238 – Ignoring
There may be a problem with their attitude of not accepting the other person’s opinion at all, but what they said was not wrong.
“Anyway, I’m not at fault!”
“Me too!”
“No, Haru, you have made many mistakes… Killing someone without any prior explanation… Is a bit… Okay.”
“Wasn’t Maman on my side! “You traitor!”
“I’m not your mother….”
Their intention was simple.
“So you don’t want to apologize under the guise of an explanation?”
He is emphasizing that he is not at fault. It’s already an explanation in itself, so it’s contradictory to say I don’t like explanations. In other words, they say they don’t like the apology rather than the explanation itself.
“Yes….”
“It’s true!”
The two people nodded.
It’s not that Han Jaejoong doesn’t know that feeling. Apologizing for something that wasn’t your fault is quite unpleasant.
Did you say that the arms are bent inward?
Han Jae-joong also understood Yoon Seol-hwa’s feelings more. Although it is true that an explanation was needed, I did not think an apology was necessary.
It is the media that spread malicious public opinion without knowing the circumstances. The public who was exposed to the media and expressed equally malicious opinions is not without sin.
Since Yun Seol-hwa has already been criticized once, the hostility is bound to increase.
Han Jaejoong laughed bitterly. If there is an explanation, at least some of the public opinion criticizing it will decrease. In the first place, Yoon Seol-hwa did not have much malicious intent towards Han Jae-joong because he was portrayed as being all bad.
The same goes for every day. Her crime lies in the fact that a magical girl committed murder in front of citizens. The fact that he killed a man who could turn into a monster named Han Jae-joong is not that big of a controversy.
Of course, Jaejoong Han, who could not see the media, just heard about it. He didn’t even have the motivation to look for it. He sees his swearing for what’s good.
Public opinion was not of much concern to him as he did not know where, what, and how much he was being criticized.
‘Probably the same goes for those kids….’
Haru has been prone to being swayed by public opinion since ancient times, but he tended to ignore his own negative reviews.
Yun Seol-hwa also recently went through a major change of heart and decided to ignore public opinion.
“Then you just have to not apologize?”
There is no need to step in and extinguish the fire even though they said they would endure the bad publicity. Han Jaejoong’s position was based on respect.
Yun Seol-hwa and Haru’s eyes sparkled.
“As expected, my brother, my heart…!”
“Haru, isn’t it right for you to do it anyway? “I stabbed someone in broad daylight in front of the public.”
“Isn’t that what your brother ordered!!”
“No, I just told you to kill me. Did you tell me to kill you in front of people?”
“I even said I love you!!!”
Ugh. One day, while trying to leave, crying, he tripped over her handcuffs and fell. And then, without even thinking about getting up, she shed tears on the cold floor.
“What do you mean, Jaejoong, when you said you loved me?”
Han Jae-joong ignored Yun Seol-hwa’s question and continued speaking.
“There is no need for him to apologize while explaining, right? All you have to do is simply express the facts and position briefly.”
“Are you serious?”
“Jaejoong, what do you mean?”
Golden Aldebaran asked in confusion. For a woman who values her headquarters’ position, her explanation without apology must be quite difficult.
“Isn’t it about time to begin with?”
Joayun opened his mouth while looking at Golden Aldebaran.
“Isn’t it time…?”
“How long must a magical girl be swayed by public opinion or the media?”
“Well, that is….”
“Of course, the main source of income for magical girls is advertising and event appearances. Since you make a living from your image, of course you have to take public opinion into account. But our job is protection, not entertainment, right?”
I am not disparaging entertainment. However, it meant that we should not get caught up in the entertainment and forget important things.
Providing peace of mind and joy to citizens is also an important task, but it is only a secondary task.
“If you’re a magical girl, you can protect people like a magical girl. “This power is for protecting people, not for fawning over them.”
Magical girls are always on people’s side.
When did that image start to stick?
As they got closer to people, magical girls became more comfortable with them.
When did it become okay to curse and blame others?
The basic character of a magical girl cannot help but be good. To begin with, their power was largely based on peace. If you raise your sword against the citizens who create peace, you will only make yourself weaker.
Problems that had been ignored due to money, power, or practical circumstances began to surface.
“Now is the time to draw a firm line. “Do our part.”
“I am retired….”
“Did I retire because I wanted to?”
“Hey, that’s not wrong. But there are still many problems.”
“Ha, you’re a bastard.”
Golden Aldebaran cleared his throat to brighten the mood and continued speaking.
“It is impossible to ignore all public opinion. We exist to protect citizens. “If we ignore their opinions, we will be seen as just a group of outlaws with power, not as protectors of citizens.”
“Did you just say that?”
“No. Not all citizens are aggressive toward magical girls. Most people are so friendly that they ignore magical girls’ minor mistakes. “If you lose trust in them, the problem becomes bigger.”
“It’s going to be a plague.”
“Most of the reasons for attacking magical girls in the first place are similar issues to what I just mentioned. “They will see us not as heroes but as interest groups with military power.”
No one acts with good intentions. Because I am like that. The feeling of inferiority started for that reason.
Since pure good intentions do not exist in the world, their good intentions must also be false.
Their good intentions are nothing more than hypocrisy to satisfy their own interests.
-What could be the reason for showing your face on broadcast like that? It’s all about making money. For citizens? That’s a lie. Lie.
Because you yourself cannot be good, you diminish the good intentions of others. There are many people in the world who have such a defense mechanism.
After the appearance of the monster, people’s sentiments weakened and selfishness increased.
The world has become so dreary.
The world has become one where it is natural to live even if it means killing others.
The world has become one where it is difficult to survive even if you live like that.
In the meantime, there is no way we can trust people who act in good faith without calculation.
Jealousy, self-loathing, resignation. It is a hatred that arises from a mixture of various negative emotions.
“Anyway, the person you hate is bound to have a reason to hate you.”
Han Jaejoong opened his mouth again.
“I’m not saying we should just leave. There is no need to make even friendly people tremble. “This isn’t a place made up of races that can do such bad things in the first place.”
As I said that, I looked down at Haru for a moment. It wasn’t wrong to say that the child didn’t have any malicious intent either.
“Magical girls are not tools for protection. We too are people. There is greed and sadness. “Just letting you know that much is enough.”
I am not saying to stop being a hero.
The idea was to let people know that heroes are also people.
The hero who became closer to people gradually became less and less treated as a person. It was a declaration made with the intention of overcoming that situation.
“What do you think of Seolhwa?”
“Huh, huh?”
Yun Seol-hwa was embarrassed when the arrow was returned to her. If this is what Han Jaejoong wants, of course he will follow it.
But when I asked that question, it seemed like my opinion was important.
‘But we are not tools… Like Jaejoong said, we need to realize that,…’
Yun Seol-hwa thought for a moment.
‘Huh? But what do you do when you realize it? Does anything change? Whether you realize it or not is none of my business… Right?’
And then I was surrounded by doubts.
‘There’s no need for me to protect those guys in the first place… No matter what you think, as long as I have Jaejoong… Hmm? What?’
Yun Seol-hwa suddenly realized something strange. She comes to look at people and herself separately. It’s not a story about ordinary people and magical girls.
It was a distinction with a more fundamental meaning. Like the standard that divides stones and people, animals and people. It was more of a racial distinction.
“…Is it a folktale?”
“Huh? Uh, uh…”
When Han Jae-joong asked again, Yoon Seol-hwa came to her senses.
“Ah, uhm… I think it’s good too…”
“Phew, then it has been decided.”
“Aren’t you asking for my opinion?!”
“Isn’t it the same opinion anyway?”
“That’s right!!”
Golden Aldebaran left the room after telling him that he would set a date for a press conference later and to organize what he wanted to say by then.
One day, she was excited and thought about what kind of remarks she would make in front of the reporters, and Jo Ayun caught and corrected any profanity or inappropriate words among her remarks.
“Korean is so difficult! “Why are you all hiding your true feelings like this?”
“We decided to call it courtesy. “It wasn’t me from the beginning, you bastards, you idiot…”
Yun Seol-hwa also pretended to mull over her remarks in his own way, confirming her own sense of discomfort.
‘…I don’t feel the same way.’
Looking at the people gathered, I don’t feel the same. I can feel the affection born of friendship, but there is a more fundamental sense of distance.
Although she finds the puppy cute, she doesn’t think he and she are the same.
Looking at them, I feel a sense of intimacy, but I don’t feel a sense of homogeneity.
‘…Turned into a monster.’
Yun Seol-hwa pondered the phenomenon once again.
Come to think of it, by the time she caught Libra’s clone, she felt strangely stronger. She must be the influence of monsterification.
It has been a long time since the mascot’s voice and appearance were seen.
The star spirit that was supposed to take care of her disappeared. Her transformation was accomplished without any tools, simply by her desire to transform.
She herself still suffers from monster anger. That’s what Yun Seol-hwa concluded.
But she felt strangely at peace. She didn’t feel impatient or anxious. Like the sick who anticipated their own death, she felt as if she could come to terms with the monstrosity, as she closed her eyes in comfort.
Han Jaejoong, if only you were next to me.
‘It’s not that bad… Is it?’
Surprisingly, turning into a monster might not be a bad thing.
Yun Seol-hwa smiled.
“Oh, then how about refining the expression a little and saying ‘I’m here, you weaklings’?”
“Oh my god, this is so f*cking bad.”
“I think it’s good?”
From noble mtl dot com
“As expected, Maman! “I was counting on you to take my side!”
“Oh, don’t get me wrong, I’m not on your side every day.”
“Aren’t all magical girls on the same side?”
Han Jae-joong was looking at Yun Seol-hwa, who put aside her worries and flirted with the conversation, with meaningful eyes.
**
As the sun set, Yun Seol-hwa and Jo Ayun left the headquarters.
Yun Seol-hwa seemed to not want to leave, but when Han Jae-joong asked her to do so, she walked back with tears in her eyes.
The room became quiet after they left….
“Aniki!!!! “What should we do now?!!!!!”
… Haru opened his mouth and quickly became noisy again. Still, it was quieter than before.
“I’m not even tired.”
“If you get a pet, you have to take it for a walk! Consider playing with me as part of that! “Oh, I need to change my clothes.”
Development without context. Han Jaejoong has somewhat adapted to Haru’s speaking habits.
“Change your clothes somewhere else.”
“Eh, it can’t be helped, right? It shouldn’t fall.”
“There is a partition.”
“It’s annoying! And it doesn’t matter, right? “We are the ones!!!!”
But he still can’t get used to changing clothes even though he is clearly himself.
Slurp slurp. One day, he removed the handcuffs and took off the t-shirt and pants he was wearing. Then he put on a thin, large white t-shirt.
The t-shirt was quite large and reached the thighs like a dress. I took advantage of that feature and didn’t wear pants one day.
“Hey! Relaxing!”
Without giving her a single glance, Han Jaejoong fiddled with her broken belt. Tuk-tuk. No matter how much I knock, there is no response.
The belt has been completely ruined since the last time we defeated Libra. There is no response or reaction. If I don’t find a replacement, I won’t be able to transform in the future.
This was quite a big concern. But even if you want to get a new belt, there is no way.
‘If you use the existing belt in the first place, it will just break down like before…’
The existing belt does not work either. You need a more strengthened belt that can withstand your output.
“Let’s have fun!”
Haru pressed his body against hers and suggested entertainment. She didn’t know when she had put them back on, but her handcuffs were clanging and making a clanging sound.
“Game?”
“No? Is it a tall ship? Let’s wipe out all the Internet idiots who criticize me! Susume (Advance)!!!”
“Do it alone….”
This was also one of Han Jaejoong’s concerns right now. Day. She cannot stay away from her while her body is a corpse.
Before Jaejoong Han’s own annoyance, she did it for her own convenience. She really can’t be captured by someone else and live her whole life like a pet.
“eeenn whyyooooo!!”
I don’t think I think that way… But I still feel very guilty about keeping one person in bondage. Even more so because it is a physical restraint, not an emotional one.
The body is dead, but the soul is alive. This strange condition must be resolved somehow.
Even apart from these two worries, Han Jae-joong still had one additional worry.
It was none other than the problem of Yun Seol-hwa becoming a monster. Although it is not evident on the outside, she is still clearly suffering from monster transformation.
This was a pretty big problem. To the extent that Han Jae-joong himself would have to kill Yun Seol-hwa.
‘…I don’t want to experience something like that again.’
In fact, in some parallel worlds, Han Jae-joong murdered Yoon Seol-hwa, who had become a monster. For Han Jae-joong, who gained memories of all parallel worlds, that feeling remained vivid.
“Huh….”
Han Jaejoong sighed and then stood up.
“Oh, will you help me?”
“That’s not it. And put on pants.”
“Eh… it’s uncomfortable…”
“It’s because I have somewhere to go.”
“Where?”
I was skeptical, but I had no choice.
“Here is the president’s office.”
**
It was a metaphorical expression.
As it is the headquarters, there is no position like the president. Because this is definitely not a company.
However, he has a character who plays a similar role.
A figure like the commander-in-chief who reigns at the top of the Magical Girl Headquarters and oversees, analyzes, and orders all missions.
That existence is a unicorn.
Like other magical girl mascots, it is a star spirit.
But I haven’t heard anything about whose spirit it is. It wasn’t even revealed whether there was a magical girl who signed the contract in the first place.
In the original work, only a silhouette appeared, but no detailed appearance was shown. Most of the time, we communicate only by voice, and when we appear on the outside, we use a hologram instead of ourselves.
He was a man with many secrets, even more than a monster.
A being that has existed ever since the first magical girl was created, and has not spared any assistance to magical girls ever since.
A secret being whose exact identity has not been revealed to anyone.
Nevertheless, she has not done anything suspicious and has generously supported magical girls.
“Why are you suddenly looking at that unicorn?”
“I have a question.”
“Can I just visit you just because I’m curious?”
As Haru said, unicorns cannot be looked upon carelessly. Even magical girls only encounter him by voice, and it is highly unlikely that Han Jae-joong, who is still treated as an ordinary person, would be able to meet him without permission.
“I can do it.”
But Han Jaejoong was an exception.
“Because I was invited.”
While being investigated at headquarters, a unicorn contacted me secretly.
Instructions to come to me if you have any questions.
I was suspicious about the unicorn’s identity and purpose, so I didn’t visit until now, but after seeing Yun Seol-hwa’s condition, I became confident.
Whether he is his enemy or friend, he must obtain information.
Find out how to stop the monster transformation, and if possible, even information about a new belt.
‘The latter is probably impossible.’
If I had known about the belt, there is no way I would have reacted so immaturely until now.
Still, there is no harm in asking.
“Oh… As expected, you’ll never be bored if you’re with Aniki! “I was going to type on the keyboard in the corner of the room, but I never thought I would encounter such a fun event…!”
“Oh, that’s right. “I’m the only one invited.”
Crash. Jaejoong Han is on the top floor of the Magical Girl Headquarters. The handcuffs were removed in front of the headquarters room. He then hung it on the doorknob.
The handcuffs that connected Han Jae-joong and Haru soon became connected to Haru and the door.
“Uh….”
“Wait until I come. You took me for a walk. “If you’ve walked this far, it’s time to take a break.”
One day, I saw Han Jaejoong looking pitiful, like a cat whose leash had been caught by a street lamp.
“What do you mean!!!!”
Han Jaejoong raised the corners of his mouth and lightly stroked Haru’s head.
“You traitor!!!!”
He moved his feet inside the headquarters room, into the room where the unicorn was sitting.
