14. Well, That Person Is My Partner, But... (1)
The morning after my Egg-Laying Season ended.
When I sat up, my gaze naturally drifted downward.
Lifting my shirt, all that showed was a pale lower belly.
I ran a hand over my sleep-mussed face and thought back to Park Won's fist, the one I'd gripped with both hands that day.
So, in other words... an egg that size came out of my body.
Even thinking about it again, it gave me chills.
Still, when I ran a hand over my lower belly, at least I didn't feel yesterday's throbbing, which was a relief.
"Hnn...."
He definitely... pressed here like this. With both hands.
When he pressed below my navel, my swollen lower belly had caved in. I remembered it clearly because I'd felt it.
Right here, like this... not too hard, from top to bottom.
If I pressed slowly, kneading like acupressure....
"Nngh..., there's no sensation at all."
I tilted my head. When I pressed with my own hands, that feeling from then was nowhere to be found.
I'd already laid an egg once, so it was only natural, I supposed.
Was it the atmosphere? Or had the pain clouded my reason?
Well, either way, pressing with my own hands a hundred times over probably wouldn't do much for me.
"Ah..., no. Erase it. Let's erase it from memory. What am I even doing right now."
Still on my knees, I'd been about to press my lower belly a couple more times, but I dropped my hands, suddenly self-conscious.
It wasn't weird at all. I was just satisfying my curiosity and reviewing yesterday.
If it came down to it, I might have to handle it alone without his help, so I'd just count this as practice.
And there was nothing weird about me pressing my own lower belly a little.
After quickly shaking off the stray thoughts, I got right out of bed.
I scrolled through the day's news on my terminal as I hurried my steps to the bathroom.
Washing up, showering, then brushing my teeth. From experience, drying my hair took a while, so I needed to move a bit faster than usual.
After finishing my shower, I shifted my gaze to the terminal, and the news was all on one topic.
"Ah hah hee heh heh hee heh hoo hee eh...."
Still nothing but talk about Peregrine.
Feeling the weight of Peregrine's popularity, I muttered with foam and toothbrush in my mouth, wearing nothing but a towel.
If interest refuses to cool at this rate, the Association won't be able to hide the truth forever.
Even if they keep it tightly under wraps and use the coma excuse, who knows how long that'll last.
Someday, I'd probably have to show myself before the public too.
I wasn't as righteous or bright as her, just a fake Magical Girl, but I'd have to become the real thing people wanted.
The moment I'd have to become a real fake would come someday. Definitely.
"Ptoo.... It's not a question of whether I can do it or not."
I couldn't know what the Association was thinking, but I decided to at least prepare myself mentally.
If it had to be done anyway, then the fantasy of Magical Girls had to be protected.
The contract made with Peregrine might have been for the sake of protecting that fantasy too.
[Message received alert.]
[An Gi-yeon : Hello, Peregrine. Starting today, you'll be operating one-on-one with Partner Park Won! Accompany him around the city, and if a Magical Girl is active, observe her properly and take notes!]
An Gi-yeon's message had chimed at just the right moment, and I only attached a read receipt instead of a reply.
To sum it up, it sounded like she was saying: spend time with your Partner and get close.
Just thinking about having to go around with this man still made it hard to breathe.
He was a Partner I'd asked for with my own mouth, so I couldn't exactly take it back now....
"Let's just get ready for now. I'll ask Park Won where we should go, too."
I hesitated for a moment over how to word the message. Then I tapped the screen exactly as I'd thought.
There was no need to be polite even in messages.
[Sent : We never decided where to meet up.]
Good. That was enough. I didn't want to treat this man with pointless courtesy.
What's he gonna do if he doesn't like it? He's the Partner you accepted....
Oh, a reply came.
[Park Won : Sorry about that. Just opened my eyes.]
What are you, an elementary schooler...?
Sleeping in is only acceptable up through elementary school. How old are you, and now you're....
[Park Won : Have some breakfast, then we'll head out at a leisurely pace.]
[Reply : No, hold on. Pick up the phone.]
You, you said you'd work diligently if I read through the documents, and now you're pulling this?
Strictly speaking, he'd said there'd be no slacking off, but... that's the same thing, isn't it.
So hurry up.
Pick up. Pick up. Pick up.
I can hear the ringback tone going. You're staring at your terminal right now, debating whether to answer, aren't you.
[You really are a formidable opponent.]
He picked up.
"You clearly said you'd work diligently. How are you late just a few days after becoming my Partner?!"
[Ah, you mean that.]
"Try explaining yourself, Partner."
With a sharp voice, I put on my hat and left the lodging first.
I'd decided to go to the Association and wait, and I was moving briskly.
At Park Won's shameless voice, I glared at the innocent terminal.
[I said do your best. I never actually said I agreed.]
"You're not a child! If you make a promise, you keep it!"
[I didn't make a promise, though.]
"Ugh, seriously.... You want to get kicked again, is that it?! Have some sense of duty as a Partner. I'm not thrilled about it either, but I'm trying my best as your Partner, aren't I!"
I was rattling off complaints and about to fire back at Park Won when his next words stopped my breath cold.
In short, he'd trapped me in a no-win argument.
[I stayed up all night nursing you, so my condition wasn't great.]
"Th-that's something I'm grateful for, but it was only one day."
[Do you know how hard it is to tend to someone all by yourself?]
"Well, that's..., that's true, but. Still...!"
[Fine, I'll head out. I have to, since my Partner requested it. I'll drag my exhausted body out.]
"You're that tired...?"
[Not at all. I'll be right out. Oof. Oh dear. Whoops.]
At the clattering sounds coming through the terminal, I pressed my hat down with one hand.
Was he doing this on purpose for me to hear, or was the man genuinely a bit of a klutz?
"Is he actually an idiot...."
[Oh, yeah. What'd you say?]
"Nothing.... I am grateful for your help, you know. But you're kind of infuriating."
[So, should I hurry out?]
"No, take your time.... I lost. I think I'm starting to get what kind of person you are now."
[Heh heh.]
"You can laugh right now?!"
I raised my voice once more at that signature dumb laugh, then coughed to cover it.
It was getting crowded outside, so I had to be careful not to draw attention.
[Have a coffee on the first floor of the Association. I'll be there soon.]
"Take your time. While I wait for you, I've developed some wrinkles between my brows, so I'll just farm those wrinkles while I wait."
[What are you planning to plant, making wrinkles like that between your brows?]
"I don't know. I'm still debating whether to plant you head-first or legs-first."
[Go ahead and try planting me. I'm so old and worn out, who knows if I'd even grow properly.]
He never loses a single exchange.
Park Won's voice, matching every one of my complaints blow for blow, made my head throb.
It's not like we're two old people filming a comedy sketch....
"It's only a few stops to the Association. I'll wait on the first floor."
[I'd like to ask for your understanding.]
───
And so I arrived at the Association without Park Won.
Obviously, Park Won was nowhere near the entrance.
"Right, I told him to take his time.... Who am I supposed to blame."
It didn't matter. I could just wait at the Association coffee shop anyway.
I couldn't complain about the schedule running late when I'd just burned nearly two whole days myself.
Compared to me, Park Won was actually pretty reasonable.
"Dolce latte, regular size, please."
After ordering my coffee, I perched by the coffee shop window.
Resting my chin on my hand and looking out, the only people passing by were Partners and Magical Girls, plus countless other personnel.
Everyone seemed to get along so well with their Partners. As if they'd been that way from the start.
Meanwhile, I couldn't even decide whether I was a Magical Girl or a man, let alone get along with my Partner.
Once you become a Magical Girl..., is that normal?
Is it weird to bicker and snap at your Partner?
"You're Peregrine, right?"
"Huh?"
In the middle of my spiraling thoughts, I turned my head.
The man in front of me was someone I'd never seen before.
In a suit... and with an Association employee badge. Probably one of the Association staff.
But why did he come up to me out of nowhere...?
"Ah, don't worry. I'm just one of the people who works at the Association."
"Your name is..., Lee Ji-won? More importantly, I think you've got the wrong person."
The lie slipped out instinctively.
It wasn't like I'd lied after some complicated calculation.
It was just that the moment I made eye contact with this man, some kind of jolt ran through me.
It wasn't a good feeling, of course. A foreboding intuition that getting involved with him would be exhausting.
"No, you're definitely Peregrine. I'm in HR, so I've memorized faces."
"Ah, um. Well...."
"May I sit with you for a moment? Think of me as a coworker."
"H-hold on. I'm leaving soon. I was only waiting for my Partner."
A sense of tension started creeping up, and I clutched the cup with both hands.
I wanted to get out of there. I didn't really want to talk to this man.
Why? I couldn't say, but in a different way from Park Won, he made me feel stifled.
"It's nothing much. I just wanted to have a conversation about your Partner. About Park Won."
"Do you know Park Won well?"
"Of course. I told you, I'm in HR."
Hmm....
I did want to dig up some information about that man.
Honestly, I was a little curious about that part.