New York's Magician
“...Haa.”
Fundamentally, Eclipse hated the world.
And who could blame her?
—Here’s your outfit for this shoot, Eclipse.
—….
A slim black suit that accentuated her slender figure, complete with leather gloves and a shirt that covered her neck.
—Come on, deliver your lines.
—...Haa.
—It’s just an ad, Eclipse. Nothing big, so let’s wrap it up quick.
And on top of that.
—Transcending gender, cloaked in darkness. ...That good?
—Yes! That’s a wrap for today’s shoot!
They turned her androgynous looks—somewhere between boy and girl—into a marketing tool.
Selling her off as a symbol of “androgyny” or “non-binary.”
—Unisex designs really suit you best, Eclipse.
—...Ah, yeah.
She found it all utterly repulsive.
‘Non-binary my ass. Fuck, I’m a woman.’
That’s why she could never dress as she pleased.
Her speech and mannerisms always had to stay perfectly neutral, leaning toward neither gender.
All to preserve her marketability, for Pax Corporation’s profits—she had to define her own identity within that structure.
And what made her even more sickened was...
‘Men, women, doesn’t matter—they all look at me with those disgusting pink eyes.’
The color in their gazes when they stared at her.
Pink.
The shade of lust, of carnal desire.
But dozens of them flashing that pink at once?
It made her skin crawl.
“...Haa. That’s why this place is better.”
That’s why she liked Queens.
Not too crowded, dim lighting.
The people passing through were mostly grays and blacks.
Too busy with their own lives to spare her a glance.
And within Queens, her favorite spot was...
‘Starved from the shoot... Guess I can grab a meal here today.’
McWorld, the biggest burger franchise near JFK International Airport.
Sure, it was busy... but mostly with working-class folks who didn’t care about anyone else.
A few cars outside, but not many.
—Beep.
She pushed through the automatic doors.
Inside: tired faces, all shades of gray.
‘...Yeah, this is better.’
She took in the scene, then headed straight to the kiosk and ordered a burger combo.
“—Order number whatever! McBurger combo up!”
Faking a bright smile as she grabbed her food from the overly cheerful staff.
She headed to a window seat to eat.
“...Ugh?”
Something caught her eye.
“—I thought you were gonna treat me to some fancy restaurant, but a burger joint? You trying to die or what?”
“I don’t like those places. Too many people swarming around for no reason.”
...White.
So bright and pure it was almost nauseating.
A person with that color... was sitting in her usual spot.
‘...That guy.’
She’d seen him before.
The new guy who’d just joined The Paragon.
The weirdo who’d taken over Pax Corporation and dragged around that mystery Great America from god-knows-where.
Ryu Hajun. ‘Jun.’
‘...On a date? Well, yeah, he’s hot.’
But weirdly, no pink for a date.
No sticky tension between a man and woman, no leering lust.
...Well, not exactly.
To be precise, the woman had a faint hint of pink.
But Hajun? Not a trace of personal desire or emotion.
‘No one’s that pure.’
It baffled her.
White meant self-conviction.
The manifestation of believing you’re right.
Even the purest white usually had some other colors mixed in.
This was machine-level, inorganic purity.
‘...Damn. Now I’m curious.’
She pulled her hood low and crept closer.
Sat one booth over from them.
—Crackle.
Activated her auditory magic and started eavesdropping.
“...Haa, so what is it? Why’d you drag me here outta nowhere?”
“How about a contract with me? Exclusive gear crafting and maintenance.”
“...What?”
“I’m about to build a base. Need a technician there.
Someone to keep upgrading my gear and making new stuff.”
“...This really isn’t a date, huh? You called me for business?”
“...Of course not.”
Holy shit, what a psycho.
First thought in Eclipse’s head hearing Hajun.
‘With that face, romance should be a slam dunk.’
The woman with the weird backpack and wrist gadget thought this was a date invite.
But he launches into business talk?
Makes you wonder if he’s gay.
...No, bad thought.
Maybe not for her, marketed as “non-binary” merchandise.
But more than that, something else bugged her.
‘...A base?’
What the hell?
What happened while she was out for shoots and events?
But she was just eavesdropping.
Awkward to jump in with questions.
“Sounds good, but why me? For that scale, just use Pax staff.”
“Because it’s proven.”
“...Yeah?”
“You don’t get swayed by anything. You give your all so the person using your gear doesn’t die.
That’s... why I want to keep working with you.”
“...Not bad.”
...Oh, guy lines that make girls swoon?
That’s what popped into Eclipse’s mind.
“But why a base all of a sudden?”
“The Director knows my address.”
“...!”
Then, words that hooked her even more.
‘...The Director?’
She’d heard the name.
In back-alley conspiracies, hero forums.
Never dreamed it’d link to Pax’s newbie and his address.
“Alright, let’s talk real. Money?”
“I’ll cover it all. Don’t want to give Pax any stake.”
“All of it? From what you’ve said, that’s no small project.”
“Won’t starve. Right now...”
—Tick.
“...About five million dollars.”
“What, what?!”
Hajun casually dropping his funds.
‘...Fuck, why be a hero then?!’
Eclipse nibbled fries, glued to their talk.
“I’d love a tower in central New York... but not yet.
Start with an initial base in Queens, move later.”
“Crazy bastard. You’re not just crazy.”
“So, in? I can pay now.”
The backpack woman went quiet at his words.
But Eclipse saw her colors shift from gray and pink to blue.
She was sold.
“...Hell yeah. How do you turn this down?”
‘...What the hell is his deal?’
Eclipse watched, fascinated.
What was Hajun? What did he do?
Even in The Paragon, he felt alien.
She finished eating, planning to look him up later.
“Then come join us over here.”
“...?”
Eclipse froze mid-fry.
‘...Me?’
Her back was to them—no face visible.
She skipped the Pax suit outside.
Just ragged robes.
After hesitation, she glanced back.
“Yeah, you.”
Hajun’s eyes locked right on her.
“... .”
“Had your auditory magic on the whole time, right?”
Chills ran down her spine.
He called her out so casually, knew exactly what she’d done.
“Wh-what are you...? I had perception block up...”
“Knew you came here often. Came on purpose.”
“St-still, how—”
“—You veered off heading to our spot.
Not far from us.
Your burger combo took forever for something quick...
And you just ‘ate’ without doing anything else.”
“... .”
“We can sort details later. Wanted to talk.
Maybe... our goals align a bit.
Tired of Pax treating people like products.”
For the first time, she felt it.
Overwhelmed, like he’d peered inside her.
Unpleasant.
What she always did to others...
Now turned on her.