Pink Head
B-class hero, Erika. Also known as the Magic Girl.
She carried the title “Magic Girl,” yet she could not cast a single spell. She swung a staff with brute force and nothing more. In games, players called strength-boosting mages “Power Mages.” Erika was exactly that. …In truth, she was a warrior character, and the accurate label would have been “Combatant who wears a staff.”
Anyway, Erika did not like being called a Power Mage, even though that was her position. Some people even mocked her as “the Executioner of the Staff.” She hated that nickname the most. She usually smiled brightly, but whenever anyone said it, the smile vanished from her face.
Since childhood she had dreamed of becoming a mage, yet she lacked any talent for magic. She became a physical-type dealer instead—wearing a fake mage’s outfit. That was the initial setting Kang-jun had created for her.
In reality, she was not a major character. She was the perfect supporting extra: she could flirt with the protagonist, then fade from the stage. Power Mage was the kind of cliché writers loved to sprinkle in their novels once in a while. …But in her third playthrough, she died even before she could get with Kang-jun.
Height: 162 cm. Weight: 42 kg. Age: undisclosed. Her face was adorable and her figure glamorous—those were the official profile notes. In reality, of course, they did not match. The adorable face was fine, but the body was anything but glamorous. It was unmistakably fake—clearly padded with at least two layers.
*Ah, that senpai… She’s a little weird, though. Well, honestly, how many normal people are there in this world?*
That was roughly what the heroes thought of her.
She had rank and skill, yet she was inexplicably four-dimensional dumb. At least Lexie the Real-Life Closet was actually normal.
Pink hair on a pink team. The fact that her hair color even matched was a comedy goldmine. That was the classic “stupid heroine” brain concept. …Wasn’t she in her thirties?
Anyway, dropping that.
Despite topping the hero popularity rankings, her fanbase was surprisingly thick. Of course, everyone knew what kind of people they were.
“Your hero, Erika-yeong!”
The image flashed through Kang-jun’s mind: Erika twirling her staff dramatically and calling out in that high-pitched magical-girl voice.
“She’s late as hell lol lol lol lol ”
“lmao they promised they’d dominate me lol lol coupons and everything f*ck lol ”
“I’ll deny it lol lol lol 100% sure lol lol lol ”
“f*ck the log already has it lol lol hehe ”
“pink boteol too? thirty gave lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol ”
“anyway lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol ”
Okay. Thirty pink boteol confirmed. …Probably that girl would dye hers too.
Kang-jun approached her confidently. The scent of tobacco hit him hard. A naive, stupid-looking face like hers, and she was a full-on smoker. It was an impossible combination.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Kang-jun.”
“Woah, Lee Kang-jun! So glad to see you, bro. Star of the 45th branch, not just any star! …Wait, haven’t we met before?”
She had good instincts.
In fact, before Kang-jun became a hero, they had met once last spring. He was doing part-time work at a café when a monster appeared and was about to kill him. At that moment she showed up, took care of the monster, and saved him.
She had carried him to the hospital in a princess carry, but the memory was vague after a year.
“I saw you by chance while passing by. You’ve been on frequent call-ups lately.”
“I see.”
Erika smiled and offered her hand. It was small and pretty for a physical fighter.
Kang-jun took it. The two hands moved up and down lightly, then released.
Erika had not missed the rumors about Kang-jun spreading through the branch. The rumors were mostly unreliable, but at least one had to be true.
He was genuinely insanely handsome.
Suddenly he felt the urge for a cigarette. She glanced toward the break room and walked there with light steps. That bouncing, energetic magic-girl act was nowhere to be seen.
The room was called the break room, but it was basically a smoking lounge. Team leader Carlos was always locked away on the third floor, so the real power on the second floor belonged to Erika. The break room changed to suit her smoking habit.
She started the conversation by asking if he smoked.
“No.”
“Mind if I borrow one?”
Before Kang-jun could answer, she had already lit a cigarette and put it in her mouth. The way she held it slanted and bit down was a skill she had picked up in her early days of tongue-twisting practice.
Erika sat on the non-functional radiator with her chin on her knees and took a long drag. She stared at him with a smile.
Puuu. Gray smoke spread and gradually faded. The exhaust fan kept spinning.
“How old are you?”
“I’ll be twenty-two this year.”
“Twenty-two? You look younger. Mid-twenties, maybe.”
“I’ve heard that a lot.”
Erika picked up the paper cup beside her and spat out a mouthful of thick saliva.
*Ah f*ck, can suck dick lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol *
*lmao I’m jealous of his type lol lol lol lol *
*lol lol lol lol lol lol lol taste so good lol lol lol lol *
Kang-jun quickly checked the chat window, then looked back at Erika.
“Do you have a boyfriend?”
“No.”
“Why? You look like you’d have a lot of women.”
“I’m busy.”
“Ah, busy… Crap.”
With that face, being too busy to date was hilarious. There were trucks full of girls who would be happy to just sit and drink coffee with him.
Erika lowered her head slightly and took another drag. The smile was still there. Puu, the smoke spread and disappeared again. The tobacco was strong; the smell was slightly bitter.
“I’m the deputy branch leader. When the branch leader is gone, I’m the temporary leader. I’m second in the chain of command, so you can take my word for it.”
She suddenly blew out a cloud of smoke and pretended to be cool, but the aura of dignity was nonexistent. There was no charisma in this dumb girl in the first place.
“Since it’s your first day, ask me anything you don’t know. Okay? I’ll teach you kindly.”
Should he ask if her boteol was pink? He hesitated for a second.
“Yes.”
“Let’s get along well.”
Erika crushed the cigarette and stood up. She looked a little lewd, but with such a cute face, there was nothing to worry about. If she were a man, a slap would have been flying.
The two of them left the break room.
Only then did the other heroes enter Kang-jun’s view. Besides him, one more C-rank was there, and three D-ranks who were basically errand boys. Among them, one familiar face stood out.
Natasha Moskovskaya.
As soon as their eyes met, she lowered her head slightly. Her expression was blank. Even though she was a peer, she was a superior, so she couldn’t ignore him completely.
“Should I make coffee?”
“Yes!”
The moment Erika handed over the order, one D-rank jumped up. She mechanically mixed a cup of instant coffee and placed it in front of the deputy leader.
“Kanjun-ah, come here. Natasha too.”
The deputy leader called both of them with a finger snap. The two walked up to Erika.
“Natasha still doesn’t have a partner, right?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Then from today, you’ll handle errands for Kang-jun. Understand?”
“…Yes.”
“Even though you came a few days earlier, you should learn everything.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Erika took a sip of coffee and told the two to return to their seats.
Kang-jun sat at the empty desk directly across from the other C-rank. A man poked his head over the partition with a grin. He looked like a friendly guy.
“Hey, are you Lee Kang-jun?”
“Ah, yeah.”
“Seriously handsome. I’ve heard the rumors. Star is just star.”
He looked in his late thirties. When Kang-jun entered, he had briefly noticed the weapon on him, so he was probably a guard. Those weren’t just decorations.
“Kar Bile.”
“Yeah, nice to meet you, Kar.”
Soon three D-ranks crept over and stood around Kang-jun. Of course, Natasha with her fresh, blank expression was among them.
“Nice to meet you.”
The three bowed their heads at the same time. In terms of work days they were far more experienced, but here rank was king. Even if their class was higher, Kang-jun was their superior. Naturally, they had to greet him.
“Yeah. From now on, please take care of me.”
“Yes, if you need any help, let us know.”
The three D-ranks were one man and two women. The man looked sharp and competent. The other woman was chubby, but the moment she saw Kang-jun, her eyes sparkled with interest.
“I’m Hwang Sui-an.”
“I’m Yoo Hye-ji.”
Natasha did not introduce herself. The two D-ranks glanced at her secretly. Kang-jun explained for her.
“Ah, she’s my colleague. You’ll get to know each other well.”
“Ah, I see.”
Yoo Hye-ji looked a little envious.
After the greetings, they returned to their own seats.
Work itself was simple. When an emergency arose nearby, they rushed out immediately. Other than that, they occasionally did neighborhood patrols. Of course, it was a performance. Heroes said things like “We are protecting you up close,” like an advertisement.
Naturally, the annoying patrols were usually handled by D-ranks. If it was a real emergency, they wouldn’t be much help anyway, so doing the dirty work was their contribution. Kang-jun agreed with that logic too.
The patrol rotation arrived. Two D-ranks stood up. This time it was Yoo Hye-ji and Natasha.
“Wait a second.”
Kang-jun called them over. Then he went to Erika and told her he would also do a patrol with them.
“Mm.”
She waved her hand as if to say “do whatever.” She was distracted, winking cutely while taking a selfie.
Kang-jun told Natasha he would go out and she should rest. It was a superior’s order and not unreasonable, so she obeyed without complaint.
Yoo Hye-ji suddenly looked puzzled. She seemed slightly tense.
The two left the building and walked slowly down the alley. At first there was no real conversation. She would point left and right as if guiding him.
After the awkwardness eased a bit, Kang-jun started talking. At first it was small talk. Then he changed the subject.
“Deputy Leader, what kind of person is she?”
“Ah, well, she’s not a bad person.”
“So you mean she’s not good either?”
“Ah, that’s not what I meant…”
Yoo Hye-ji glanced around. Kang-jun smiled gently and assured her it was fine to speak honestly. He swore he would never tell Erika.
“Actually… there are some slightly bad rumors.”
“Bad rumors?”
Her voice lowered.
“About her complicated romantic relationships in the past.”
“Really? …She doesn’t seem like that.”
She was about to say something, then opened her mouth. Her tone was warning.
“Kanjun, you should be careful too.”
“About what?”
“Y-yeah… that…”
“Ah, I know. …So, you mean slut?”
“Yes? Ah…”
The word was too blunt. She closed her mouth and didn’t confirm or deny. She was extremely cautious. If the deputy leader overheard, it would be a real disaster. That’s why she only hinted.
“I see. Thanks for telling me.”
“Ah, no. …I just… I was worried about Kang-jun…”
Yoo Hye-ji was genuinely concerned. She had just met someone she liked, and she didn’t want him taken by a deputy leader with bad rumors.
This was interesting.
*Whoa lol lol lol f*ck what the hell lol lol lol lol *
*pink boteol probability skyrocketing lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol *
*lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol *
*is it the same as pussy? lol lol lol lol *
*ah that’s the point lol lol lol lol lol lol *
*ah f*ck lol lol lol magic girl is a slut lol lol lol lol judging lol lol *
*judge me lol I’m a slut lol *
*ah hyung-nims lol lol we’re out lol lol lol we’ll take the mission lol lol lol lol *