The Heavenly Demon Goes Out to Play (1)
"...What time exactly are you talking about?"
"When you made NyangNyang cry."
I thought she might have forgotten after so long. It seemed she hadn't erased it from her memory—she had simply been waiting for the right moment.
"You're not going to tell me you forgot, are you?"
Enri wore a bright smile, but her eyes held no trace of laughter. If I shook my head here, something unpleasant would surely follow. Not that I had any intention of denying it anyway. A promise was a promise.
Being turned into a dress-up doll wasn't exactly fun, but I could endure it for a day.
"When do you want to do it?"
"This Thursday is my day off. Would that work for you?"
"Then let's make it Thursday."
Sigh. I wondered how many hours I'd have to stand there changing outfits this time.
"All right, promise made. One more thing."
"What is it now?"
"I had a question, Ara. When you helped me last time, did you start that dog fight on purpose to ease my tension?"
She was sharp. I'd gone out of my way to make it seem natural by getting her thoroughly worked up.
At the time, Enri had looked mentally cornered. After meeting me and suffering another loss due to her own mistake, she had completely crumbled. If left alone, she would have lost faith in herself and collapsed in helpless defeat. So I had resorted to somewhat drastic measures—so she could completely forget her previous failure.
When I smiled, Enri smiled back. Since she'd figured out my intentions, couldn't she let it slide just this once? Couldn't she forgive me this one time?
Unfortunately, Enri didn't seem inclined to change her mind.
Recently, Enri had been worried about Ara. She knew Ara wasn't a weak person. Ara was always stoic, her expression rarely changing. The woman who never flinched no matter what criticism she received during her broadcasts couldn't possibly be fragile.
But that day, when Ara had asked how to eliminate faith, she had clearly been carrying a heavy burden. She was hiding her pain.
If Ara had been a religious person, Enri would have assumed the question stemmed from a moment of spiritual wandering. But Ara didn't believe in gods. She had never shown the slightest interest in faith. The fact that someone like her would ask about ways to destroy faith suggested it concerned another person.
Enri's theory was this: A family member or relative had gotten involved with a cult, and while agonizing over how to save them, Ara had posed the question to her.
At first it had been mere speculation, but the more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. After a full day of pondering, Ara had transformed in Enri's mind into a girl suffering because of a cult.
Enri wanted to help in any way she could, but since Ara hadn't brought it up herself, she didn't pry. Instead, whenever Ara asked for assistance, Enri rushed to her side immediately. She did everything in her power to lighten Ara's worries even a little.
Suggesting they hang out this time had also been for that purpose. The talk of getting revenge for her humiliation was nothing but an excuse. It was true she'd been somewhat angry, but that irritation had vanished completely after her diamond rank promotion.
Ara will definitely think I'm going to treat her like a doll, won't she? I wonder what expression she'll make when she finds out I only chose places she loves.
With that thought, Enri climbed the subway stairs and spotted a woman who could only be Ara standing in the distance.
Seeing her in her usual sloppy outfit, Enri muttered under her breath. Wearing a hoodie over tracksuits to school was one thing, but to show up dressed like that even for a casual outing? Just where had she stored the clothes Enri bought her last time?
Come to think of it, she didn't recall seeing Ara wear them even once since that day.
As Enri approached to question her, she noticed a man standing in front of Ara. She couldn't hear their words, but their expressions told her everything she needed to know. The man was desperately trying to win Ara's favor, while Ara was clearly growing irritated by the nuisance.
Enri hurried over and inserted herself between them.
Even with her sudden appearance, the man's smile didn't waver.
"Who are you?"
But when Enri spoke in crisp native British English, his face froze solid. Koreans were used to American English—time to experience proper British pronunciation!
"Uh, well..."
"If I have nothing to say to my friend, would you please disappear?"
The merciless verbal barrage, completely devoid of courtesy, caused the man's voice to shrink.
"Can you speak Korean?"
"What?"
"Excuse me, could you translate what this person is saying?"
He turned to Ara with an awkward smile, seeking help, but when she remained silent, he eventually gave up and retreated.
Once the man had moved far away, Enri let out a long breath. Thank goodness he couldn't speak English.
"You didn't have to help."
"Ara. You were thinking of hitting him, weren't you?"
"Hitting him? Do I really seem like such a violent person? I was just going to put him to sleep for a while."
"That's basically the same thing!"
The reason Enri had been so desperate wasn't for Ara's sake. Whether in Apis or reality, Ara possessed a natural talent for physical confrontations. A few men like that would pose no challenge for her to subdue.
What worried Enri was the opposite—the man who had dared speak to Ara and might end up rolling across the pavement of this crowded downtown street because of it.
It wasn't good to persistently hit on someone who clearly disliked it, but it wasn't something worth carrying lifelong humiliation over, either.
Besides, it was true that Ara was beautiful. Even in an oversized hoodie and baggy training pants loose enough for another leg to fit between fabric and skin, Ara was stunning. The saying that her face belonged to a gangster wasn't empty praise. Even with that eccentric hairstyle in the past, she had drawn people's attention. Recently, with her hair neatly styled, she had become even more beautiful. Even after chasing one man away, Enri could feel eyes glancing their way.
Maybe it's fortunate she came dressed like this. A fully dressed-up Ara would have destructive power on another level.
Enri recalled Ara's recent broadcast appearance. In her neat martial arts uniform with her long hair elegantly pinned up, she had resembled the heroine of an old Hong Kong film. To the point that Enri wouldn't have been surprised if Ara descended from the heavens wearing silk robes.
"Enri? Why are you just staring?"
"No! It's nothing!"
"?"
Enri cleared her throat to dispel the thoughts floating through her mind and loudly changed the subject.
"More importantly, Ara! Where did you put the clothes I bought you? Why are you in a hoodie again?!"
"That's... it's too precious an item, so I left it at home."
It sounded like she was saying it was too valuable to wear, but Enri knew the truth.
"You hate wearing it that much?"
"A bit. It's too tight. What kind of clothes are those anyway?"
"It's not the nineteenth century anymore. You can't react like that over something so minor."
Usually endlessly bold, Ara occasionally got trapped in these old-fashioned ways of thinking. During such times she was incredibly stubborn, and Enri had never once managed to persuade her when she shook her head so firmly. Though she had pushed the issue before by taking advantage of Ara's inability to easily reject kindness.
"But it's uncomfortable."
"I understand. Then for the clothes you'll wear this time, I'll make sure to consider that."
"Huh? We're really going to a clothing store?"
Ara looked horrified. The way her body instinctively recoiled suggested she wanted to turn back immediately if possible.
"Hehehe. I'm joking. Since you hate it so much, let's save the clothing store for next time."
"...There won't be a next time."
"There will be, won't there?"
It had been nearly a month since the two had grown close. They didn't know every little detail about each other yet, but they had a rough understanding of one another's personalities.
From Enri's perspective, Ara valued give-and-take. She was the type who felt indebted if she didn't return as much as she received.
Therefore, if Enri later brought up all the broadcasting help she'd provided and suggested a clothing store trip, Ara would surely be unable to refuse.
Ara couldn't deny Enri's words. She probably had an inkling herself.
"Anyway, today we're not going to a clothing store. We're going somewhere else. You can be happy about that."
"Can you tell me where?"
"It's a secret! But I'm certain you'll like it, Ara!"
Despite Enri's confident smile, Ara couldn't erase her apprehension. She knew her friend's playful nature all too well.
Enri grabbed Ara's wrist and began walking briskly, as if she had passed this way several times before. Her steps held no hesitation.
A few minutes later, they arrived at a store whose sign read:
Lucy Dog Cafe
"Ara. You love animals so much! So I picked a place where you can pet the dogs, feed them, and play with them!"
Enri knew Ara watched animal videos on MyTube until she was sick of them. She couldn't not know—after all, the only time Ara took out her smartphone was to watch animal clips.
That's why Enri had brought her here. To give the animal-loving Ara a chance to interact with real animals directly!
Certain she would be delighted, Enri turned to look at her—only to find Ara looking troubled, seemingly at a loss for words. Enri grew flustered.
Strange? Ara isn't the type to be stingy with her smiles. She's the kind of person who shows a wonderful smile when something makes her happy.
Is there some problem? Does she have trauma with animals? Maybe watching them on video is fine but seeing them in person causes issues? Or allergies?
That could be it. For someone who loves animals this much to not keep even one pet, there must be a reason.
Idiot. I should have casually asked once. Why didn't I think of that?
As Enri's expression crumpled while she began blaming herself, Ara spoke up urgently.
"I'm truly happy that you thought of me, Enri. It's true that I like animals. If I could, I'd love to go inside and enjoy it too."
"Then what's the problem?"
"I... animals tend to hate me."
"Hate you? You don't need to worry about that."
Enri knew some people simply couldn't get along with animals. But the dogs in this cafe had all received proper training. They should welcome anyone.
"It's not something that simple... You'll understand when you see."
With those words, Ara opened the door to the dog cafe.
The atmosphere inside was warm and friendly. Someone had a dog on their lap, gently stroking it. Elsewhere, two dogs were engaged in a tense standoff over a toy. Another sat in front of a person, staring intently as if demanding a treat.
It was a cozy, heartwarming scene—until Ara stepped inside. Then the mood changed completely.
The dogs froze. Every single one turned to stare at the entrance—at Ara. Their wagging tails shot straight up. One began barking, and the rest quickly joined in, all of them showing clear hostility.
"Hey guys! What's wrong with you!"
Seeing the dogs barking frantically, Ara quickly shut the door.