Life at the Health Center (3)
"That's a common misconception."
I took a step closer.
"Poison qi—no, corrupted mana—stimulates the most primal instincts buried deep inside a person. It twists suppressed desires and forces them to the surface. For some, it manifests as binge eating; for others, kleptomania."
"……."
"In your case, Deputy Leader, it came out as a 'rebellion against control' kind of thing."
I kept my tone as dry and professional as possible.
"You have this obsession: always be perfect, never make mistakes, take responsibility for everything. When that meets corrupted mana, it creates the exact opposite urge."
"Is that… really a sickness?"
"Yes. That's why I gave you a Grade 2 rating. You need treatment."
Silence.
The only sound in the stairwell was the hum of the ventilator fan.
"Then… Yeonseo too…."
"Pardon?"
"Never mind. Nothing."
Yeonseo? A person's name? A colleague?
Min Seo-yu stood up from where she was leaning.
"What's your name again?"
"Jeong Ji-un."
"Your rank?"
"Grade 4."
"Grade 4, right, figures."
"Pardon?"
"I've had plenty of regular checkups. Even the Grade 1 and 2 counselors couldn't figure out the root cause. At best, they just said my stress levels were high. So how the hell can some two-bit Grade 4 punk spout that kind of insight?"
"It's not like that."
Even a Grade 1 was still just a supporter. They couldn't match a C-grade magical girl's power….
Women often misunderstood this.
Similar ranks didn't mean equal standing!
Supporters were supporters, nothing more. They could never compare to magical girls.
I patiently explained it in simple terms. Male supporters' abilities weren't just determined by rank—they varied based on the unique traits of each individual's mana circuit.
Min Seo-yu still looked skeptical, but she seemed to grasp that she had no other explanation for her symptoms. Especially since my diagnosis had hit the nail on the head.
She let out a long sigh and crossed her arms.
"So."
"Pardon?"
"How do we treat it?"
She'd bitten the hook. Exposed her weakness, now she wanted a full fix.
"There is a method."
"What is it?"
"It's not conventional. Not endorsed by the Medical Association either. As you can see, my approach is pretty different from other counselors'."
"Doesn't matter. As long as it works."
I paused for effect. Time to wrap it in some expert packaging.
"Behavioral therapy."
"Behavioral therapy?"
"Releasing suppressed desires in a safe environment, in a controlled manner. You give the body what it craves, but the therapist—not the patient—holds the reins."
"…In simple terms, I don't get it."
Thick-headed bitch.
"In simple terms, I provide what you want. As a medical procedure."
Only then did Min Seo-yu's eyes flicker with uncertainty.
"You… do you even know what you're saying?"
"I do. Sounds insane, right?"
"Insane doesn't cover it…."
Her gaze raked over me from head to toe.
"You? With me?"
"Yes."
"Ha! That's a joke. Me, submitting to a weak-ass punk like you?"
"It doesn't have to be about physical force."
Dominance didn't always come from raw strength. But it didn't land with Min Seo-yu—her lips trembled with anger.
"You're insane."
She slammed her palm against the wall.
Thud!
She'd hit it so hard that dust trickled down onto my shoulder.
Ah, fuck.
I barely kept my composure.
"…If you don't want it, then don't. It's your choice, Deputy Leader."
"……."
Min Seo-yu glared at me wordlessly, then turned away.
"Forget it. This was a waste of time from the start."
"…Come back anytime if you need treatment."
"Shut up. I'm this close to turning you into pulp right now. Act like a proper counselor and stay quiet."
She kicked the emergency exit door irritably. The metal groaned open with a deafening clang, then slammed shut from the rebound.
Only then did I exhale the breath I'd been holding and lean against the wall. My legs were shaking.
I'd just learned that killing intent alone could choke a person.
This is what a B-grade magical girl was like…. Still, she seemed to accept the Grade 2 diagnosis, at least.
Guess I should head back too.
I opened the office door and stepped back in. No line of magical girls waiting. Must be break time.
Whew, perfect.
I sat back down at my desk.
But.
"……."
"……."
The moment I did, the air in the office shifted oddly.
Typewriters fell silent, and several counselors' eyes locked onto me.
Especially that glasses-wearing guy who'd tried—and failed—to give me advice earlier.
He smirked at me.
"You made it back in one piece, Mr. Jeong?"
"Yeah, somehow."
"Heard a huge commotion earlier. You okay?"
"The patient got a bit worked up. I calmed her down."
"Calmed her? Haha, from where I was sitting, she looked pissed enough to blow a fuse."
This guy's picking a fight again.
"What'd I tell you? Stick to the manual, do it by the book. Sloppy work makes patients explode."
"……."
"You got lucky this time, but next it'll be a formal complaint. Don't drag down the whole team's image…."
"Mr. Kim."
"Y-yes, Team Leader?"
Just as my temper was flaring, Lee Se-yeon cut him off. Without looking away from her monitor, she continued.
"Bored, are we?"
"Pardon? No, I was just worried about Mr. Jeong and giving some advice…."
"Mr. Kim's morning cases: 4."
Lee Se-yeon's flat voice sliced through the room.
"Ms. Park over there: 5. Mr. Choi: 3."
She pointed at me with her chopsticks from a cup ramen.
"And Mr. Jeong: 9."
"…That's because he's been half-assing it."
"No warnings filed yet. So right now, the one with lower performance than Mr. Jeong—who just handled a nasty complaint—is you, Mr. Kim. Who's teaching whom here?"
The glasses guy's face turned beet red.
"Quit backseat driving and cycle through more consultations. I hate overtime."
It was unexpected.
The woman who'd left me to fend off that complainer earlier was now backing me up.
I stared at Lee Se-yeon. But she didn't spare me a glance. Not doing it because she liked me, then?
More like, she remembered everyone's caseloads perfectly.
If I didn't know her corruption desire, I might've been touched.
This creepy voyeur bitch!
Well, at least the annoying fly was swatted. Not a bad deal.
A few hours passed like that. Afternoon work was a monotonous grind.
"Grade 5. You're cleared to return."
"Next."
"Grade 3. Take your meds and go."
Pure mechanical sorting. I became a human scanner, checking corruption desire levels, assigning grades, and sending them on their way.
A few high readings popped up, but I didn't risk it like with Min Seo-yu. Lesson learned.
High levels didn't mean drag them in for personal sessions—that was pretty stupid.
Before I knew it, the windows outside had darkened.
"Attention."
As quitting time approached, Lee Se-yeon taped an A4 sheet to the partition wall.
"Even on your first day, we're going into emergency overtime starting now. Front lines are rough. Gate fluctuations came faster than expected, so 24-hour shifts."
"Ah…."
Groans rippled through the room. Dragged here against their will, and now overtime?
"Shifts are in three rotations—check yours. AWOL means instant disciplinary action, you know."
Everyone crowded the wall to find their names. I had night shift tomorrow.
Spending all night dealing with crazy magical girls? Horrifying just to think about.
But today, I was free.
I hung up my gown, rolled my stiff shoulders, and stood.
"Good work."
"Heading out."
I ignored the colleagues' sour stares and left the office.
Screech—
Passing the first-floor lobby and stepping outside, acrid exhaust mixed with night air stung my nose.
"Whew…."
Office life wasn't all that great either.
The health center courtyard was busier than morning. Ambulances blared sirens, unloading wounded. Armed magical girls patrolled the barricades.
Probably all D-grade or lower here, right?
"Sir!"
Hm?
That voice….
A familiar voice cut through the dark, bright and out of place in this grim air.
"……?"
I turned. In the corner of the parking lot, under a streetlamp, a small shadow stood.
A girl in a deep hood. But platinum blonde hair peeked out, sparkling even in the gloom.
Chae Yu-bin.
"Yu-bin?"
Spotting me, she trotted over like a puppy seeing its owner, tail wagging like a propeller.
"How'd you…."
"Hehe, sir! Off work already?"
Up close, she looked rough. Not her usual neat clothes—a scratched, singed magical girl transformation outfit. A tacky character band-aid clung precariously to her cheek.
Chae Yu-bin was C-grade too. I'd known she'd be called up.
"What happened to you? Hurt?"
"Oh, this? No biggie! Just a scrape!"
She fiddled with the band-aid shyly. Her knuckles were covered in minor cuts.
"I got assigned to outer patrol this time. Shift change hit, and I heard you were at the health center, so I swung by."
Had I told her that?
Oh, Insta.
Posted the notice on SNS. Couldn't risk complaints in this mess.
She even checks that….
I scratched my head, then brushed dirt off her shoulder.
"Was patrol dangerous?"
"Nah, stray D-grade beasts out there? Piece of cake! One punch—bam!—done."
She mimed swinging at the air, putting real force into it with whooshing sounds. She was pumped.
"But check this out!"
Yu-bin rummaged in her pouch and pulled out a black plastic bag.
"Got it at the convenience store. Figured the food here might not suit you. Hehe…."
Inside: two warm canned coffees, a sandwich, and some chocolate bars.
"You came here just to give me this? You've been working—must be tired."
"No way! Bought it right up front, I'm not tired at all! Just… wanted to see your face, hehe…."
Her voice trailed off as she ducked her head. Her ears flushed red under the hood.
"Um… sir!"
She timidly tugged my sleeve.
"Do you… have to head home right now?"
"No. Clocked out, got some time."
"Really?!"
Her eyes went wide. Streetlight stars sparkled in her red pupils.
"Then… could we chat a bit? There's tables at that convenience store."
Beast season chaos everywhere. Yet this girl blushed like it was a date invite.
Her innocence was so absurd, I laughed.
"Sure. I'm starving anyway—perfect timing."
"Really?! Yay…!"
Her face lit up. As she started to lead the way—
I glanced up casually at the health center building. My eyes caught the third-floor isolation ward window.
Huh?
My heart dropped.
Someone was staring down at me.
Min Seo-yu?
Grade 2 meant a few days' rest here. She'd refused counseling—no reason to cross paths again.
Then why's she…?
She stared motionless. Too far for expressions, but that chill vibe reached me.
My chest tightened for no reason. Like the stairwell killing intent was squeezing my throat again.
"Sir? What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
I yanked my gaze away and nudged Yu-bin's back.
"Let's go. Hungry."
"Ah, okay!"
The convenience store outdoor table was mercifully empty. Night breeze chilled, but Yu-bin didn't mind.
She set the sandwich in front of me from the bag. Cheap store-brand stuff and a 2-for-1 canned coffee deal.
"Sorry… Wanted to get something nicer, but with the incident, all nearby spots are closed…."
"It's fine. I like this stuff."
I cracked open a can and took a swig. Sweet-bitter liquid slid down my throat.
"So, how was patrol today?"