A Belated Birthday
Over the course of those ten years, I unraveled all the stories that had built up inside me with Dad.
Once the fear had been released, it no longer bound me.
"I became a magical girl."
"Haha! Really?"
He took the fact that I'd become a magical girl surprisingly matter-of-factly.
"Nowadays, nobody uses CDs anymore, right?"
"What!? Is that true!?"
Every time he grasped how much the world had changed, Dad reacted with utter shock.
Ten years wasn't a short time, so I figured that made sense.
"Then they must've invented cars that fly through the sky by now, right!?"
"Not yet."
"?"
Yeah.
This was the Dad I knew.
Gentle, yet always childlike.
That was the father I remembered.
Before I knew it, the cold, lonely isolation room had warmed up like a parent's embrace.
"Oh, yeah—I've made a friend lately?"
My voice echoed through the isolation room.
Mentioning her made my tone rise without me realizing it.
"Oh? Really? What kind of friend?"
Dad asked in a gentle voice, as if he saw it as a sign of closeness.
I closed my eyes and thought about Pronesis.
It felt a bit embarrassing to say her name just yet.
"Well... she's kind of unique, first off."
She always asked for those weird reviews after battles. And yet she was stubborn about the strangest things.
But somehow, that made her endearing...
Thump.
"Eep!?"
"You okay!?"
Ah, not again.
"I'm fine... Lately, just thinking about her makes my heart race..."
At that, Dad's gentle eyes suddenly turned strange.
"Haha... really? What does it feel like exactly?"
"Like... a tickly feeling? My chest gets all tight inside..."
"Hoo... heart pounding... tickly and tight, huh..."
...?
"English Lavender, is that true?"
Dad wasn't the only one reacting oddly to my words.
A staff member outside, who'd been listening to our conversation, urgently asked through the mic.
"Is this some super serious issue or something?"
I asked, picking up on their attitudes, wondering if it was a big deal.
"It's important."
"Very important."
They both gave the exact same reply.
Lee Sea said she didn't have any illnesses... so what could be so serious...?
.
.
.
"Ah... I'm exhausted..."
About an hour later, I finally escaped their barrage of questions.
They'd asked all sorts—who was it, how long had it been going on, and so on.
It almost felt like some kind of psychological counseling.
When I admitted it was Pronesis, they stared at me seriously for a long while before sending me back to the dorms.
I had some lingering frustration since no one would explain what was going on, even when I asked.
"Yawn..."
But exhaustion outweighed it all.
As sleepiness washed over me, I checked the time on my phone—it was nearly midnight.
Normally, interviews this late wouldn't be allowed, but parental permission made it possible.
"Hello."
On my way back to the dorms, I ran into Lumina Betaris.
She blocked my path, gripping a sharp sword like she was ready to swing it any second.
"He...llo?"
I greeted her awkwardly.
She was a bit taller than Pronesis but still short of average—a cute, lovable figure befitting a magical girl.
But something felt off.
Her face, usually bright and energetic, was expressionless as she stood before me.
In fact, I'd bumped into her a few times at the Association before.
I'd tried greeting her, but whenever she had that blank look like today, she'd ignore me completely.
As if I didn't exist.
"You."
But now, she was actually talking to me.
A strange tension filled the hallway.
In that tense corridor, she spoke again.
"You've decided to accept that as your parent?"
She jerked her chin toward the isolation room.
Her words struck me as odd, so I had to ask again.
"What...?"
Assuming I hadn't understood, she repeated herself.
"You've decided to accept that 'kaijin' as your parent?"
"..."
I fell silent at Lumina Betaris's words.
It wasn't that I was speechless.
It was a question anyone might have.
I calmly asked her back.
"Why would you think that?"
"I watched the fight two weeks ago. What I saw with my own eyes—that power—can only be described as a kaijin's ability."
She raised her sharp silver sword.
Not to swing it, but to check its edge.
Gazing at the blade, she continued.
"I just can't understand it. Where's the proof that's your dad? It could still be a kaijin possessing his body, right?"
Her amber eyes fixed on me.
The stars in her pupils gave off no light, like a star after burning out.
I met her gaze squarely and answered.
"When I first saw Dad's face, I thought the same thing as you."
The first time I entered the isolation room and saw him grinning wildly, recognizing me—I was terrified.
Even as the staff prepared our talk, I couldn't look ahead, just stared at the floor.
Even during our conversation, it was the same.
I only looked at his mouth.
Who was this person smiling so lively and talking to me?
I thought about it endlessly.
"I was so scared of Dad."
Yeah, terrified.
What if the person in front of me was a kaijin? What if I was just dreaming?
I pondered it over and over.
But eventually, I realized those worries were pointless.
"No matter how scared I was, I had to face him someday."
If not today, then tomorrow. If not tomorrow, the day after.
Kaijin or Dad, I had to confront him properly one day.
"The kaijin always called me 'daughter.'"
Dad had always called me that, even before becoming a kaijin.
The kaijin might've just mimicked his speech.
But in that final moment as I lifted my head.
A voice echoed in my mind.
A voice whispered in my ear.
A woman's voice I'd forgotten.
A man's voice I'd forgotten.
"It was the first time that familiar voice called my name."
Someone called my name.
I had to confirm who it was.
And as I raised my head.
I finally faced Dad's face.
Beyond his smiling lips, what I saw was.
The same apologetic look from ten years ago, when he'd come into my room to bathe me.
'Long time no see, Seoyeon. Sorry I'm late. Happy birthday, my daughter.'
"No matter how I thought about it, a kaijin wouldn't make that face."
"...I see."
As I finished my story, Lumina Betaris sheathed her sword toward the ceiling.
The blade, trailing sharp light, vanished into the corridor's glow, and she walked past me.
"Then I'm glad."
I kept walking to the dorms as we passed each other.
"Yun Seoyeon!"
Suddenly, the manager's voice called from the end of the hall.
Clack clack clack clack.
Hurried footsteps—I turned toward the sound, wondering what was up.
Lumina Betaris was already gone; only the manager and I remained.
"Your father asked me to relay this... Good thing you haven't gone in yet..."
"Yes...? What is it?"
I thought we'd finished our family talk, but apparently not.
"Well..."
The manager caught her breath and delivered Dad's message.
──
Ah.
I collapsed to my knees right there.
"A-Are you okay?"
The manager sounded worried, but I couldn't focus on that.
Dad... remembered.
Something even I'd forgotten...
"Sniff..."
Little by little.
"Sniff..."
The corridor floor stained with drops from my eyes.
But I couldn't hold it back.
"Here..."
The manager handed me a box.
Untying the sloppy ribbon revealed a doll I'd begged Mom and Dad to buy me as a child, and an envelope.
With trembling hands, I read the letter.
Sorry it's late, my daughter Seoyeon. Happy birthday.
Drip... drip...
Transparent drops fell on the paper, smudging the words one by one.
My back began to heave.
My lips trembled, tears overflowing from my eyes.
But I couldn't stop it anymore.
No matter how hard I tried to hold back.
"Hic...!"
I just couldn't.
Not as English Lavender.
As Yun Seoyeon.
I finally let out the tears I'd held back for ten years.