Chapter 14
Bzzz.
“Ah.”
I reflexively turned off the alarm at the sound of my phone vibrating.
The time was 6 a.m.
Maybe it was because I had pushed my body too hard a few days ago, but there wasn’t a single part of me that didn’t hurt.
The no-safety-bar gyro drop and roller coaster course on the school rooftop had definitely been intense.
I got up from my bed and looked out the window while it was still dark outside.
Even though it was the weekend and I didn’t have to go to work, I had something to do early this morning.
And that was making breakfast.
I was still a student, yet my younger sister cooked meals for me every day. So I thought I should take the initiative and do it myself at least for one day.
“The ingredients are perfect.”
Looking through the kitchen, I found that almost every ingredient I could need was already there.
From basic ingredients like tofu, eggs, and pork, to more specialized ones with limited uses like basil, thyme, and arugula. Judging by the ingredients alone, this kitchen was almost on the level of a cooking YouTuber’s.
It showed just how seriously my younger sister, Hyejin, had taken cooking all this time.
‘This is strangely intimidating.’
I didn’t think I was bad at cooking.
It was just that my entire cooking experience consisted of making a few simple meals while living alone, and I was worried whether I could satisfy the taste of my younger sister, who was used to cooking in such an impressive kitchen.
I took out the ingredients I needed from the refrigerator.
Well-fermented kimchi, eggs, and canned tuna.
I added oil to the pan, stir-fried the finely chopped kimchi, then added the drained tuna.
After taking out fluffy rice from the rice cooker, I added it in and mixed in the beaten egg as the finishing touch.
After stir-frying it a little longer, a simple but delicious kimchi fried rice was complete.
“…I wonder if it’s okay.”
When I tasted it, it was definitely delicious.
But only within the category of ordinary kimchi fried rice. Compared to the meals I had received from my younger sister until now, it was far from reaching that level.
“What are you doing there?”
Just as I was wondering whether I should change the menu to something like toast even now, a familiar voice came from behind me.
“Ah, I just woke up early.”
Hyejin appeared.
Her cold-looking face somehow contrasted with the cute white bear pajamas she was wearing.
She stood there quietly for a moment as if thinking about something, then walked over.
“Did you make this?”
“I was hungry, so I just made something. If rice is too heavy for breakfast, you can make something else.”
“…Are you planning to eat all of this by yourself?”
Just as Hyejin pointed out, the amount of kimchi fried rice in the pan was far too much to be considered one serving.
Of course, I had originally planned to eat it together with Hyejin.
“There’s no helping it. Eating too much in the morning isn’t good for your health, so I’ll help you finish it. Next time, control the amount better.”
Hyejin took out two bowls from the cabinet and began serving the fried rice.
“Go sit down, oppa. There’s leftover soup from yesterday. I’ll heat that up and bring it over.”
When I tried to help, Hyejin lightly pushed me away.
Before I knew it, I had been kicked out of the kitchen, so I had no choice but to follow her instructions and sit down at the table first.
‘Was there really leftover soup?’
At least, I hadn’t seen any when I searched through the refrigerator.
I secretly leaned my head out and looked toward the kitchen.
I saw Hyejin filling a pot with fresh water.
Judging by the ingredients she was taking out, it seemed like she was planning to make egg soup from scratch.
“You’re really terrible at being honest.”
A few minutes later, I ate breakfast with Hyejin, who appeared with a steaming bowl of egg soup.
For the record, the kimchi fried rice I made was eaten by Hyejin without receiving any particular evaluation.
I had been slightly looking forward to her reaction, so I was disappointed.
“…”
“…”
After that, the usual scene unfolded.
I sat on the sofa watching TV, while Hyejin silently sat beside me and played a mobile game.
I wondered why she chose the narrow sofa instead of her own comfortable room, but I decided not to ask. I probably wouldn’t get a pleasant answer anyway.
“It’s the weekend. Want to go somewhere today?”
“…What nonsense are you talking about? Did you do something wrong to me or something?”
I had mustered up some courage to say it, but the response I received was a suspicious stare.
‘This is harder than I thought.’
I let out a small sigh inwardly.
I had been a teacher for over ten years.
I considered myself skilled enough to understand what students were thinking just by looking at their eyes.
But apparently, that only applied within the boundaries of school.
A teenage girl I saw not as a teacher, but as family, felt completely different.
‘Are siblings usually like this?’
Honestly, I had no idea what I was supposed to do.
I felt like someone who had just adopted a cat for the first time.
A cat that ignored you when you reached out your hand, but approached you whenever it felt like it.
Yet the moment you tried to touch it, it openly showed its dislike.
With no choice, I turned my attention back to the TV.
Programs I had never seen before were playing one after another.
At this rate, even using the common topics I had occasionally relied on to build a sense of familiarity would be difficult.
What does she even like?
“Uh.”
Without much thought, I flipped through channels with the remote and found a familiar face.
More accurately, the person on the screen was someone I knew.
[Soft and refreshing anytime, anywhere. The first love drink, The Saita.]
A girl—not even woman—was holding a can of soda in one hand and smiling sweetly.
Even if you guessed her age generously, she didn’t look old enough to be in high school. In reality, she was exactly the same age as the protagonist: only a first-year middle school student.
Her name was Seol Haran.
Her occupation was a singer, and thanks to her exceptional singing ability and appearance, she was extremely famous in Korea.
Whenever you walked down the street, you could often hear Seol Haran’s songs playing.
‘So I’m seeing her like this.’
The commercial I had just watched must have been some kind of promotional footage, because the screen soon switched to a talk show.
Seeing a middle school girl confidently holding a microphone among many adults naturally felt strange.
The topic of the talk show was promoting her upcoming concert, which was about a week away.
It would be held at the largest concert venue in the country, with a capacity of 20,000 people.
“Seol Haran.”
Hyejin, who had been leaning halfway against my shoulder while playing her phone game, casually muttered while looking at the TV.
“You know her too?”
“A little. Are you interested in her too?”
“Maybe a little.”
Actually, it wasn’t just a little.
I was extremely interested.
Because Seol Haran was originally a supporting character in 【Night Of School】 who was supposed to help the protagonist.
Another magical girl.
“Lania.”
Although she was called a supporting character, she had such a major role that she was often described as the second protagonist.
As a senior magical girl, she gave the protagonist various pieces of advice.
When the protagonist fell into despair and tried to give up, she was the one who encouraged her and helped her continue forward.
She was an essential character who could not be removed from the story’s progression.
That was why, if possible, I wanted to meet her directly and find out why she had failed to arrive and provide support that day.
…At least, that was what I wanted.
But realistically, there was no good way to meet her.
The other party was an incredibly famous singer known throughout the country.
No matter how much I was a teacher at the same school she attended, there was no way I could simply meet her one-on-one.
‘Should I somehow try to go there?’
To return the distorted main story back to its original path, I had to somehow make Seol Haran meet Yunibel.
“…Do you need it?”
“What?”
“This.”
After fiddling with her phone for a moment, Hyejin suddenly showed me a screen.
It was a ticket reservation for Seol Haran’s upcoming concert.
**
The sound of loud cheers came from outside the car window.
They were all fans who had come to support her.
Someone must have leaked her schedule online again.
“…It’s noisy.”
The sound bothered Seol Haran so much that she covered her ears with both hands.
Only then did the noise pounding inside her head finally quiet down.
Click.
The car door opened.
“That’s amazing. So many fans came just to see you.”
Her manager entered the car.
Unlike Haran, who looked irritated, he seemed to be in a good mood.
Apparently, he was quite pleased that the celebrity he managed was receiving recognition from others.
The car started moving.
The fans visible outside the window gradually disappeared into the darkness of the night.
“The concert starts next week. How’s your condition?”
“The worst. So cancel it.”
It involved 20,000 people.
The concert revenue alone was worth billions of won, and there were thousands of people involved.
Even if the company Haran belonged to was the largest entertainment agency in Korea, canceling something like this would not be easy.
Even if there was truly an unavoidable reason, it was not something a mere manager could decide.
“I’ll contact the CEO and try my best to arrange a cancellation.”
Even so.
The veteran manager, who had been in the industry for five years—
nodded without a single hint of doubt at Haran’s words.
Haran knew.
If she left things like this, the concert really would be canceled.
And afterward, the unprecedented refund crisis would shake the company.
It would appear on the news, and the company’s stock price would plummet.
“I was joking. Don’t worry about it.”
“Okay. Got it.”
The manager, who had momentarily picked up his phone, put it down again and returned his hand to the steering wheel without the slightest question.
He seemed less like a person and more like a well-behaved doll.
The car stopped at a traffic light.
“Looks like it’ll take some time.”
Ignoring the manager’s troubled muttering, Haran looked out the window.
A couple holding hands and walking somewhere together.
A family of four who seemed to have gone out for dinner.
Girls her age wearing school uniforms and returning home from academies.
Suddenly, Haran felt empty.
Every day, thousands, tens of thousands of people left messages on her fan community.
Everywhere she went, fans filled the area to cheer for her.
But Haran was lonely.
The hollow feeling in one corner of her heart could not be filled by fans who loved her unconditionally.
Because there were only a very rare few people in this world who could truly fill Haran’s heart.
“Come to think of it.”
“…”
“Hasn’t it been quite a while since you entered school? Maybe you should go sometime.”
“I’m not going.”
She cut off the manager’s carefully chosen words without hesitation.
To Haran, school was a place that didn’t matter.
What meaning did a place have where she could graduate even if she never attended a single day for three years?
Going there would only be annoying.
‘Did that new recruit go there too?’
A memory from several days ago surfaced in Haran’s mind.
The blatant interference of Moongmoong, who had almost never involved itself in magical girl affairs before.
She remembered being somewhat surprised by its unusual behavior.
“Cancel all my schedules after the concert.”
—What? Do you know how much work there is after the concert? You have fan meetings, preparations for your next album… Canceling everything is impossible.
“Yeah. Okay.”
Unlike the answer Haran expected, the manager simply nodded again.
“Boring.”
Tired of looking outside the window, Haran turned her attention to her phone.
On social media, countless posts were appearing about how excited people were for her concert.
‘Should I really cancel it?’
Maybe it would be fun if all those excited posts suddenly turned into question marks.
Just as she was thinking that—
her phone rang.
From an unexpected person.
The moment Haran saw the name on the screen, a bright smile bloomed on her face.
It wasn’t the fake smile she had shown hundreds of times as a celebrity.
It was a genuine smile that appeared only when she was truly happy.
“Yes. Senior.”
She answered the call politely with both hands holding the phone.
Her voice even rose slightly into a pleasant tone.
The manager, who had never seen Haran behave this way—not even toward the company president—watched her through the rearview mirror with curiosity.
Who could possibly make that child act like this?
But soon, he decided it was part of her private life and focused back on driving.
“Concert tickets transfer? Those are reserved seats for staff, so I think only the original holder can use them…”
“Ah, no. It’s fine. I’ll tell someone else beforehand. You can come as much as you want.”
For a while, the sound of Haran’s conversation continued inside the moving car.
The manager, who was merely an outsider to whatever relationship existed between them, had only one thing he could do.
Press the accelerator a little harder.
