Chapter 28
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Choi Yu-na and Magical Girl Flora
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"Popular Actress Y... Announces Marriage to T Group CEO"
"'Please cheer for our love from now on' – Y becomes wife to young businessman..."
A celebrity scoop that once set the world abuzz.
It was the marriage announcement of a top actress in her mid-20s at the peak of her fame,
and the CEO of a company, still young and leading it boldly.
"How did you first meet him, and how did your relationship develop?"
Right in the midst of her booming career,
she—who had never once been touched by dating rumors—made the revelation herself.
In response to the reporter's question during the interview, she said,
"We happened to have a meal together by chance... and it was love at first sight.
So I confessed first and asked him out."
"Is there a reason you chose marriage at such a young age?"
"I wanted to have a baby soon... I guess that made me decide a little early."
Her answer held no pretense or shyness whatsoever.
It was hard to believe this came from a young actress's interview,
but the public cheered on the couple's fresh and bold romance.
Bathed in the blessings of countless people, they became newlyweds,
and before long, a child named 'Yu-na' was born to them.
"When I grow up... I'll be as pretty as Mom and as smart as Dad!"
"You bet! Of course you will. Whose daughter are you?"
"Mom and Dad will work hard to help you become that way too."
True to her own words... she took after her mother with stunning beauty,
and after her father with sharp intelligence.
As Yu-na was born and grew, their home was always filled with laughter,
and it seemed like they would live happily ever after.
But it didn't take long for that laughter to wilt and storm clouds to gather.
Yu-na's mother had debuted in entertainment at a young age,
so she'd been surrounded by young, handsome men countless times since childhood.
There were no dating scandals, but she'd already been involved with many male celebrities,
and even when she married her husband, she had several secret lovers on the side.
"Popular Actress Y... Adultery Rumors with Male Idol Group Member"
"'We're not in that kind of relationship,' she denies vehemently"
If it had just been frequent meetings, that might have been one thing,
but the bombshell revelation extended to physical relationships with her ex-lovers.
The entertainment world erupted in shock at this massive scandal,
and the husband, reeling from the blow, confronted her.
"You... Is what I'm seeing really true?"
She was the one who had sworn eternal love to him,
and borne him a beautiful, intelligent child who resembled them both.
Yet to learn she was actually a woman mad for other men—
then what had all her behavior toward him been until now?
"Yeah... That's who I am.
But... aren't you in no position to say that to me?"
"Wh-what?!"
Of course, the problems weren't solely with Yu-na's mother.
"Everything you've done up to now... I've investigated it all.
I knew you'd corner me like this someday."
The wife had anticipated a situation like this eventually arising,
so she'd dug into his weaknesses as ammunition for when the time came.
Things like the violence he'd inflicted on subordinates at the company,
or the bribes he'd given to a certain politician for business expansion.
If any of that hit the papers,
it was clear his gleaming empire would come crashing down in ruins.
"You really... gonna play it like this?"
"Yeah! I'm not going down alone!"
Day by day, their once harmonious home filled with nothing but shouting matches,
and the child born amid blessings lived in constant fear.
"Mom... Dad..."
Yu-na went through this before even starting elementary school.
She was still too young to know what words like adultery or bribery meant,
but she could tell something had gone terribly wrong between her parents.
"No... I don't like this..."
The once fluent and clever child spoke less and less,
and the boldness she'd shown stepping forward in front of others vanished.
As is typical of celebrity news,
the affair rumors with that male idol faded from memory as time passed.
Entering her mid-30s, her acting range expanded,
and the woman continued her career with more dramas and films.
Her husband did the same,
steadily expanding the business and growing the company.
There was a reason they could brush it off like nothing happened.
"Unless it's absolutely necessary... we live like strangers."
"No interfering, no matter what you do... or who you meet."
A kind of contract between two people who held each other's secrets and weaknesses.
In exchange for never exposing those secrets to the world again,
they agreed not to meddle in whatever the other did.
After that, the wife spent far more nights away from home,
and the husband only dropped by occasionally to drink, completely tuning out family life.
"Today... no one's here either."
Yu-na had long grown accustomed to the empty house devoid of anyone since childhood.
Even if she used the regular allowance from her father to order delicious food alone,
or got her hands on things other kids her age couldn't dream of.
There were no loving mom and dad by her side to support and protect her.
At school, her pretty looks and good grades drew admiration,
but when she got home, no one was there to praise Yu-na.
"Ooh..."
The only spark in her lonely, boring life
was the heroic feats of beautiful, cool magical girls in smartphone videos.
Dressed in pretty dresses or suits, moving with dazzling flair,
vanquishing mysterious monsters that appeared in the city—the sight of those amazing magical girls.
'I want to become a radiant, beautiful being like that too...'
That image added color to her black-and-white existence,
lifting her downward gaze upward.
The problem was she had no idea how to become a magical girl.
Information about magical girls was classified by the Magical Girl Management Bureau,
so ordinary civilian Yu-na had no way to find out.
But Yu-na never lost her dream of one day becoming a magical girl,
and time passed until she grew into a fine young adult.
Thanks to her solid grades, she got into a university in Seoul,
and escaped the empty house by getting a place near campus.
Her parents had long since lost interest in her anyway,
and she didn't want to stay trapped in the past there any longer.
"What should I make to eat today..."
Pondering what to cook instead of yet another cup ramen,
gazing at the pretty flowers blooming nearby on the way home.
It was just another ordinary day, no different from any other.
- Thud... Thud...
"What is that...?"
While waiting at the crosswalk for the light,
a heavy thumping sound suddenly started approaching from somewhere.
"Kya!!!"
"It's a monster!!!"
The source of the heavy sounds closing in was a monster.
"A m-monster...?!"
Turning at the screams of fleeing people,
the monster was already close, attacking civilians who hadn't evacuated in time.
- Thump...
She'd glimpsed monsters from afar or on video before,
but seeing one this close was a first.
Yu-na was so shocked her legs gave out, and she collapsed.
"Grrrrrrr..."
Purple drool dripping from its grotesquely gaping maw,
the monster, scanning for its next plaything, spotted Yu-na.
"No... don't...!!!"
She tried to stand and flee away from the monster,
but her legs wouldn't obey.
'I don't want to... die like this...'
She'd finally broken free from the past to start a new life,
yet the world seemed determined not to let her—how cruel.
If only a magical girl would show up dramatically to save her...,
but desperately scanning around, not even a hint of one.
"GRRRAAAAAHHHH!!!"
With little patience, the monster swung its house-sized arm at Yu-na.
"Kya!!!"
Unable to escape, Yu-na covered her eyes with both hands...,
- KABOOMMMMMM!!!!
"GRRAAAHHHH?!"
In an instant, a massive explosion echoed alongside the monster's agonized scream.
'Huh... I'm... not dead? I'm alive...'
Opening her tightly shut eyes, she had no injuries,
and lowering her hands from her face, she saw the monster crumpled on the ground.
And then the citizens' cheers rang out.
"Waaaaaaaah!!!!"
"That girl defeated the monster!!!!"
It wasn't a magical girl or anyone else who beat the monster... it was her.
The witnesses cheered for her.
"Did I... really defeat the monster...?"
Yu-na wasn't just someone dreaming of becoming a magical girl—
she was born with the aptitude for it.
Many go their whole lives unaware of such potential,
so it was only natural she hadn't known.
But facing death against the monster head-on
unleashed her dormant magic power, protecting her body.
Soon after, the Magical Girl Management Bureau arrived to clean up,
and through multiple citizen testimonies, word spread that she had defeated the monster.
A short while later, scouted by officials, Yu-na chose the path of a magical girl...,
"Blooming beauty... Magical Girl Flora, appearing!"
and became Magical Girl Flora, embodying pure white beauty.