Contact Block─Withdrawal Therapy (1)
Kim Na-young's eyes widened into saucers.
"Ah… sorry! I'll show you right in. This way, please."
She hurried ahead in a fluster. We entered a small meeting room at the end of the corridor. It was a space about two pyeong, finished with frosted glass.
"Um, sir? Would you like something to drink? We have coffee from the pantry…."
"No, that's fine. Let's get straight to it."
I pulled a stack of papers from my bag and set them down on the table with a thud. Of course, it was just some psychology test sheets I'd scraped off the internet and tweaked slightly for magical girls, but it looked convincing enough on the surface.
"Kim Na-young."
"Y-yes?"
"How many men are you currently talking to?"
Straight ball, no setup.
"Pardon? What do you…."
"Whether it's flings, guys you're stringing along, or just dinner buddies. I'm asking how many 'oppas' you have saved in your phone."
"Uh… well… I haven't counted…."
Kim Na-young pondered for a moment, then pouted her lips.
"But what does that have to do with counseling?"
"Just give me the number first. For an accurate diagnosis."
"Hmm… I don't know. I haven't counted, but… maybe five? Six?"
Lie.
"Don't lowball it."
"It's true! They're not serious or anything—just dinner and movies, you know?"
"Can I see your chats?"
"What?!"
Kim Na-young jumped up, her face flushing red.
"I'm not some easy girl, okay?! You're suspecting me right now!"
"Including the guys I saw earlier. The ones you're okay with light skinship. You haven't said 'let's date' yet, but you're close with them. All together, it's over ten, right? Or twenty?"
Kim Na-young's expression hardened. The classic defense mechanism of someone hit right in the gut was kicking in.
"Sir, don't you think you're going too far? Are you here to dig into my private life?"
"It's not private life. It's checking the progression of your condition."
I set down my pen and leaned forward. I stared straight into her eyes.
"Kim Na-young. The symptoms you're experiencing aren't just from being popular or feeling lonely a lot."
"Symptoms? What, am I a patient now?"
"Yes, you are a patient."
I nailed it down firmly.
"It's what people call magical girl syndrome out in the world. I've defined your condition as 'relationship addiction' for now."
Kim Na-young sucked in a sharp breath. She let out a disbelieving chuckle.
"Ha, come on. Relationship addiction? Me? Even if you're right, it's just making a lot of friends, isn't it?"
"Don't you feel it yourself? That unbearable emptiness when you're alone. The anxiety that drives you mad if your phone doesn't buzz. The way your self-esteem plummets if you don't get confirmation that someone loves you."
"Th-that… doesn't everyone feel that? People these days are all lonely."
"Normal people don't get that anxious. And they don't manage men like an octopus to soothe it."
"Wh-what do you mean 'manage'! I'm not!"
She shrieked like a banshee. I'd been pretty straightforward, but she still wasn't buying it.
My psychological counselor certification also proves I'm a supporter with a mana circuit. That's why I was blunt on purpose….
All to demonstrate my abilities.
But if this bitch wouldn't believe me, that was a problem.
"Na-young, your mana circuit is clogged with poison qi, which has wrecked your reward system. It makes you crave attention and affection from others, and stresses you out if it's not met. Classic early symptoms of the syndrome. You know what happens when magical girl syndrome worsens, right, Na-young?"
Corruption desire. When the phenomenon called magical girl syndrome escalates, a magical girl can no longer remain one.
Villainization.
In the end, she transforms into a "witch."
That's why villain groups like Nebula obsessed over ways to induce or mass-produce these witches.
"No way… Just meeting some guys doesn't make it a disease."
Kim Na-young shook her head and shot up from her seat.
"Sir, a friend introduced you, but this isn't right. I'm not some nutcase."
"Sit down."
"I'm leaving. Counseling or whatever, you've pissed me off. I've never heard of or had counseling like this."
"…Is that so?"
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
Then what did other counselors do? Just sweet-talk her and take her money?
Drag.
The chair scraped harshly against the floor, echoing in the cramped meeting room.
"What a waste of time. I'm out."
Kim Na-young headed for the door without looking back.
Can't be helped. If words don't work, I'll make her understand with her body.
I touched the smartphone screen with my left hand hidden under the table. It was Kim Na-young's trigger button.
"Go ahead. I won't stop you."
"You think I can't leave just because you say so? Who do you think I am!"
"Door's that way."
"Don't ever contact me again! I'm blocking you!"
Clack, clack, clack.
Her high heels pounded loudly on the meeting room floor. She grabbed the door handle without hesitation.
"Hmph, what a jerk…."
She stopped dead.
Kim Na-young, halfway out the door, froze as if by magic. She turned her head slowly, very slowly.
Creeeak… The door she'd opened swung shut again.
"Um, ahem, sir?"
"Yes."
"Well… you know…."
She averted her eyes shyly and took a step toward me. She twirled a strand of her hair around her finger.
"Thinking about it… I think I was a bit too harsh…."
"Harsh how?"
"Just… you came all this way… it feels rude to send you off like this…."
"No, it's fine if you go. You said you were too pissed to continue."
"Aww, sir, come on. I was just joking—why keep embarrassing me…."
She grabbed my arm lightly and twisted her body. Classic coquetry.
Hard to believe this was the same woman who'd treated me like a con artist moments ago.
Not very honest, is she.
I smirked inwardly. The app's performance was solid.
The moment I hit the 'relationship addiction' button, she instinctively panicked at the thought of cutting ties with me.
"Have a seat."
"Yes, thank you."
Kim Na-young sat demurely. I rested my chin on my hand and stared at her.
"Kim Na-young."
"Yes?"
"Do you think your behavior right now is normal?"
"Hm… yes? What do you mean?"
Her eyes widened as she asked back. She really seemed clueless.
"You were furious and storming out a minute ago, and now your attitude's done a 180—you're apologizing and acting cute. You think that's a normal emotional shift?"
"Th-that's…."
"Even bipolar patients don't flip this dramatically in one minute."
I pointed at her with my pen.
"This is the textbook symptom I mentioned. When a relationship is at risk of breaking, your rationality shuts down, and you instinctively cling to the other person. Pride, dignity—out the window."
Kim Na-young's face burned red. She opened her mouth to retort, but no words came.
"No… I just… you were so firm…."
"So it made you anxious? Afraid I'd leave?"
"……."
"That anxiety. That's the disease."
Silence. Kim Na-young hung her head, fidgeting with her fingers.
"…You might be right, sir. Hehe."
She said that, but her eyes still didn't fully believe me. It felt like she was just agreeing to please me—nothing more, nothing less.
Haa, this is such a pain.
I swallowed a sigh.
Forcing her down, grabbing her by the hair, and making her submit would be faster and easier. Or like with Park Min-jeong, just rewrite her corruption desire target to 'me.'
But that wasn't possible.
Cooldown's a month.
The [Corruption Desire Change] skill was powerful, but came with heavy restrictions. It had been about half a month since I used it on Park Min-jeong. I had to wait another half month.
Time to go straight at it.
"Good, you admit it. Now, be honest."
I slid the papers back toward her.
"How many men?"
Kim Na-young swallowed dryly.
Should I say it?
If I tell the truth, will this guy despise me? Why do I even have to reveal something so personal?
But her mouth moved against her better judgment.
"Well…."
Her gaze dropped to the table.
"5… 50?"
"Pardon?"
"Around 50… If it's just guys, it's over 200, but if I count only the decent ones… yeah…."
Her mouth went dry as dust.
"No, honestly! I haven't counted exactly. Among the contacts saved, the ones who buy me meals, drinks… do whatever I ask… adding them up, it feels like that many…."
She wanted to crawl into a hole.
But it wasn't an exaggeration. If anything, she'd understated it.
"How do you manage that many? Days are still 24 hours, even for magical girls."
"Just… rotate them, you know. Lunch guy separate, dinner guy separate, weekend movie guy… and some just send gift icons via chat."
"What kind of people mostly?"
"What do you mean?"
"Jobs, personalities. Supporters, or normals?"
Kim Na-young twirled her hair around her finger.
"Mostly normals. Regular office workers… or 'supporter wannabes.'"
Supporter wannabes. A common type in the magical girl scene. Guys with barely a shred of mana sensitivity, hovering around for the glamour and power.
Hyenas desperate to become managers, gear handlers, or drivers—just to network with magical girls.
"They're… convenient. They take whatever I dish out. Late for a date? No anger. Fancy meal on them, and a 'thanks for the food' has them grateful."
"And?"
"I'm a magical girl, after all. They're basically normals. Different leagues… so they do whatever I want."
It started as a way to save on food costs. A freelancer magical girl's income was zilch on no-beast days.
Casual mindset: meet guys offering meals to cut expenses.
But at some point, she started enjoying it. The thrill rushing up her spine at their cheers for a gesture, their fidgeting at her frown.
I'm chosen.
I'm not like you ordinary guys.
That superiority. That was why Kim Na-young kept her pond stocked.
"So."
Jeong Ji-un's cold voice snapped her reverie.
"Sex?"
"What?!"
Kim Na-young jumped, face aflame.
"Wh-what are you saying! I'm not that kind of girl!"
"Don't misunderstand. I'm asking if there's physical involvement. To gauge the addiction pattern."
"No! Absolutely not!"
She raised her voice indignantly.
"Holding hands, linking arms… maybe a drunk peck sometimes, but nothing more. Why would I sleep with those losers? Lowers my standards. They're just… fans. Fan service meets, and if they push boundaries, blocked. Hate entitled creeps."
Magical girls outclassed normal men physically too.
She could toy with them risk-free.
Jeong Ji-un nodded and jotted something on the chart.
Scratch, scratch, scratch.
The pen on paper sounded deafening. Kim Na-young's heart pounded in sync.
"Um… sir?"
"Yes."
"Is this really a disease?"
Her voice shrank again.
"Maybe… I'm just popular? They all like me, so I meet them."
"Popularity… Kim Na-young. You've been getting more headaches lately, right?"
"Ah!"
Her pupils shook.
Right. That too.
"Yeah, definitely… more headaches lately."
"All symptoms of the disease."
At first, she didn't believe it. But as she confessed, as they talked, the unease grew.
Am I really dating guys because of a disease?
50 is a lot, sure….
"Th-then what do I do? Pills fix it?"
Kim Na-young looked up at him with a pouty face. Before she knew it, she was fully relying on Jeong Ji-un.
"Pills won't work. It's not a physical illness."
The corner of Jeong Ji-un's mouth twitched up.
"We need to clean house. A thorough one."
"Clean…?"
"Yes. Drain the built-up poison qi, untangle the circuits. It might hurt a bit… or be embarrassing."
His voice dropped low, oddly. Kim Na-young sensed danger instinctively, but fleeing didn't cross her mind. Instead, she nodded, mesmerized.
"I'll do it. If you can cure me… anything!"