88 – Get on the same boat (5)
A few hours before the countdown to the new year, Jo Ayun and I were quietly exhaling in front of the bus stop.
When the last sun of the year had not yet set, the breath that had bloomed like snow melted and disappeared like the rest of the time left to us.
Ayun held my arm and grumbled for several minutes at the bus stop.
“Oppa… Do I really have to go?”
“It’s social life. “I have to do it.”
Ayoon Jo had to go to an interview today to welcome the New Year. This is because her name was included in the Magical Girl Award selected every year by the Magical Girl Association.
To be exact, she became the most honorable magical girl this year.
“She deserved Magical Girl of the Year, MOTY.”
“What bullsh*t. It should be someone like Ahee or a senior. They are both people who showed signs of divinity, right? On the other hand, how can I say that I barely managed to evacuate people using the mothball strategy… Ugh, I don’t want to go.”
He leaned his head on my arm and whined in boredom.
“Still, if they say they’ll give it to me, I have to take it. It’s a good thing. “I’m not swearing.”
“Now you’re giving it to someone who isn’t even a magical girl, so what’s it going to be used for? “Oppa, can we just wait until sunset today and then part ways?”
“It’s already too late.”
I laughed bitterly at her, pulling her arm away from where she was being held. Unfortunately, a lot of time has already passed. If you take public transportation, you will arrive quickly.
As the timing was right, the unique lights of the bus came from afar, shining through the chill.
“Ayoon, the bus has arrived. “I have to go now.”
“Oh, I really don’t want to go….”
“Ayun-ah.”
“aaah~! Why the f*ck am I still like this on the last day of the year… Oh, brother, I’m so cold… I’m lonely…”
“I hope you enjoy the interview indoors, where the heater is on and it’s warm, and you don’t feel lonely because you have a lot of friends.”
“I’ll hold you back this time.”
“My younger brother is trying to skip work, so why should I catch him?”
The bus arrived in front and Jo Ayun got on it. Just before her door closed, I smiled and waved her hand at her.
“Thank you for this year. Please take care of me next year as well.”
There was no reply. However, Jo A-yoon smiled meaningfully and waved her hand in greeting.
Soon the bus door closed and she left my side for a moment to talk about her past glory. It wasn’t like she was a child who needed someone’s care, and all I felt for her was her pride and pride.
“You didn’t even say New Year’s greetings… Are you really upset?”
I guess they should have at least given it some formality. She laughed helplessly and exhaled again.
“…I have to go too.”
In the end, she ended up spending this year alone and lonely. She was somewhat self-employed, so she wasn’t that sad or resentful.
Now that Jo A-yoon had her memories and the power to protect herself, there was no need for me to stay at her house.
From that day on, I started staying again in the shabby studio apartment I had originally contracted for.
Of course, Ah-yoon grumbled, asking why she left my house and went back there, but no matter what, she didn’t want to depend on others too much, so she ended up going back.
I was noticed and felt burdened. I had already received a lot, but receiving more was a burden.
Just as Ayun is an adult who can find her own way, I too have some mental problems, but my arms and legs are fine and I can talk, so I can live a normal life.
‘In the first place, the house is what I spent the most money on, so I have to get rid of it.’
I had already spent too much money to throw it away like this.
Money should be used sparingly. Because I already have debt. There are debts that are not marked on paper, but are clearly recorded psychologically.
The sun began to set before we knew it. It really felt like the year was coming to an end. This year ended like this, but my journey was still incomplete.
Rather, it was closer to the beginning.
‘Monster Watch Area… What’s the reason? There’s something there to be greedy for…’
Although the process has already changed significantly from the original, the people who make up this world are the same. If you think like that, you can also predict what will happen in the future.
The problem is the American monsters brought by contradiction. It is said that Stern, Carina, and Sail constellations appeared along with the Aquila monster.
Unlike Aquila, who was quite active in ‘Magical Girl Heyday’, I have no idea about the other three. Where you were, what you were doing, what goals you had, and even what abilities you had.
‘All three constellations originate from the constellation Argo… They may be related to that Compass constellation, which was also the constellation Argo.’
I guess I’ll have to meet Jason next time and interrogate him. I thought it wouldn’t be that bad to have one or two monsters I could communicate with as information books.
The sun gradually went below the horizon. Sunset. It was always the same, but today, for the last time, the sun disappeared from sight. In the red sky that was colored like that, a fishy loneliness lingered at the tip of the tongue, which had a similar color.
“Why did the year end?”
There was a feeling of longing in the sunset. It was the same at the end of the year. The last sunset with those two together was filled with a longing that cannot be put into words.
Sunset. As the sun sinks below the horizon, I fall into longing and think of the person I couldn’t complete the most in a complete year.
I called as if I was possessed. It was only when she started hearing ringtones that she realized she was the one at the Magical Girl Awards.
Yun Seol-hwa.
The most likely person to be selected as Magical Girl of the Year. I don’t really look for TV or public opinion, but simply hearing stories on the side of the road was enough to make that judgment.
I thought for a moment that it would be a distraction during a busy time, but the phone was connected before the ring tone even rang three times.
“Oh, Jae, Jaejoong! Why?”
A loud Seolhwa voice came from beyond the small receiver held in one hand. He looked so happy that I couldn’t tell whether it was considerate to hang up the phone now or to keep it on.
“Ah… Is it okay to call now? If you’re busy, it’s okay to just hang up…”
“No, I’m not busy at all! Should we go there right now?”
“Remain restrained. “It’s work soon.”
“Oh, that’s right… but how did you know?!”
Probably not just me, but most of the people.
From noble mtl dot com
“But it’s okay. If you want to go, you can go. Where are you now?”
“No, I don’t mean to meet you….”
The fuss was still there.
This was also the case when I called to apologize for a date that ended unfinished. She cried and apologized several times as if she had committed a serious crime.
“I just wanted to hear your voice after a long time.”
“…I see. Happy. If Jaejoong wants to listen, I can at least record it and send it to him. Jaejoong, isn’t just your voice enough? Don’t you want to see my face? “I will run now…”
“Why are you so obsessed with running?”
“I don’t like being on TV. I still can’t get used to smiling while looking at the camera. No, these are all excuses, I just wanted to see you because I heard your voice.”
A grin escaped.
“I’m happy to hear you say that.”
It was sincere. Even though she was busy with work these days and must have been tired, she didn’t show any sign of that. I was really grateful and happy that he put all his effort and effort into me even though he was tired.
“When I have some free time, I’ll definitely see you face to face. “We had lunch that we couldn’t eat before, and we talked… and talked.”
“Yes! By all means, do it! But wait… Is it really necessary, Jaejoong? Just today, or even right now…”
“Seolhwa, work hard.”
“Yes~!”
When I heard the clear and powerful voice, I felt like I was gaining strength too. It would be rude to continue talking on the phone any longer. I said hello.
“Happy New Year.”
“Happy New Year to you too, Jaejoong!”
I was reassured by the consistently lively appearance. At least the depression I felt before has lifted significantly.
Consistently since I was young….
No, when I was young, I felt more cold than lively.
‘…Now that I think about it, how did you meet Seolhwa?’
I soon saw a house in front of me.
**
Because we got the room cheaply, there was naturally little furniture. It was one of the pieces of furniture that did not have a TV.
Normally, I wouldn’t watch media like that because I would hate it, but today was a little different. I thought I would like to see the awards since there would be a lot of names of people I knew.
It’s not like being a party to the media, it’s just watching the media.
“You can do it!”
With a confident mind, I opened the smartphone screen and tried to watch the awards. A data warning text message appears as soon as you click on the live broadcast. And the screen freezes.
“Oh, there is no Wi-Fi.”
Oh sh*t, I should have installed it in advance.
“I really am a beggar.”
Without shame, it was attached to the wall connected to the house next door. Wi-Fi without a password welcomed me.
“I watch a lot of the noise there, so please look at this too.”
The sound of keyboard battles was always penetrating the wall and bothering me, so I was able to absolve myself of this level of theft.
I watched the Magical Girl Awards as a virtue of my moral sense, which has diminished along with money. The same broadcast sound was heard through the wall next door.
Well, since it is the end of the year, there will be quite a few people who will see this too.
Even though it’s the end of the year, my neighbor feels lonely just like me. I felt a sense of kinship. Do you have any intention of going back to your hometown? Looking at his tone and writing style, he seemed like a foreigner.
‘Well, everyone has their own circumstances.’
I focused my eyes on the small screen without thinking much.
I was able to watch almost normally, except for the symptoms of nausea, dizziness, sweating, and rough breathing.
On the small screen, there were countless people I loved, am loving, and will have to protect in the future.
Magical girl.
The most honorable magical girls were Jo Ayun and Pink Deneb.
Baek Ah-hee Red Vega appeared as a magical girl who is attracting attention in the future.
As expected, Yun Seol-hwa and Blue Sirius appeared as this year’s Magical Girls.
In addition, about three other people won awards.
I felt very strange that half of the magical girls at the awards ceremony were closely related to me. You can talk to people you only see on the other side of the screen whenever you want. Can others even imagine?
I realized once again that the people who endure so much attention are ultimately ordinary people. The same goes for the other magical girls I heard about today. Even if he is called a hero, he is an ordinary person who is no different.
The awards ceremony was over, and the sky was now pitch black. The year is truly over now.
As I was feeling the throbbing of despair and anticipation, ding-dong, the doorbell rang.
“…Who is it?”
I didn’t even order it to be delivered. Oh, did your neighbor notice that your WiFi was stolen and came to complain?
“Most people who live here are not normal….”
What if I brought a kitchen knife? As I stood up, ready to kneel at any moment, I received a call from the smartphone that I had been overusing earlier.
When I looked at the screen, the four letters ‘Red Vega’ were clearly written on it.
“…No way.”
When I answered the phone with a feeling of déjà vu, I heard a voice coming from the other side of the phone and the door.
“You just figured it out, right? “Open the door quickly.”
No, it’s been a while since the awards ended.
When I opened the door, Baek A-hee was standing there, as expected.
“Mr. Vega.”
“I told you to call me Ahee?”
“No, what happened all of a sudden…?”
“There’s no one to hang out with at the end of the year, right? Deneb is probably playing with Sirius right now, and she has a lot of people to meet… and she’s pitiful, so I came to see her!”
“No, crazy… Come in first. “Because it’s going to be cold.”
“Oh, I feel sorry. A cute magical girl came to stay with me. “Voilà, I also bought some chicken!”
“Come in, lady.”
“Snob.”
After politely greeting the chicken, Baek A-hee came inside. Trying to take off her coat, she quickly put it back on.
“Ugh, it’s cold.”
“There won’t be any heating, so it won’t be much different from outside. No, wait… did you come here wearing Vega’s dress?!”
“Yes! It’s pretty. Did you see it on TV? Oh, you must not have seen it? Would you like me to show you?”
Baek Ah-hee grinned and tried to take off her coat again.
“That’s enough. “It’s cold, so keep wearing it.”
“Hey, I came here to see Jaejoong’s reaction because the reactions from the girls weren’t great. “This is pretty…”
“Don’t people on the Internet compliment you?”
“But it’s different from hearing it directly!”
“Okay, just give me some chicken.”
“Yes~”
As I was setting the table and preparing the chicken, I heard the doorbell ring from the front door again.
“…What is it?”
“I don’t know either.”
Ding-dong. Ding dong. Ding dong. Ding dong. Ding dong.
The sound of repeatedly hitting the doorbell. He seemed quite impatient.
Who is it again this time? Are they really neighbors? When I went out to the front door again, my acquaintance greeted me again.
“Ayoon… Is it Seolhwa?!”
“Why aren’t you answering the phone? “We were late to come.”
“Ta-da, ta-da~ Jae, Jaejoong, I’m here! hehehehe….”
Baek A-hee’s embarrassed voice was heard from inside the room.
“Huh?!”
“…What the f*ck.”
“….?”
Joa-yoon shouted as if she was in an absurd situation standing outside the front door, and Seol-hwa Yun tilted her head as she still didn’t understand what was going on.
“Hey dude! “Why are you here?”
“Hey Korra! Are you using that building alone?! Why so loud…”
As the voices grew louder, people even came out from the neighboring houses.
“Eh?!!!”
This time, it was someone I knew.
“What the f*ck.”
White Davih, she was my favorite character.
Like this, I got to spend the end of the year with magical girls.
