21
Chapter 21
The Association President's Office. A place where not a single ray of light could enter due to the blackout curtains.
A man was staring intently at the monitor emitting a soft glow.
It was none other than Hyunsik, who was currently watching a Magical Girl Series.
"Phew...... This is already the last one."
It was a new series this time, but he had already binged his way to the final episode.
There were only 2 Remaining series.
It was obvious he would finish them all in a day.
Hyunsik paused the video for a moment and put a cigarette from his desk in his mouth.
There was nothing he could do about the lingering emptiness that washed over him every time an anime series ended.
All he could do was smoke a cigarette and soothe his lonely Chest.
Every single line was still pulling at Hyunsik's heartstrings.
He rested his legs on the desk and stared at the paused anime.
The scene where the Magical Girl was undergoing her Transformation.
Hyunsik turned his gaze from the screen to the full-length mirror next to him.
And then.
Hyunsik, who carefully looked around his surroundings, soon
stood up from his seat and went to stand in front of the mirror.
"Ahem....... I'm pretty sure she struck a pose like this."
Saying that, Hyunsik tried to copy the pose taken by the Magical Girl he just saw in the anime.
However, perhaps due to his age, his body wouldn't cooperate.
Unlike a young Magical Girl, the middle-aged Mister's body only creaked.
It was then.
Slam-!
The door suddenly flew open.
"Association President! We have a huge problem!"
"Gasp-!"
The person who opened the door and came in was Chanhyuk.
"Please Knock!"
Startled while inhaling his cigarette smoke, Hyunsik coughed Repeatedly.
"What are you doing standing in front of the mirror?"
Chanhyuk looked at Hyunsik with a Puzzled gaze.
"I'm pretty sure you were striking some weird pose just now......."
At Chanhyuk's words, Hyunsik cleared his throat and spoke.
"Ah, that~. I just felt like my muscles were dying from sitting too much lately. I was just trying out some posing."
With that, he naturally struck a double biceps pose.
"How is it? Does my body look out of shape to you too?"
He then showed Chanhyuk various bodybuilding poses.
Chanhyuk, who was letting out a Low Hum,
"Association President, rather than your muscles...... shouldn't you lose some of that belly fat?"
said while pointing at the bulging stomach.
"Hey! Wait until you reach my age. You end up gaining weight even if you don't want to."
"Do you know how often Noona calls me these days? Telling me to make my brother-in-law exercise. Speaking of which, maybe we should work out together."
"I'd rather work out alone than with you!"
Hyunsik shook his head back and forth and sat back down.
'Good, that was natural.'
It seemed he had no idea that he was copying a Magical Girl pose.
'I seriously need to start locking that damn door.'
If he got startled every time the door opened like this, he definitely wouldn't live to see his Expulsion.
He let out a sigh and looked back at Chanhyuk, who was still blinking at him while he remained seated.
"So, what's this huge problem?"
"Ah!"
Only then did he hurriedly hold out his phone to Hyunsik.
"Look at this! This is a video just uploaded to Ntube, and it's a really big deal!"
"What is it? Why are you making such a fuss?"
Hyunsik unenthusiastically took the phone from Chanhyuk.
'It's probably just another fishing or golf video anyway.'
He had always been number one at making a fuss over nothing.
Hyunsik played the Ntube video without much expectation.
And there.
Two women wearing Magical Girl costumes were fighting a woman with long grey hair that made her look like a wolf.
"Oh, they made this look incredibly realistic."
Hyunsik let out a short exclamation of admiration.
The filming techniques and editing style were quite crude, but the CG was amazing.
It was a video that really made you think it was incredibly realistic and well-made.
"So, what is this? A movie coming out soon?"
After the video ended, Hyunsik handed the phone back to Chanhyuk.
Seeing Hyunsik's reaction, Chanhyuk Repeatedly thumped his own Chest in frustration.
"No, that's not it! This is real life!"
"Huh? Ah, right. It did look like a live-action movie."
Hyunsik, who had recently become a hardcore fan of the Magical Girl Series.
Watching the video, he even thought about sneaking out to see it in theaters.
'Still, the quality wasn't anything to make such a fuss over.'
Hyunsik couldn't understand why Chanhyuk was making such a big deal over just a video.
'I'll have to show him a proper live-action movie later.'
Although the incredible CG technology made it feel remarkably realistic,
it lacked any real sense of thrill.
This was all due to the editing style. To think a single video would be a long take from the same angle.
And in an action scene, no less.
It was bound to feel boring.
It was while Hyunsik was lost in such random thoughts.
That Chanhyuk suddenly set the phone down on the desk with a slam!
Lost in his own delusions, Hyunsik looked at Chanhyuk in surprise.
"Oh shit, you scared me! What's wrong with you all of a sudden!"
"What do you mean, what's wrong! It's obviously because of the Association President's carefree attitude!"
Chanhyuk yelled in anger and pointed at the video on the phone again.
"Look closely! This is that Magical Girl! The one who awakened this time!"
"Huh......? What are you talking about......."
Hyunsik picked up the phone again and stared intently at the video.
After replaying it a few times.
"......Are you saying this is an awakened Magical Girl?"
"Yes! That's what I'm telling you. Right now, besides this video, other videos are spreading everywhere! Saying a Magical Girl has appeared."
With that, Chanhyuk showed him other videos, which only differed in angle, but were real.
"......And what's the proof that this is a real Magical Girl?"
However, Hyunsik couldn't believe it so easily.
"The news is in an uproar right now too. The places the Magical Girl swept through are actually all destroyed."
Saying so, Chanhyuk also showed him the news footage.
Indeed, the news was heavily focusing on this incident.
"......Phew."
Only then did Hyunsik's expression begin to harden seriously.
"......Find the source of this video and have them all deleted immediately."
"It's probably too late. The views have already surpassed 500,000."
Slam-!
As Hyunsik slammed his fist on the desk, Chanhyuk flinched next to him.
It was a face that anyone could tell was full of anger.
"Why are you only showing me this now! Huh?!"
With that, Hyunsik grabbed his own hair.
Chanhyuk stood awkwardly, watching Hyunsik act like this.
'If she can really use her awakening Ability outside....... that changes everything.......'
To take the Magical Girl, the whole world would resort to all sorts of methods.
It was certain they would covet the Magical Girl's power.
No matter how good of a weapon one had, it couldn't be compared to an awakening Ability.
Someone who could use their awakening Ability outside was worth dozens of times more than a weapon.
No, hundreds of times more.
In short, she was a living human weapon.
It was certain that the country possessing the Magical Girl would hold immense power over other nations.
On top of that.
The Magical Girl's estimated awakening Ability rank was at least an S+ or higher, surpassing Choi Seoyeon.
If a person with such an Ability was freely roaming around.
She was practically a walking disaster.
'And to think there wasn't just one, but two.'
The more surprising fact was that there were two Magical Girls.
Countless questions popped into his head, but right now, only one thing mattered the most.
Both of them must not be taken by anyone else.
They couldn't be allowed to join a private Management, nor could they be snatched away by another country.
The Association had to bring the two Magical Girls in, no matter what.
"What are you doing still standing there without moving!"
As Hyunsik's mind grew complicated, he took his anger out on Chanhyuk next to him.
"Yes, sir!"
After saying that, Chanhyuk hastily started making calls to someone right away.
Watching him, Hyunsik clicked his tongue.
'Damn it, this wasn't the time to be leisurely watching anime.'
Just like that, the Association urgently began making their move to acquire the Magical Girl.
At the same time.
The front of the Association was also in an uproar.
It was because the various Managements who had been waiting for the Magical Girl saw the video uploaded to Ntube.
"Let's hurry over there! If we're lucky, we might run into the Magical Girl!"
"She can use her Ability outside the tower?! We absolutely have to bring her in!"
"Hurry! Let's move quickly!"
All the Managements that had flocked to the Association rushed toward the scene of the incident.
And.
While everyone else was rushing off, there was one woman sitting in her seat, leisurely crossing her legs and watching the video.
"Seoyeon! We should get moving too! The United States contacted us and said to bring her in no matter how much it costs!"
"Got it~."
Seoyeon slowly stood up from her seat and followed behind her Manager.
Without taking her eyes off the screen.
Seoyeon had captured a screenshot of the video and was looking at it zoomed in as much as possible.
Beyond the Magical Girl, she was looking at a creature clinging tightly to one of the girls' faces.
'Mascot, found~.'
Seoyeon licked her lips as she looked at the pure white lump of flesh.
* * *
"Now then, since we worked hard today, shall we have a Company Dinner~."
"Wow!"
"Meongmungi really is the best!"
That evening.
As always, Joohyun ordered various delivery foods today.
Crispy Fried Chicken.
Even a piping hot pizza.
The dining table was filled with high-calorie foods that naturally made you reach for them.
It was when everyone was holding their own food and deliciously bringing it to their mouths.
That Yuna pouted her lips and stared straight ahead.
"But, I understand all this, why is Mina here too?"
That's right.
Mina was naturally sitting in Yuna's House before they knew it.
At Yuna's reaction, Mina merely shrugged her shoulders once and spoke as if it was no big deal.
"Well, because I'm a Magical Girl now too......."
"No, I know you're a Magical Girl, but why are you at our house!"
At Yuna's words, Mina blinked her eyes and said.
"......I don't have a house. I have nowhere to go....... I'm homeless......."
"No, but still......."
"Accountant Yuna, what's with you today? Here, I'll give you a chicken leg, so calm down."
Joohyun said as he held out a chicken leg on a plate.
Annoyed by his sly attitude, Yuna shot a Glare at Joohyun.
"Do you think I'm acting like this over a chicken leg!"
"Oh man. You startled me. Why are you getting angry again."
"Yeah, Unnie. Calm down and eat some Fried Chicken. She says she has nowhere to go. And the kids like her so much, so what's the problem."
Yooho and Eunseo had put down the Fried Chicken they were eating and were playing around with Mina's hair.
"Wow, it's gold! Her hair is gold!"
"Awesome, that's fascinating!"
The person in question, Mina, didn't seem to care as she munched on her Fried Chicken.
"Seriously, everyone......do whatever you want!"
Yuna picked up the chicken leg and took a big bite.
While tearing into the chicken leg, Yuna looked back and forth between Mina and Joohyun.
Honestly, Yuna wouldn't have gotten angry if it were like usual.
But watching those two made her heart pound and ache.
For some reason, a sense of anxiety crept up on her.
'I don't even know anymore, the CEO is an idiot!'
Unaware of Yuna's feelings, Joohyun was just sipping his beer.
Anyway.
The night where Mina had naturally joined them grew deeper.