Not a Rival
Because they had arranged the meeting in advance, Dusick rode the elevator all the way to the thirty-sixth floor without anyone stopping her.
Knock, knock.
"Come in."
No matter how many times she visited, the space never failed to impress. A spatial expansion spell ran constantly here, making the interior several times larger than it appeared from the outside. Dusick stepped inside.
"Pardon the intrusion, President."
"What's with the 'President'? Makes it sound like we're strangers."
Miracle Princess Eve — or simply Eve, as she was known — the president of the Magical Girl Association, greeted Dusick with a radiant smile.
"Thanks for coming all this way."
"It's nothing. It wasn't that far."
"Anyway, have a seat. Want something to drink?"
As Dusick settled onto the sofa, Eve opened the refrigerator and called over to her. For herself, a sports drink.
"Any juice is fine, thank you."
For Dusick, orange juice. Eve pulled out two cold cans and sat down in the seat of honor across from her.
"Here. Orange juice."
"Thank you."
Dusick accepted the can but didn't open it. She fidgeted with it a few times, then quietly set it down on the table. Her clasped hands gently bunched the fabric of her school uniform skirt, the crumpled hem making a faint rustling sound.
She'd said she was going to school, then come here instead. Mother had seen her off with a bright smile. Have a good day, Dusick. Don't fight with your friends. And if anyone picks on you, they're not your friend — so hit them hard. Unni will handle the aftermath! The place she'd headed after that send-off wasn't school. It was the Magical Girl Association.
"Come to think of it, Dusick, isn't today a school day?"
"It is."
"Hmm... it's eleven o'clock now. The fact that you're here instead of at school means..."
Only then did Eve set her can down on the table and fold her hands together. Her expression, though, remained the same — bright, smiling, untouched. Her gaze locked straight onto Dusick, and Dusick met it without looking away.
"Dusick."
"Yes, Unni."
"You've got something to tell me, don't you. Something pretty serious."
"..."
Dusick didn't answer. She just offered a faint, forced smile and lowered her eyes. Eve didn't press her for a response. She simply waited — quietly, patiently — for Dusick to gather her thoughts.
"Unni. Eve."
"Yeah. That's right, Dusick. I'm right here."
"Eve, you..."
"Yeah?"
Dusick hesitated. She reached out and gripped the can, still radiating cold, then wavered and set it back down again.
"Mother... no. How do you feel about Yeonwoo?"
"Huh?"
"I mean, like... magical girls and the boss of Mogumogu-dan, or the relationship between the two organizations up until now — that kind of thing. Setting all of that aside, I want to know how you feel about Yeonwoo."
Hmm. What was this about? Eve's thoughts tangled for a moment. She didn't have quite enough information to give a proper answer to this question. And the missing piece was, of course—
"You mean... romantic feelings? That kind of thing?"
"Yes. Romantic feelings. You've never shown even the slightest interest in men."
Well, yeah — because I am a man!
Eve barely managed to swallow the words before they escaped her mouth. This was a secret known only to Eve herself and Yeonwoo. Yeonwoo had agreed to look the other way, so this was not something she could afford to slip up on.
"So I thought... maybe you like women too."
"I-I see. Romantic... romantic feelings, huh."
Romantic feelings. Words she'd never even considered had just come tumbling out of Dusick's mouth.
"I know Kabe follows you around calling you Dad, and I know she follows Yeonwoo around calling her Mom. Lately it really seems like Yeonwoo thinks of Kabe as her own daughter. And the way she calls us her kids without the slightest hesitation — it's exactly like a real mom or an older sister treating her children or her little siblings..."
Once she got started, Dusick launched into something that bordered on a passionate speech. Eve could only stare at her, dazed.
"The truth is... the day before yesterday, I confessed to Yeonwoo."
"What?"
Eve's eyes went wide as saucers. A confession. A confession. She hadn't seen this coming at all. But Dusick was definitely...
"Dusick, don't you like guys? You said you weren't gay..."
"I did."
"'I did'...? That's—"
That's past tense... Eve's words were cut off before she could finish.
"It just so happens that the person I fell in love with is a woman."
"What?"
That didn't make any sense... or so she thought, but after a moment's consideration, it wasn't exactly wrong either. When it came to one person falling for another, what did gender really matter? You could think of yourself as straight, and then someone of the same sex who was genuinely captivating could come along and shake your heart.
...Right?
"Yes. The person I fell in love with is Yeonwoo, and Yeonwoo just happens to be a woman. I'm not the problem here."
"R-right. There's nothing wrong with you, Dusick. And I'm definitely not saying being gay is a bad thing."
"But I got rejected."
"Rejected...?"
She got rejected!?
"Technically I wasn't rejected. I asked her not to give me an answer. Anyway, that's not the important part, Eve."
"Uh, yeah."
Eve thought she understood what Dusick had come for now. Whether Yeonwoo was straight, gay, or bi, she couldn't say — but given how freely Yeonwoo called her "hubby" without the slightest embarrassment, it was clear she didn't have any major hang-ups about same-sex attraction. Which meant that, given their current relationship, if Yeonwoo were to start dating someone, the most likely candidate was Eve herself.
That was what Dusick wanted to confirm. Whether Eve also had feelings for Yeonwoo. Whether Yeonwoo wanted to take things further with Eve — or whether Eve wanted the same with her. And before putting that question to Yeonwoo, she'd come to Eve first to ask where she stood.
"Right. Well."
Eve leaned back against the sofa. A dull headache settled in. She closed her eyes and pressed her fingers against her brow. She'd pulled an all-nighter yesterday editing videos. Becoming a magical girl had meant she no longer felt physical fatigue unless she was pushed to the absolute limit — but mental exhaustion still piled up all the same.
"Romantic feelings for Yeonwoo, huh."
Come to think of it, she had been asked before why she paid so much attention to Yeonwoo. Baekhwa, who'd been assigned to keep her under surveillance, had asked the same question.
What did I even say back then?
Had she said nothing at all? But even then, Eve had thought to herself — what was she supposed to do? The girl just got under her skin. She couldn't help but care.
But was that romantic attraction? She couldn't give a definite answer to that.
"I..."
No. These aren't romantic feelings. She'd just felt sorry for Yeonwoo, who'd taken over as boss of a Mogumogu-dan on the verge of collapse, and wanted to look after her a little more. That was all.
"...don't see Yeonwoo..."
Right. These aren't romantic feelings. Kabe called her Mom and called Eve Dad, so Eve was just playing along with that little house game. That was all.
"...as a romantic interest."
Right. These aren't romantic feelings. Yeonwoo knew she was a man, so she was just extra careful because she was worried the secret might leak. That was all.
"I don't."
Right. These aren't romantic feelings. She wasn't the kind of person who got to have something like that. Something that sweet.
"Really?"
Color bloomed across Dusick's face. The tension that had been building with every word Eve spoke vanished the instant Eve said she didn't see Yeonwoo as a romantic interest, and a bright smile unfurled in its place. The taut, sharp atmosphere melted away all at once, giving way to something warm and gentle.
"Heheh... thank goodness."
She looked so happy about it that the smile wouldn't leave her face.
"Unni, so that means I don't have to think of you as a rival, right?"
"Yeah. You don't have to worry about me. At the very least, you don't have to worry about me stealing Yeonwoo from you. If anything, I want to ask if there's anything I can do to help."
A smile had bloomed on Eve's face as well. As if she genuinely wanted to support Dusick's love, she faced her with an expression full of warmth and kindness.
"Sohee's after Yeonwoo too, but..."
"Sohee too?"
"Yes, Sohee. You've met her, right?"
"Yeah. The one in the pitch-black hanbok... unusual way of talking, right?"
"Yes, that's her."
"But she's several steps behind me, so it's fine. Someone like her, I can easily outpace." Dusick said it all with a smile that wouldn't quit.
"What is Yeonwoo, some kind of walking pheromone? Does she just charm everyone around her?"
"Well, the Main are summoned with their loyalty already at maximum, for one thing. And if you saw how Yeonwoo treats us, you'd understand. She genuinely dotes on us like a real older sister — you can tell. There's no way not to like her."
"That much, huh? If I could, I'd go over there and get her to teach me her organizational management secrets."
Eve scrunched up her face, and Dusick gave a weak laugh, as if she understood exactly how Eve felt. The magical girls had such strong personalities that even Eve often couldn't keep them in line. It wasn't just a matter of them being hard to control — if Eve didn't keep them pinned down by force, the Association would have descended into chaos long ago.
"So that's what you came all this way to talk about today?"
"Yes. I'm just glad it was worth the trip. If you'd said you had feelings for Yeonwoo too, I was going to give up."
"Good thing it wasn't me, then."
"I know, right? From now on I'm going to keep going after her without worrying about anyone else. They say even the sturdiest tree falls if you keep chopping."
"These days they call that stalking, Dusick. You know that, right?"
"Aww, it's fine. Yeonwoo wouldn't report me."
"Well, that's true, but still."
Glancing at the clock, Eve realized it was already almost noon. Lunchtime was approaching.
"Want to grab lunch since you're already here?"
"No, I'm okay. I don't want to be completely absent. There's a chance they'll contact Yeonwoo about me skipping, so I should head to school even now. I'll eat the cafeteria lunch, or just grab some bread."
"Ah, in that case..."
Eve pulled a wallet from thin air. She took out several fifty-thousand-won bills and pressed them into Dusick's hand.
"Buy yourself some bread."
"Unni, how much bread do you think I'm buying? This is way too much for bread money."
"Get Kabe something tasty. And Yeonwoo too."
"Hmm... okay! I'll take it, then. Thank you!"
"Good. Be careful on your way."
Eve saw Dusick off as she hurried away in short, quick steps, then sank heavily onto the sofa.
"Romantic feelings, huh."
Heh. So she still had that kind of youthful innocence in her. The image of Dusick insisting she didn't like girls, that she liked guys, was still vivid in Eve's mind — and yet Yeonwoo's charm had turned even someone like that. What a little enchantress. She really was.