The Man-Hating Leader and the Girl Who Wants My Address
"Where do you live?"
"Association duo, here is this project's workplace."
Michael guided us into the office. Employees wearing Luminus badges and association name tags were chatting in small groups here and there.
"What do you think of our girls? Pretty great, right?"
"Their visuals are top-notch since Luminus picked 'em. And their magic output's A-grade too."
"But their personalities are a bit... We're gonna be working together long-term, but they act so stiff. Still, they're quick and efficient at work, so that's nice."
"You mean Anemone, Ms. Chae-ah? She has that lofty ice princess concept. But once you get close, no one takes better care of you~."
"Shiroi Kanna's got that adorable charm since she's Japanese. Her broken Korean suits her perfectly."
They seemed to be talking about the members they'd each been assigned to. From what I overheard, they all sounded like decent people. Someone called their charge a cute kid, another a solid business partner. The atmosphere was all warm and friendly—except for me, standing there like I was in Siberia. Why is my assignment the only disaster?
Men are gross? Excuse me? I was so dumbfounded... Baek Ga-yeon's face flashed in my mind, the way she'd wrinkled her nose like I was a bug every time our eyes met.
Hey, with assets like that, how could I not look?
Munch munch.
A chewing sound came from beside me. I turned to see my senior happily munching on a sandwich.
"Senior, you got food going down okay?"
"Hm?"
Gulp...
"Ah, no problem. Want one? They're in the break room."
Senior wiped the mayo from her mouth with her finger and grinned innocently. So carefree since it wasn't her problem...
"Senior, aren't you way too chill about someone else's mess...? Didn't you see Baek Ga-yeon's glare? One wrong move and she'll whack me with that staff."
"Pfft, she wouldn't actually hit you. And from what I saw, there's a 100% chance she won't lay a hand on you, Sang-woo."
"How can you be so sure?"
"No one catches cockroaches bare-handed. Right?"
"Senior!"
I glared at her for real this time, and only then did she pop the rest of the sandwich in her mouth and pat my shoulder.
"Okay, okay, just kidding. And if you're really scared, I'll be your meat shield up front. I'm a girl, so it'll be fine, yeah?"
"Is that something a senior should say...?"
"Alright, everyone, attention! Cut the chit-chat and stop! Time for the real orientation to beginniDa!"
Michael spun in a flashy turn and clapped his hands. His trot suit sparkled like a disco ball, scattering light everywhere. He headed to the conference room and activated the massive hologram screen on the wall. A low mechanical hum filled the air as blue light particles floated up.
The PPT displayed profiles of the BLOSSOM members.
"The goal of our BLOSSOM project is simple, yo. Maintain their shining idol appearance while maxing out their magical girl performance! That's your mission as association specialists, da!"
Michael flipped through the slides as he explained.
"First member: Forget-Me-Not! Ms. Min Seol-ah da! Just like her name, she's got a mystic charm you can't forget once you see it, yo. Seol-ah handles BLOSSOM's main vocals and the mysterious vibe da!"
On the screen, Min Seol-ah had skin so pale it was almost transparent, with dreamy eyes. A hazy purple mist effect amplified the ethereal atmosphere.
Michael clicked the remote to the next slide. This time, a woman with icy beauty appeared.
"Next! BLOSSOM's elegance rep: Anemone, Ms. Chae-ah da! Luminus's pride and joy, the lofty ice princess concept, yo. Magic output in the top tier of A-grade!"
The next photo was bright like sunshine.
"And! Our group's vitamin boost! Shiroi Kanna, Ms. Kurosawa Natsumi da! Japanese, as the name suggests, yo. BLOSSOM's maknae! Cuteness担当 da!"
Finally, Michael raised his voice an octave and opened the last page.
"Finally! BLOSSOM's core and pillar, our proud Leader! Cherry Dream, Ms. Baek Ga-yeon da!"
Filling the screen was that familiar—and unwelcome—face. On-screen Cherry Dream wore a costume that blatantly accentuated her figure, throwing a heart sign. A far cry from the bug-eyed scowl and bundled-up style from earlier.
After the intros, Michael droned on about the vision and business side. A rambling speech mixing flashy English and wild gestures. Never want to hear it again.
"Alright, presentation ends here da! Everyone to your positions, go!"
Michael vanished into his office with one last dramatic spin.
"Whoa, just listening to Michael sucks the life outta you. Right, Sang-woo?"
Senior stretched as she asked. I was too drained to reply and slumped into my chair.
...Big corp perks: the chairs were better than at the association.
I sighed and turned on the monitor on my desk. Main job: assisting magical girl activities. Ga-yeon's schedule on screen was anything but welcoming.
[Work Notification: Project BLOSSOM Transfer Staff Schedule & Forms.zip]
The association was quick when it mattered—they'd even sent the work email.
"Whoa, look at the workload. Sang-woo, you're not clocking out today if you tackle this."
"Forgot you're transferred too, senior?"
"Oh... right, I am... You dragged me into this!"
"You were so thrilled packing my stuff—gotta repay that."
"...Gonna milk the coffee machine dry."
Senior shuffled to her feet, shoulders slumped like a rain-soaked puppy. Where'd that energy from earlier go?
Early schedule's mostly chasing magical girl activities and logging them... Feels like they mashed association management and investigator duties into one rushed job. Public sector doing public sector things.
Ding—. First floor.
Finally, quitting time.
"See ya, Sang-woo~!"
"Yeah. Tomorrow, senior."
I waved goodbye to her cheerful retreating figure and left Luminus Entertainment. The lobby doors sliding open brought a wave of freedom.
One thing left: my promise with Pure Summer.
Walking toward that alley, a thought hit me.
Hold up, why am I even heading there?
I'm not an association Disaster Response Office investigator anymore. Now I'm a magical girl manager for this public-private project.
Meaning, even if Pure Summer smashes the city fighting monsters, it's not my problem now. No more reports, no all-nighters on surveys. That's for whoever took my spot.
Plus, she has no clue I transferred to Luminus. She'll just trust that one promise to show up after work every day.
Just skip it, done.
Head home, shower, crash early—sounds like a win.
...But her eyes from that day, nuzzling my hand and whispering the promise... If I don't show?
She wrecked the city because I was the investigator on scene. With no info now, she'd do anything to find me.
More than that, I couldn't ignore her mental state from the system readout. Cold-blooded enough to pretend it didn't exist? Not me.
Least say goodbye properly. I headed to the familiar alley after all.
"...You're late, Investigator."
She turned in the shadows. The dark circles ruining her beauty had recovered to a healthy level—thanks to me.
"Sorry. Work ran late today."
"It's fine. You came. My investigator."
She glided over and hugged me tight. I felt her trembling fingertips.
I swallowed hard and parted my lips with the speech I'd prepared.
"Um, Pure Summer. I have something to tell you."
"...Something?"
Her head tilted oddly.
"Well... I've been reassigned. Not to an association branch anymore, but the public-private collab project."
"Reassigned...?"
"Yeah. Commute's too far now, hours irregular... Can't make it here every day at this time anymore."
Silence.
The arms around me tightened gradually.
"Can't? Why?"
"It's not on my way home anymore... Tough without a car every day."
"Hard to come see me?"
"No, not like that at all. Just physically too far..."
"Affiliation?"
Pure Summer slowly lifted her head.
"Where. What job."
"Th-that's personal info..."
"Where. What. Job."
"At Luminus Entertainment, logging magical girl activities...!"
"Luminus...?"
Her eyes darkened at the words.
"Why would you go there, Investigator? Isn't that an agency? Makes magical girl idols?"
"Beats me. Orders from above."
"...Got it. Go wherever—Luminus or not."
Quicker surrender than expected...? The tension in her arms suddenly melted away.
But no relief—just a chill running down my spine.
Pure Summer slowly raised her head and stared right at me.
"Doesn't matter where you're reassigned or how far. I'll go there."
"...Huh?"
"Tell me your address."
She placed her hand on my chest and whispered low.
"Investigator's home address. If work runs late, I'll wait out front. Dawn or morning, whenever. If I'm waiting there, you'll have to come back eventually. Right?"
"Giving a magical girl an investigator's personal info is..."
"You're not an investigator anymore, are you?"
"......"
I was speechless.
"So, where do you live? Lee. Sang. Woo.?"
