Not Anemone At All
I roughly wiped down the desk splashed with the coffee Min Seol-ah had spat out and sat back in my chair. Time to get to work. I turned on my computer to check today's tasks. Baek Ga-yeon's schedule popped up on the monitor, with our required appointments marked in blue. Afternoon magical girl duties, huh. Practice sessions packed in before that as a debut idol.
As I filled out the paperwork I hadn't finished yesterday, lunchtime crept up before I knew it. Grumble—.
"...That wasn't my stomach."
The growl from the seat next to mine was pretty damn loud. Despite her words, her flushed-red ears were telling the real story.
"Sure, senior. Let's say it wasn't your stomach. Must've been a monster roaring nearby."
"...Die."
For all her tough talk, she snatched her employee ID and bolted from her seat at light speed. I shook off my drowsiness and stretched.
"Where to today?"
"Dunno? I feel like eating out instead of the cafeteria."
"Shall we head out, then?"
"Yeah."
Oh right. Click, clack. Gotta save first.
"Let's go together!"
In the elevator mirror, I looked as tired as ever. Meanwhile, the senior beside me had ditched her morning haggardness—her eyes sparkled with lunch anticipation.
"Sang-woo, I hear there are tons of great spots near Luminus. Reviews say this Magical☆Pasta place looks good?"
"Senior, how about some hearty gukbap instead?"
"Hey! We had gukbap yesterday. Let's go here~"
"I'll pay?"
"Okey-dokey. Gukbap it is."
We passed the trendy cafes near the office building and headed to a dingy gukbap joint tucked in a back alley. Ding-a-ling~. The rich aroma of meat broth hit us like a wave. Koreans really do thrive on rice and soup.
"Whoa, this place is packed. Sang-woo, that corner over there... Huh?"
The senior, who had gone ahead to scout a table, froze in surprise. I followed her gaze to the back of the restaurant.
Tucked in the farthest corner sat Chae-ah—the Ice Princess of BLOSSOM that Michael had gushed about yesterday—surrounded by her managers.
As we stood there awkwardly, one of the managers spotted us and shot his hand up.
"Hey, Association folks! What're you doing standing there? We've got space—join us!"
"Ah, sorry about that."
I ended up sitting right across from Chae-ah. Her nickname wasn't for show; she fixed me with an icy stare. Her Luminus managers, though, seemed totally unfazed, chatting away cheerfully like this was routine.
"Aigoo, our Chae-ah's gone full mannequin mode seeing new faces again?"
An older-looking manager chuckled as he set out chopsticks and spoons. He glanced at me and lobbed a pun I really didn't want to hear.
"Hey, Association guy, don't be so tense. Her name's Anemone, but her personality's not anemone at all~ She's actually super sweet. Kekeke!"
A silence so thick even the restaurant din faded crashed over our table.
"Puhahaha!"
A sharp burst of laughter exploded from beside me. It was the senior.
"Ahaha! Oh... 'Not anemone'! That's hilarious!"
Her face was flushed red from laughing. I froze with my spoon in hand.
...This is funny?
"Sang-woo, you hear that? Anemone but her personality's not anemone at all! Man, my sides hurt..."
"You like this kind of humor?"
"Isn't it objectively funny?"
"This young guy's got taste! Everyone says it's lame, but that's real comedy. Yup."
I sneaked a peek at Chae-ah. Her expression hadn't budged as she stared at the senior.
"Alright, enough laughing! Introduce yourselves to the Association folks and our Chae-ah. You'll be seeing these faces plenty—might as well exchange names."
The senior was still giggling. Guess I'd have to go first.
"Uh, well..."
"Um..."
Our voices clashed in the air for a split second.
"...You first."
"No, you go ahead."
The game of hot potato courtesy bounced back and forth a couple times. Awkwardness thickened over the cramped gukbap table. I waved the white flag first.
"Lee Sang-woo, investigator from the Disaster Response Office until recently. Transferred to manage magical girl activities for the BLOSSOM project. In charge of Cherry Dream—Baek Ga-yeon."
"...Chae-ah of BLOSSOM. Codename: Anemone."
Short intros done. To break the silence, I extended my right hand first.
"Nice to meet you, Chae-ah."
She alternated stares between my hand and face. Then, resolutely, she reached out.
Thud.
"...?"
What touched the tip of my right hand was her left hand. Only then did her eyes flick downward.
"Ah."
With a split-second gasp, she yanked her hand back like a coiled spring. Her hands flailed lost in the air, totally at odds with her image.
"N-No, not that... I mean, the right hand..."
She bit her lip like she was taking a deep breath, then properly offered her right hand and clasped mine.
Click.
It gripped hard—probably from the earlier flub. But the warmth at our fingertips felt surprisingly cozy, nothing like the Ice Princess moniker.
"...Nice to meet you."
Her voice was barely above a whisper. Less haughty ice queen, more just socially awkward.
"I'm Joo Seo-ha! I was Sang-woo's mentor back in Response. Wasn't supposed to transfer here, but Sang-woo pulled a total water ghost move and..."
Blah blah blah.
"Yes... Uh-huh. Ah. I see..."
Chae-ah looked pained listening to the senior. Confirmed: she had severe social anxiety.
"Gukbap's here—!"
With the server's call, steaming earthenware pots arrived. The dull clunk of pottery on the table cut off the senior's solo act. Chae-ah's face stayed blank, but she seemed relieved.
Bubbling broth foam burst, scattering savory scents everywhere. Everyone grabbed their utensils.
"Whoa, our girl's pounding that gukbap like a champ. Rice power's the Korean way, eh?"
The guy who seemed like Anemone Team's head manager chuckled and slyly poured some kkakdugi brine into her pot.
Chae-ah's unchanging face finally scrunched up. Ah, the kkakdugi soup... She clearly hates it.
But she didn't even utter the first syllable of refusal, just stared blankly at the reddened broth. Still, she stoically shoveled it down without big complaints. Not that she wouldn't—it was that she couldn't.
Anyway.
"Eat up, young fella. This kkakdugi brine's a masterpiece."
Anemone's manager shoved some toward my pot too. Instinctively, I pulled mine closer.
"Ah, I prefer the pure broth taste. Thanks anyway, though."
"Sheesh, picky young folks these days. This is the good stuff."
He laughed it off and dumped it into his own instead. Across from strangers, under surprise kkakdugi assault, Chae-ah's movements grew more robotic by the bite.
She's gonna get indigestion at this rate.
I subtly slid the cool barley tea bottle on the table her way. Her head snapped toward it. A flicker of panic crossed her stiff eyes.
"Y-You might get an upset stomach... Eat slowly."
She stared at the bottle.
"...Th-Thank you."
Her reply was quieter than a mosquito's buzz. But softer than her earlier stiff tone. She gingerly grasped the bottle, fingertips trembling. She paused trying to twist the cap, then nudged it back toward me.
"...Sorry."
"Hm?"
"The cap..."
Ah. It was on pretty tight. I took it wordlessly and twisted. Pop— It opened smoothly.
"Here."
"...Thank you."
She poured a bit into her cup. After a sip of barley tea, she finally seemed to relax.
"See? Our Chae-ah's surprisingly needy like that. Great manners too. Young folks are different!"
Clink. Her cup hitting the table rang unusually loud.
"Ahaha! See, our Sang-woo's got that sense. Super popular in Response too. Though he did royally screw up at the end!"
"Senior. Eat your food. Soup's getting cold. And don't bring that up."
"Eek, scary. Fine."
The senior cackled and shoveled in a big spoonful. As time passed, the weird tension lightened bit by bit.
"...Um."
Chae-ah spoke up. Still glaring holes into her gukbap bowl, she turned her face my way.
"Yes, Chae-ah?"
"...Thank you. And."
She paused, cautiously lifting her head to meet my eyes.
"Please take good care of unnie and us from now on. Manager."
Her gaze dropped back to the pot.
"...Yes. I'll do my best."
Did that satisfy her? She gave a small nod. The clumsy side hidden under her Ice Princess label felt surprisingly human—almost endearing.
...Should've been assigned to Anemone.