing when a webtoon by your favorite creator gets serialized?

Episodes come out regularly, the creator benefits, and the art usually improves with proper coloring and refined lines.

The problem is that it loses its 'raw' charm.

Most works uploaded on blogs or personal sites start as short stories.

These shorts are often provocative to grab attention.

Characters might be undressed, have exaggerated features, or deliver outrageously bold lines.

These elements make them hilariously entertaining.

But the issue with provocative material is that it's hard to sustain over a long story.

Take, for example, the traditional magical girl clichés.

A magical girl transforms, strikes a signature pose without needing instructions, and battles villains in ways detached from reality, unnoticed by the general public.

The most realistic issues might be fights between friends or romantic subplots.

Now imagine a webtoon satirizing all these clichés.

The magical girl feels embarrassed about transforming, prefers physical combat over magic due to real-world frustrations, and villains attack mid-transformation.

Their battles make the news, leading to government agencies managing magical girls, civil servant struggles, and public protests…

All of this can be made into a hilarious satire.

But all those 'realistic' settings eventually turn the story into something serious.

That's the trap.

Comedy webtoons that run for a long time tend to lose their comedic essence and veer into serious storytelling.

The magical girl story I read was no exception.

"Hey, hey."

"Huh?"

The pink-haired girl beside me nudged my arm.

This girl, who somehow ended up becoming my childhood friend in this world, was quite the character.

Unless you're an idol, who else in high school would walk around with perfectly pink hair like that?

And she's had this hair ever since we met in elementary school.

She claims it's her 'natural color.'

—Fine, let's say that's possible. Maybe there's some extraordinary genetic trait out there.

But then there's the purple bob haircut walking by over there.

And the green ponytail next to them.

Orange, lime green, blue, sky blue, indigo, yellow… Oh, wait, yellow is a natural hair color, isn't it?

Anyway, people's hair colors here are incredibly vibrant.

And more often than not, people with such bright hair colors also had matching body hair.

At least, the eyebrows, eyelashes, or beards I could see were the same color.

It was like being in a cartoon.

That was 'normal' in this world.

"So what's wrong? Feeling lonely about spending Christmas alone? Want me to keep you company?"

"…Sorry. I already have plans that day."

"Oh?"

The pink-haired childhood friend's expression turned a little mischievous.

"Are you secretly dating someone? A boyfriend, perhaps?"

My goal since entering college was to get a girlfriend.

I never managed to date anyone in college before I died.

…Considering my 'special' circumstances now, though, I'm not sure if it's even possible.

"Anyway, I'm busy."

Yeah, I was busy.

Because I happened to be working part-time for the villainous organization in a magical girl story.

It was a legal job, though, for what it's worth.

—Honestly, it's surprising that the girl in front of me hasn't caught on.

The girl in front of me is…

A magical girl affiliated with the Galactic Federation, 'Happy Cherry Blossom.'

In Korea, all magical girls take their names from flowers, but the only one ending with 'Blossom' is her.

So everyone just calls her 'Blossom.'

What an uninspired naming sense.

Well, that's typical of one-off blog comic shorts.

They probably just slapped on whatever name came to mind.

The prefix 'Happy-' is something like the Galactic Federation's official slogan: 'We work for the happiness of all planets in the universe!' It's a bit of black comedy unique to that webtoon.

Not that it means she's an alien.

She's human.

—But that's a story for another time.

"So… here again today?"

"Yeah."

The Way Home from School.

We always parted ways at the bus stop.

The direction toward the bus was over there.

I, on the other hand, walked.

Saving even a penny was the wiser choice.

Of course, I had never invited a friend to the place where I lived.

To be honest, if it weren't for someone like this, not many would even bother putting effort into talking to me.

"Not going to wait for me?"

I let out a deep sigh.

A puff of white breath escaped my lips.

I stopped the steps I was about to take and turned to face 'Blossom.'

How many times have I lost to her in a fight by now?

Each time I lose, my transformation breaks, yet it's a miracle I've managed to keep it a secret for about a year now.

Honestly, at this point, I've even developed a strange determination.

Thinking I could win against the protagonist—someone who holds the representative position in the magical girl group—is sheer arrogance.

Not to mention, even the executive ranks wouldn't dare to try such a thing.

"…Three minutes left."

"Ugh, why are you even keeping track of the time like that?"

When I muttered after looking at the time displayed on the bus stop board, Blossom waved her hand dismissively.

I sighed again.

"You could've just gone home with your usual friends. Why, did they all suddenly get boyfriends or something?"

At my words, my childhood friend whistled and looked away.

"Well, uh, we've grown a bit distant lately. I just thought—why not take some time to walk home with an old friend?"

"Really?"

I looked back at the bus stop board.

"It says it's arriving soon."

"Oh, you're right."

Blossom glanced at the board, a hint of disappointment in her expression.

"Uh… Jieun."

Then, hesitating a little, she spoke to me.

"What?"

"Did I… do something recently to upset you?"

What?

I pressed my eyebrows together, packing my irritation into my expression as I stared at Blossom. She lowered her head slightly, but her eyes peeked up at me.

Her hands were clasped behind her back, and she tapped the ground lightly with her toes.

"No, it's just… Lately, you've been acting a bit colder."

"…It's not that."

I exhaled another puff of white breath and spoke.

"Just… I don't know. Thinking about spending another Christmas like this makes me feel a bit gloomy, I guess."

"Really? So it's not my fault?"

"Did you even do anything wrong?"

"Um… No, I don't think so?"

"Then you didn't. I wouldn't know either."

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

"Really? Then it's fine."

Fine? What's fine?

In the meantime, the bus arrived.

"See you after Christmas!"

Waving at me from the bus, Hayoon grinned. I waved back at her.

It'll be nice if the break starts right after Christmas.

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

"This winter's cold too."

I thought about stocking up on more heat packs to put inside my battle gear.

Good thing I saved money by skipping the bus fare.

Breathing in the chilly air, that was the thought that crossed my mind.