Please Don't Abandon Me
“Song Chae-eun. What are you doing here?”
I spoke as naturally as possible, keeping my tone light.
“Mister.”
Her voice came out low and seething with anger.
The girl rose from her seat. Her eyes slid past me and locked onto the tall beauty standing at my side—well over 180 centimeters of elegant, well-endowed woman.
“The battery died. On the door lock.”
“Ah, right. Sorry. I meant to change it yesterday and completely forgot.”
“I waited thirty minutes. I had no idea where you went. But…”
Her gaze dropped to the plastic bag hanging between us.
“Were you late because you were out on a date with your girlfriend?”
“We just happened to meet while I was setting up a new smartphone. It’s not what you think.”
“Um, Oppa, who is this girl? Why is she calling you Mister?”
Magical Paradise blinked, eyes wide with innocent curiosity.
She didn’t call me Oppa. She called me Mister. And she knew the passcode. Just who was this girl?
“Ah, uh… She’s my cousin. She drops by whenever she feels like it, so I end up looking after her.”
The girl wore her usual cocky expression. Even in front of Kim Hayoung’s nearly 190-centimeter, overwhelmingly imposing frame, she didn’t shrink back an inch. She took one bold step closer.
“Your tastes are really something, Mister. Yesterday it was a twin-tailed girl. Today it’s this giant, mountain-sized woman?”
I wasn’t sure if she meant mountain-sized in height or in sheer presence.
“Twin tails?”
“No, I was just talking about someone I know. This is my cousin, Song Chae-eun.”
“Ah, hello! I’m Kim Hayoung.”
Kim Hayoung greeted her with a bright, sunny smile. The girl completely ignored it—almost rudely—and grabbed my wrist, yanking me forward.
“I’m hungry. Make me food. And who is she, anyway? Some free gift that came with your phone plan?”
“Chae-eun, watch your mouth.”
“It’s not like that! Oppa saved me today, so I came to repay the favor. I’m a magical girl.”
The moment the words magical girl left her lips, the girl’s cheeky expression vanished. Her face turned ice-cold as she glared at me.
Why is this my fault?
I reached up and rattled the high window on the wall. The loose latch gave way almost instantly.
“Just a second.”
I crawled through the gap, opened the door, and let them in. The contrast was immediate. Chae-eun kicked off her shoes and left them scattered. Kim Hayoung carefully lined hers up and stepped inside with graceful politeness.
“I can do that.”
“No, it’s fine. Really, this is nothing.”
“Mister, hurry up.”
I was still awkwardly trying to be courteous with Kim Hayoung over a single shoe when Chae-eun’s tug dragged me away.
The moment she stepped inside, she flung herself onto the sofa like she owned the place, turned on the TV, and started fiddling with the remote. Kim Hayoung gave a small bow and followed us in.
“The house is already cramped. Having someone this big come in makes it feel like I can’t even breathe.”
“Hey. Song Chae-eun.”
She might have my life in her hands, but some things still needed to be said.
Even after my outburst, the girl didn’t show a flicker of irritation. Her eyes stayed glued to the television.
“Ehehe. It’s okay, really. Girls her age can be like that. I’ll just borrow the kitchen!”
“Yes, thank you. I’ll apologize for her.”
I knelt down in front of the girl.
“At least try to be polite to our guest.”
“What guest? If she’s not here to seduce you, tell her to cook something and leave. I can’t stand being hungry.”
Maybe it was because the other woman was a magical girl, but Chae-eun’s face was clouded with inexplicable irritation.
“Here’s the peanut butter.”
“Yeah.”
She snatched it without even looking, then immediately began scooping it onto a spoon.
“Eat it after a proper meal.”
“It’s fine. This stuff probably won’t taste good anyway, so I’ll just fill up on it.”
“I’m actually a really good cook! I’m sure your cousin will like it!”
Soon the kitchen filled with the cheerful clatter of dishes and the rhythmic sound of a knife.
She seemed clumsy and carefree, which made me nervous, but if she was confident enough to brag about it, maybe it would be okay.
“Mister.”
She tugged at the sleeve of my hoodie and shot a quick glance toward Kim Hayoung.
“Is collecting magical girls at home your new hobby? Why do you keep bringing home these weird women? Are you actually into magical girls?”
“It really was a coincidence. I happened to save her while she was losing a fight in an alley. She insisted on following me to repay the favor.”
“Tsk. If it doesn’t taste good, I’m kicking her out right away. And I won’t let her back in this house ever again.”
The tense atmosphere was too much. I stood up, unable to bear the awkwardness any longer.
“Where are you going?”
“To help with the cooking. Making three servings alone would be hard.”
“Sit down. Stop trying to chase after women.”
She wrapped both legs around my neck and shoulders, locking me in place. I had no choice but to sit still.
“Mister, your neck is so thin. If I squeezed just a little, it would snap right off.”
She muttered the terrifying words like they were nothing.
Her eyes stayed fixed on Hayoung in the kitchen. She looked like a small predator warily watching an enormous unknown creature that had invaded her territory.
A short while later, Kim Hayoung called out in a bright voice as she set the table.
“It’s ready! Please come sit!”
Bacon cream pasta with mushrooms, a salad dressed in peanut-butter sauce, perfectly crisp toast, and fresh fruit juice.
She really made all this with only thirty thousand won?
“Even miniatures can look convincing if you only care about the shape.”
Wipe your drool first.
Still, the presentation was far beyond what I expected from a bachelor pad.
Scraaape.
I sat down first. Kim Hayoung tried to take the seat beside me, but Chae-eun darted in and claimed it instantly.
“Chae-eun, you—”
“What?”
I sighed. Fine.
I held back the urge to start eating and waited for her to take the first bite.
Why am I the one so nervous?
She picked up her fork, twirled a huge portion of pasta, and shoved it into her mouth.
“……”
For the first time, I saw an expression on her face that wasn’t pure irritation. Her eyes widened. She chewed faster. The crease between her brows disappeared.
But when she noticed Kim Hayoung smiling brightly at her, her face hardened again.
“How is it? Does it suit your taste? I used to make it a lot at home when I had no appetite.”
“Well… it’s not bad enough to make me throw up. It’s better than the bread Mister makes.”
I only spread jam on bread. What exactly did I do wrong?
Despite her grumbling, her hands and mouth never stopped moving. Even with food still in her mouth, she was already reaching for the next dish. She scraped up every drop of salad dressing and piled it onto her toast.
Looking at her like this, she really was just a cute young girl.
“It must really suit your taste. I’ve only taken one bite and you’ve already eaten almost everything. Slow down or you’ll get a stomachache.”
“It’s not like that. I’m only eating because you’re not. Don’t talk about my taste.”
She grumbled as she dumped the rest of the pasta into my bowl.
Or at least she tried to. She sneakily scooped some back onto the serving plate and moved it to her own bowl instead.
It must have been really good.
“You two cousins seem close.”
“Close? After we finish eating, hurry up and send this weird sister home, okay?”
Wipe the sauce off your mouth first.
Her tone never improved. I kept glancing nervously at Kim Hayoung, but she simply kept smiling brightly.
After the meal, the three of us stood up. I stopped Kim Hayoung when she offered to wash the dishes. She left with a cheerful “See you next time,” and the house fell silent once more.
With the bright, oversized presence gone, the space felt instantly quieter. Emptier.
“Mister, are you kidding me? You brought a magical girl into the house? Why don’t you just print the address on flyers and hand them out?”
“Isn’t it irrelevant?”
“What do you mean, irrelevant?! That bitch looked like she’s planning to come back!”
“Actually, when you think about it, a magical girl visiting isn’t really a problem, is it?”
“What are you—!”
She shot up from the sofa, voice thick with irritation, but then shut her mouth.
I don’t look at this villain girl with hatred.
But if I had to choose between letting a magical girl or a villain into my home, anyone would pick the magical girl—even if they weren’t a fan.
“Yeah. I’m just a walking nuisance whose very existence is a problem, right?”
“I never said that.”
“Of course a magical girl is better. But have you forgotten who killed your family, Mister?!”
“……”
“Don’t you have any pride? You’re letting the bitches who murdered your family—smiling and laughing like nothing happened—into your house…”
“Stop.”
Figuring out who killed my family and who was truly at fault… it gave me a headache just thinking about it. Honestly, I had stopped trying to reason through it long ago.
“Strictly speaking, the root cause was the villains. You know that.”
“Ugh…!”
“If I’m supposed to resent magical girls, then I’d have to resent you too. Is that what you want?”
“…Shut up. Just shut up. Don’t lecture me!”
Unable to contain her rage, she shot to her feet.
“For some people, living itself is hell. I prayed—I prayed that I would die. That my parents would be crushed to death under a building.”
She lifted her shirt and pulled up her skirt, exposing her stomach and thighs.
Even I, who knew nothing about magic, could tell these weren’t wounds from spells. They were scars of long-accumulated pain, layered year after year.
“Do you know why villains are born? They’re born when no one comes to save them.”
“The people who beat me, threatened me, and called me trash because I couldn’t become a magical girl.”
“I became a body that can never have children. One of my organs is ruined. One eye nearly went blind. One ear still doesn’t hear properly.”
“I begged the magical girls. I prayed and prayed for them to save me. Do you know what they said?”
“Haha. Hahahahaha! They told me to love my parents! They said my parents should wrap me in love!”
“Fuck!!!”
Thud…!
Maybe she used too much force. The scar on her right arm split open, and pus spilled out, staining her skin.
“That’s when I realized. Magical girls don’t care about your heart. They only spout pretty, polished words on the surface.”
“So in the end, I destroyed them all with my own hands. I ripped out their vocal cords so they couldn’t even scream. I wanted them to feel even a fraction of what I went through for all those years.”
Her eyes burned with murderous intent, yet they were hollow inside.
“So, Mister… please don’t abandon me. I never learned how to smile like that child in the photo.”
Without knowing this girl was connected to the tragedy that took my family, I slowly placed my hand on her frail shoulder.