6
Chapter 6
Every time Yuna had to look at Hyunjun’s slick, smug face, her stomach churned.
She knew better than anyone what kind of filthy nature hid behind that mask.
Contempt for the weak.
If she had to sum him up in a single word, nothing fit better than that.
Just then, a man came running up to Hyunjun, panting hard.
He was a little on the chubby side, with a friendly-looking face.
He must have sprinted the whole way, because sweat was pouring off him like rain.
The man pulled a handkerchief from his front pocket and wiped his face.
He was the exclusive manager Management had assigned to Hyunjun.
It was only a split second, but Hyunjun’s expression twisted the moment he saw him.
Like he’d spotted a bug.
Then he smiled again as if nothing had happened.
With an arm slung over the man’s shoulders, Hyunjun leaned in and whispered something.
Yuna couldn’t hear what he said, but the man’s face went deathly pale.
Yuna understood right away.
Because the exact same thing had happened to her once.
'You’re just a Non-Awakener... A cockroach living off the scraps the Awakeners drop, and you think you can lecture me, Yuna the accountant?'
The memory made Yuna’s hands tremble.
That man was obviously a Non-Awakener too.
Hyunjun liked keeping Non-Aawakeners around on purpose, just so he could feel superior.
That was why he’d joined a Management company run by a Non-Awakener CEO like Joohyun in the first place.
"Should I just admit I’m a Magical Girl and chuck a Fireball at him?"
Yuna muttered under her breath.
Thinking about all the humiliation she’d swallowed until now, her reason started to wobble.
While working at Management, she’d thought it countless times.
That she wanted to smash that smiling face.
She was right in the middle of debating whether to transform into a Magical Girl or not.
When she felt something soft in her hand.
It was the touch of an unbelievably smooth jelly.
Yuna snapped back to herself and looked down at her hand.
Holding the back of it was none other than Joohyun’s squishy little hand.
"That’s a really good idea."
"What?"
Startled, Yuna looked down into her bag at Joohyun.
Joohyun was staring in Hyunjun’s direction, grinning from ear to ear.
It was the kind of sly, greasy smile someone wore after coming up with a nasty little scheme.
To Yuna, it still looked cute.
'How did I not think of that?'
Joohyun regretted his own stupidity for even considering walking past Hyunjun.
If he’d just kept going, he would’ve been stewing for days.
'I got a new Skill, and this is the perfect chance to test whether my Ability works outside too~!'
Honestly, that was just an excuse.
Joohyun simply wanted to land one good hit on Hyunjun.
Joohyun casually stretched a hand out toward Hyunjun, who was still wearing that irritating smile.
"What are you trying to do?"
Yuna tilted her head at Joohyun’s strange move.
"What do you think? I’m going to test out a new Ability."
Joohyun said it like it was no big deal.
Yuna immediately grew anxious and started darting her eyes around.
"If you get caught, then what?! You said you didn’t want to become a lab rat!"
"I’ve got my own way, so calm down."
She was right.
Yuna’s warning was completely fair.
Getting caught was basically guaranteed.
Given the size and power of the Skill Yuna had used, there was no way it wouldn’t be noticed.
But.
For some reason, Joohyun felt like he could adjust the size and power.
He began drawing an image in his mind.
'Imagine making a small flame.'
He pictured a tiny flame gathering into a single point in front of his hand.
And then.
Whoosh-!
Right in front of Joohyun, a Fireball no bigger than a bean popped into existence.
A tiny clump of rock flickering like an ember.
'At this size, I shouldn't have to worry about anyone else noticing.'
Yuna was so amazed that she just stared blankly.
Then, snapping out of it, Yuna shook her head.
"Will it really be okay? It's harder to aim than you think....... What if you hit someone else?"
"Just trust me."
Grinning, Joohyun aimed his hand toward Hyunjun.
Completely oblivious to his impending doom, Hyunjun just kept on smiling.
Joohyun clicked his tongue at Hyunjun's fake smile.
'Let's see how long you can keep smiling.'
Grit!
"Fireball!"
As Joohyun muttered quietly from inside Yuna's bag.
Swoosh-!
The sphere shot forward with a popping sound like a firecracker, successfully striking Hyunjun directly on his left thigh.
"Yes! Bullseye!"
'Gasp, what! He got it on the first try?'
Yuna looked at the giggling Joohyun with a horrified expression.
She couldn't believe it.
Magic might look easy to ordinary people, but it really wasn't.
Even Yuna had only managed to hit Raybit with her Fireball after countless trial and errors.
Calculating the trajectory in your head was no easy task.
But right in front of her, Joohyun had managed to do something that difficult on his very first try.
Although he didn't seem to realize it himself.
Letting out a hollow laugh at the sight, Yuna looked back toward Hyunjun.
Hyunjun frowned slightly, seemingly feeling a sting on his left thigh.
"What's wrong? Are you uncomfortable somewhere?"
The person who had been laughing and talking with Hyunjun just moments ago tilted her head and asked.
The person was a C-Rank Awakener and an Announcer.
It was Jeong Doyeon.
An Awakener so famous for her beautiful looks that there wasn't a soul who didn't know her.
Joohyun and Yuna had also seen her on TV from time to time.
On top of that, although no one knew, Doyeon and Hyunjun currently had a fling going on.
If she ever found out about his history with women, Doyeon would definitely run away in horror.
Anyway.
"No, my thigh just suddenly stung."
Hyunjun smiled instantly, as if he had never frowned at all, and looked at her.
However.
Doyeon, who had been talking to him, looked utterly terrified.
Just as Hyunjun was wondering about Doyeon's sudden change in expression.
That was when a burning smell started to waft through the air.
Hyunjun sniffed and looked around, but it didn't seem like anything was burning nearby.
As Hyunjun was glancing around to find the source.
"F-Fire!"
Doyeon, who was right in front of him, screamed and pointed her finger at the source of the smell.
Hyunjun's gaze naturally followed the direction she was pointing.
The direction her finger was pointing to was none other than.
His own left thigh.
His left thigh was burning brightly like well-dried firewood.
Only then did Hyunjun feel the heat, his face contorting violently as he began stomping his feet.
"Aaagh!!!"
The place became a mess in an instant. People's eyes naturally gravitated toward Hyunjun.
Hyunjun wanted to rip his pants off right then and there, but with so many eyes on him, he couldn't help but hesitate.
'What underwear did I put on today.'
If Reporters caught him wearing some weird underwear on camera, it was all over.
He had built up a good image by forcing himself to smile all this time.
He couldn't let that image crash and burn in a single moment.
Hyunjun splashed the water from the plastic bottle he was holding, but the flames showed no signs of going out easily.
Instead, they only grew stronger.
At this rate, it was only a matter of time before the flames spread to his top.
'Ugh! I can't take this anymore!'
Thinking he just needed to survive regardless of his image, he unzipped his pants to throw them off.
Hiss-!!
That was when fire extinguisher powder blasted over Hyunjun, his pants halfway down.
The one who sprayed the extinguisher at Hyunjun was none other than his own Manager.
White powder drifted through the air around him like fresh snow.
"Cough, cough-!"
Hyunjun and everyone nearby broke into nonstop coughing from the dust.
After the entire canister was emptied and the thick cloud finally settled to the floor, Hyunjun came into view.
His neat, polished look was completely gone.
There he stood, pants halfway down, covered head to toe in extinguisher powder.
"Cough-!"
When Hyunjun coughed, a puff of white powder burst from his mouth.
The Manager could only hop in place and look around, not knowing what to do.
"A-Are you okay, Hyunjun......? Pfft-!"
The first to speak to the powder-covered Hyunjun was Doyeon, the one he'd been chatting with just moments ago.
The second she saw him, she couldn't hold back her laughter.
Droopy, adorable ears.
Big, clear eyes that sparkled like sapphires.
A huge head compared to its short little arms and legs.
Even a pink body.
On Hyunjun's underwear was a Hachu Pangpang character from a kids' show.
It was one of the mascot characters that was trending with little kids these days.
He had a hobby of collecting cute merch and knickknacks.
And out of all days, he'd worn the rare Hachu Pangpang character briefs today of all days.
With his thigh burning in intense pain, he hadn't even had the chance to remember what he was wearing.
The instant Doyeon saw those briefs, she had no choice but to burst out laughing.
It wasn't just Doyeon.
Laughter erupted from all around them.
'Wait, isn't that the character from Hachu Pangpang?'
'No way, is that for real? That Awakener Jang Hyunjun wears underwear like that?'
'Pfft! It's Magical Girl Hachu Pangpang. The Magical Girl show my daughters watch. Hah!'
Hyunjun kept his head bowed and didn't say a word.
You couldn't see it, but his face turned so red it looked ready to explode.
And then.
Still keeping his head down, he turned around and hurried off.
He even tripped over his pants on the way out.
And every time he did, the character printed on his backside stood out even more, making the laughter roar louder.
Scrambling to pull his pants up, Hyunjun ducked his head again and ran.
He couldn't bring himself to lift his face.
He had never felt this humiliated in his life.
He'd shown his fling something she should never have had to see.
And on top of that, he'd become a public joke.
He was someone people always admired.
For an Awakener like him to be laughed at was unthinkable.
'Just you wait! I remember every single face! I won't let this go!'
With that thought, Hyunjun fled in a near-girlish sprint.
Joohyun and Yuna stared after him in a daze, then finally burst out laughing.
"HAHA! Accountant Yuna, did you see that? His face? Man, you can't buy a show like that."
"Hehe, seriously. It is satisfying....... but when I see him like that, I almost feel bad."
"Oh, come on. You're too nice for your own good! Compared to what he did to us, this is nothing!"
"I guess so? Well! If it felt good, that's what matters. He was closer to a 'villain,' anyway."
The two of them kept giggling as they looked at the spot Hyunjun had run from.
In the end, the whole incident was wrapped up as a simple mishap caused by stray cigarette ash from who-knows-where.
But it was quickly posted online, turning into a top hit on a bunch of humor sites.
And later, it became the moment that earned Hyunjun the nickname Hyunjun Pangpang.
* * *
In front of the Assessment Center waiting room, a line of people stretched out.
All ages, all mixed together.
From elderly folks with gray hair to kids who looked like they were still in elementary school.
After drawing a waiting number, Yuna went to the back and got in line.
A line that looked like it would take forever shrank in no time at all.
"Number 50, please come in."
Before she knew it, it was Yuna's turn.
"CEO, I'm kind of shaking."
"Don't worry. I'm right here with you."
"That actually makes me more nervous."
"Hey! Enough talking! Get in there, do it quick, and come right back out!"
Unable to win against Joohyun's pushiness, Yuna let out a sigh and stepped into the Assessment Center.