Ding Dong Daeng
I had the ding dong daeng dream. As always. Just like every time. I considered it a nightmare. It stemmed from past trauma, after all. I run into it periodically like this in my dreams.
"Seol-hyun."
The magical girl in the dream was calling out to me. The me from those memories in the past was facing off against her.
...It's been a while since I last had this one.
Post-traumatic stress disorder, or whatever they called it? A superhuman body doesn't get sick, but it doesn't protect the mind either. Back then, pretty much every magical girl had some kind of mental issue as standard equipment.
...Of course, it didn't faze me much anymore. Not even this scene playing out in the dream right now. To my desensitized current self, it wasn't much of a shock.
So in a way, I was glad. Even if it was just a nightmare, I could see my old friend again like this.
I smiled as I watched the scene unfold.
"Kill... me...."
She urged me to murder her. Her entire body splattered in blood.
"...Vega Bonne. It's not too late yet."
"Sorry. But I can't go on anymore. ...End it with your own hands."
The magical girl from my memories looked utterly exhausted. Like a candle flame about to flicker out. She could collapse at any moment, and it wouldn't be surprising.
The past me gazed at her like that. Back then, I was very different from now. Just like the magical girls of the present day. I didn't hesitate to charge toward the stars ahead. I held onto hope.
That's why the me from that time didn't seem much like a magical girl. Back then, magical girls were treated no different from war weapons. The young, immature ones were just puppets jerked around by the adults. I wanted to tear down that unfair system. I wanted to tell people what magical girls really were. That we sacrificed our lives with noble hearts to protect humanity. That if we just tried a little harder, if we united our strength, we could move forward.
...The me from back then was such a fool. So pure.
Click.
The scenery shifted. A bit of time had passed in the dream.
"......"
"Seol... hyun... ah...."
The surroundings were a total wasteland. Right in the middle of that scene. There lay Vega Bonne collapsed, and me clutching onto her.
"Seol... hyun...."
"...Don't talk. Please."
"You... did... well... not... bad."
"......"
"...You... did... great—"
Crunch!
Her head exploded.
...It wasn't me who did it. Way off in the distance. The follow-up unit had arrived to "handle" her.
This scene never gets any less familiar, no matter how many times I see it.
Probably the reason this stuck with me as trauma. I'm numb to it now, but it must've been a huge shock to the me back then.
Maybe that's when I started to change. I stopped pushing forward and began looking back. Instead of the stars in the sky, I turned my gaze sideways.
...It was filthy. The world was overflowing with trash that needed cleaning up.
"...Mm."
I opened my eyes to a familiar space. In the dark room, only the monitor's glow flickered.
From the looks of the screen, I'd fallen asleep midway through the movie.
I stretched long and hard. Having holed up at home for the past few weeks had left my body stiff.
Knock knock.
"Come in."
Juidori opened the door and poked his head in.
"You finally awake, squeak?"
"What's up?"
"Squeak? It's that day you mentioned, squeak."
"That day?"
"You told me to remind you in case you forgot, squeak."
At Juidori's words, I checked the calendar.
November 22, 2074
Original Protagonist's Entrance Exam (★Very Important★)
The date was marked in huge emphasis. Seeing it jogged my memory of something I'd completely forgotten, and I shot up from my chair.
"...Ah, I spaced. Time flew by that fast already?"
"Squeak squeak... Cha Seol-hyun, your sense of time is way too dull, squeak."
"Thanks for the heads-up, Juidori."
"Squeak."
With his task done, he scampered back out.
Guess I should get ready too.
I cleaned up the trash in my room. Changed clothes and got dressed to head out.
It had been a while since I'd gone outside.
"Haa~ Fresh air feels nice."
Hunkering down at home playing games is great and all. But getting out like this every now and then wasn't bad either.
Maybe because I'd gotten into the habit of heading to Association HQ every day. Even when resting at home, I tended to get fidgety.
Periodic walks like this from now on might be good.
...Now, where was it? The school's around here, right?
It wasn't far. I strolled along slowly, reminding myself of the purpose of this outing.
Finally synced up with the original timeline.
What was this feeling? Profound emotion? The moment I first opened my eyes in this world flashed back.
I probably couldn't have imagined it back then. That I'd be reborn into the world of that manhwa I'd been forced to read following my little sister. And not just that—100 years before the original story, in a woman's body, no less.
...I'd survived with sheer grit. It was right around when monsters and magical girls first appeared, a chaotic era.
I'd lived through it as a 0th gen magical girl.
...Thinking back makes me crave a smoke again.
Over 30 years since I quit under protests from friends and juniors. Still my go-to when troubled.
Munch.
Mouth feeling idle, I popped in a stick candy. Tart strawberry flavor. Sweetness cleared my head again.
...Anyway. That's how I spent over a century as a magical girl. In the process, I pretty much demolished the original plot.
'20 years ago, I took out the final boss of part 1.'
It was still before the original story even kicked off. But I didn't leave those threats hanging around. I cleared them all out.
One of the reasons I retired. With all world-ending disasters wiped, nothing needed my immediate attention.
Part 2 was still out there, sure. But that wouldn't happen until a few years later, after the original protagonist grew some. No involvement from me for the foreseeable future.
Still, gotta at least see the protagonist's face.
What was it? Curiosity? Senior's sense of duty? Hard to put into words.
Maybe because the original manhwa was such a bleak world. Knowing she'd walk that thorny path untouched if I hadn't shown up made me feel oddly sorry for her. This protective urge to look out for her.
...Never met her in person, though.
'Heard she struggles a lot at school too.'
I recalled ancient memories from the original. This part probably wouldn't deviate much.
...Wonder how I can help.
I crunched the candy in my mouth, pondering. A bit of meddling in my peaceful daily life.
Before I knew it, I'd reached my destination.
...The school's huge.
Probably the biggest in Korea. Prestigious enough to rival top schools in the US. Every aspiring magical girl dreams of enrolling here.
'The world's come a long way~'
Back in my day, magical girls were too busy fighting for their lives to even think about school. I awakened at 8 and never graduated elementary.
Luckily, past-life memories kept me from turning into an idiot.
'I was the youngest, right?'
The looks on my cohort's faces when we met were priceless. "Why's a kid like you here?" "No need to deploy children." Crazy stuff by today's standards. But back then, humanity had no luxury for age concerns. Once you awakened as a magical girl, you fought monsters, period.
...Yeah. Kids should be in places like this.
Not on blood-soaked battlefields. Bustling, warm schools suit them. With that lighter mindset, I headed toward the main gate.
Up close, guards manned the entrance.
"Hold up a sec, please."
They stopped me, as expected. I casually checked the time on my phone. The entrance exam was about to start.
'A bit late.'
Association staff and other scouts were probably already inside.
...Should've come earlier.
"What's the purpose of your visit?"
"Here to observe the entrance exam."
"Observation is limited to Association and select corporate affiliates. Do you have ID or something to verify?"
"Ah, yeah. Here—"
I froze. Habitually reaching for my Association ID, I remembered.
Right. I turned in my card when I retired.
My pocket was empty. The guard picked up on my reaction, speaking in that "I've seen this before" tone.
"...Sorry, no ID means no entry."
"But...."
I was dumbfounded by the sudden roadblock. Blocked at the gate? Really?
What now? Can't think of anything else.
Maybe because I'd been so low-key. Few from recent generations even knew who I was.
...Well, correction. Hardly anyone knew about me even back then.
Sneak in? But the fallout would be a headache....
I gave up on calling the Association. After my retirement announcement, what right did I have to ask favors?
...Isia would come hunting me down the second she heard.
Stuck in that awkward limbo.
"...Cha Seol-hyun sunbae?"
"......?"
A voice calling my name came from across the way. I turned to see a woman hurrying over. A beauty with long purple straight hair that suited her perfectly.
...Huh. Feels familiar. Where do I know her from?
The guards were greeting her. From the title I overheard, she seemed to be the school's director.
"It's been forever since we last met?"
"......"
"...Sunbae?"
Who was it again?
I racked my brain. Stared intently into her eyes. Bright, shining yellow irises.
Yellow. ...Yellow?
"...Ah! I remember!"
"...Pardon?"
"You're that kid, right? The one who almost got mind-controlled by that tentacle monster 50 years ago and nearly pissed herself—"
"Ah, fuck!!! Shut your damn mouth!!!"
Ding dong daeng. Nailed it.