Mr. Magical Girl

Chapter 3: That’s Just Life (2)

Sizzle…

Oil splattered here and there from the grill as the pork belly danced amidst the heat.

Well, perhaps it would be more accurate to say it was being charred. One side of the pork belly was starting to emit smoke, indicating it was on the verge of turning to charcoal.

The old hero sitting across from me seemed oblivious, gazing at the meat as if flipping it over was a foreign concept.

‘What a waste.’ I slowly attempted to rise and grabbed the tongs with my short arms to flip the meat.

Just then, the hero spoke. “How long has it been? I feel like it’s been a little over ten years.” This man, who could be called a friend or a comrade given my limited social circle, was clearly pondering what to say to me first.

“It was just before I was conscripted into the army, so… 17 years ago.” Technically, I had opted to enlist, but I didn’t feel the need to clarify that detail.

“17 years, huh? Has it really been that long?”

It was questionable whether two people who hadn’t met in over a decade could still call each other friends, but since we had shared a particularly strong bond in the past, such thoughts didn’t weigh heavily on either of us.

He had been a fellow blood-brother during a time when evil was rampant, when our very bodies had been smeared with blood and flesh. Even if our memories faded or we lost contact, our bond would endure forever.

“I thought you might be dead since I didn’t hear from you after that. Guess you’re still alive and kicking, huh?” I quipped.

“Sorry for disappearing without a word,” he replied.

But then again, I wouldn’t have been able to receive any messages while I was serving in the army. Still, reflecting on it, I felt a twinge of disappointment. Couldn’t he have at least given me a heads-up before vanishing?

Attempting to hide my true feelings, I said quietly, “I’m sure you had your reasons.” Maybe it was the little white lie, but I couldn’t help but pour a shot of soju into my mouth to moisten my dry throat.

He chuckled, likely amused at the sight of a small child taking a shot. “Pfft… Doesn’t anyone say anything about you drinking in that form? The show is over. Why not drop the transformation and get back to normal?”

“What are they going to do? My age is right there on the Hero Certificate anyway.”

Transformation, huh? I thought to myself, I guess I should come clean about that.

“To be honest, I can’t return to normal,” I said bluntly.

“Huh?”

“I suddenly transformed a few weeks before I was discharged… and for some reason, I just can’t change back. I’ve been stuck like this ever since.”

At a loss for words, he stared at me, mouth agape.

Noting his dumbfounded expression, I continued, “That bastard Unho said I spent too much time as a magical girl and that my essence must’ve changed because of it.”

It was a ridiculous tale. My mouth was getting dry again, so I chased it down with more soju.

“Unho? Your mascot?” he asked.

“Yeah.” Just thinking about my mascot made me grit my teeth in irritation. I could just picture him lounging around in the living room, steadily getting fatter.

“I think I’m done talking about myself. What about you? You mentioned volunteering during the show?” I wanted to steer the conversation away from that fat furball.

“Volunteering, huh…?” He smirked and let out a dry laugh before leaning closer. Thankfully, he didn’t seem overly interested in my mascot either. Maybe it was the dim lighting, but he seemed to look older than just a moment ago.

His face retained some youthful vigor from his days as a hero thanks to his well-toned build, but the passage of time had faintly etched wrinkles into his skin, accentuated by the shadows cast across his visage.

“Haram…”

“What?”

“Have you ever crossed the Great Barrier?”

“A few times. I was summoned to hunt monsters and was regularly called during massive floods.”

Most heroes had ventured beyond the barrier at least once. Beyond it lay a world where the laws of physics warped and the terrain twisted, a land invaded by the Otherworld that humanity had long since given up on.

Curiously, he seemed to ask me something so obvious.

“That’s not really what I wanted to discuss…” He resumed fiddling with his glass before taking a sip, as if the effort of continuing the conversation was taxing on him.

A silence fell between us, and in that moment it felt like we were in a world of our own, removed from the lively restaurant surrounding us.

The pork belly continued to sizzle as if reminding us that time had not come to a stop.

I took the tongs, flipped the pork belly over, and cut it into bite-sized pieces with my small hands, waiting for his next words.

Just as the wrinkles on his face were turning red from the alcohol, he opened his mouth again. “Have you… seen people living beyond the Great Barrier?”

“I’ve heard about them, but I’ve never actually seen them.” Each time I was called to assist there, I was far too busy smashing the enemies in front of me.

“That’s where I was,” he said.

“For over ten years?” I asked.

“Yeah.”

Wasn’t that… a rather intriguing tale?

While people generally had some understanding of what lay beyond the barrier, information was tightly controlled, making it hard to glean the full story.

As I continued to cook the slightly burnt meat, I focused intently on his words.

“They lived normal lives. They cried and laughed just like everyone else. Even though their bodies changed due to the Otherworld’s laws, they still considered themselves human. They supported one another and lived their lives.”

He took another shot of alcohol, a sigh escaping him as he spoke. “Wouldn’t we have been able to save them if we had just tried a little harder? If the UN had reached out faster…”

His words quickened as he poured his emotions into each one, making him hard to understand. Was he beginning to feel tipsy?

His face reddened, and he gestured animatedly as if trying to persuade me. He was no longer the proud hero who had been standing on stage moments earlier. Instead, he appeared as a forgotten middle-aged man, lost in the echoes of his past.

“If that’s how you feel and what you’ve observed, I’m sure you’re right,” I replied.

“Then…” He continued to share his opinions with me.

I hadn’t heard such a beautiful, justice-filled dream in ages. His breath seemed infused with righteousness, igniting a flicker of purpose within my heart.

Donghoon, do you realize how much the times have changed? Nowadays, heroes aren’t chasing justice.

So what are heroes striving for instead?

To be acknowledged…

To add a line to their resume…

To have a number boosting their stats…

You’ve been detached from society for so long. The world has shifted immensely.

But I struggled to voice the truth. I didn’t wish to sour my friend’s mood. I agreed with him, after all—I merely wanted to bask in memories of a time when heroes genuinely pursued justice.

To be honest, I was a bit envious of how passionately he spoke of justice, especially while tipsy.

It was impossible for my monstrous body to feel intoxicated; so I simply dumped the clear liquid into my mouth and swallowed hard.

*

“Need me to take you home?” I asked.

“I might be retired, but I can still walk home alone, alright?”

“Yeah, get some rest then. Let’s meet more often.”

I tried to support him as he stumbled, but he declined my help and looked at me with a flushed face. “Haram…”

“What is it now?”

“Back then… were we heroes for justice?”

Wasn’t that self-evident?

“Don’t ask silly questions. Have you forgotten? We protected people, and they thanked us. They were all sincere.”

“Yeah… right.” He slowly walked into the shadows.

As he waved goodbye, I felt assured he would be fine. He wasn’t wobbling or staggering, so I turned away and made my way home. It had been quite a day. I not only appeared on television but also reunited with an old friend I hadn’t seen in ages.

To keep from being caught in the monotony of everyday life, events like this—be they positive or negative—were valuable.

I walked along the dark street, illuminated by flickering street lamps, until I finally arrived at home.

A tiny room of merely 8 pyeong, cheap due to its location in a crime-ridden area, felt significant in my life. It was a big decision for me to buy such a small place.

Upon opening the door, I was greeted by the TV’s sounds. I was certain that the damned furball was glued to the screen.

“I’m home,” I called as I stepped inside.

Yet, the furball made no effort to greet me. I didn’t expect him to, so I didn’t mind too much, though I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of annoyance.

I kicked off my boots and entered deeper into the room, where I saw the furball nestling within a bag of chips, munching away.

Infuriated, I kicked the bag.

“Ahahahhhh?!”

The bizarre scream that emanated as the bag, along with the furball, hit the wall was oddly satisfying, but I knew he wouldn’t be hurt.

In a state of shock from being kicked, the white furball poked his head out of the chip bag and glanced around. “Oh, you’re back?”

Seeing how carefree he was, I grabbed him by the cheeks. “Didn’t I tell you to stop munching on snacks? What did I say I’d do if you got any fatter?”

“Th-that’s… Well…” His excuse was as laughably transparent as it was predictable. He had expected me to come home late and planned to finish the snacks while disposing of any evidence.

Annoyed by his stammering and half-hearted justifications, I tightened my grip, causing his fat to ooze between my fingers, distorting his round face into an oval shape.

“Stop, it hurts! Ghargh!”

Refusing to acknowledge his wrongdoing, I squeezed him even tighter. The squishy noises transformed into the sound of creaking bones, and he cried out again. “I won’t eat snacks! I’m sorry!”

Finally, the white furball admitted his mistake, and only then did I let him go.

Thud—

The lump of fat bounced gently on the floor before fussing over his misshapen face. “What will you do if I don’t return to normal?!”

“What else can I do? I’ll beat you until you do.” I clenched my fists and glared at him. I clearly had no real intention of following through, yet a mild threat was necessary to correct his behavior.

“Poyooooooo.” Terrified, the white furball yelped, vanishing somewhere in a hurry.

He must be really frightened to resort to his go-to “poyo” and vanish like that.

Yet, after the scolding, I figured he wouldn’t be eating any snacks for a few weeks. It was unlikely that chubby little furball could keep a promise longer than that anyway.

As I surveyed the living room, a mess left by Unho, I noticed chip crumbs scattered everywhere.

I swept the crumbs into a pile with a broom and discarded them in the trash.

As I busied myself cleaning up, a familiar voice floated out from the TV again.

“Of course. If I could become a hero again, I wouldn’t hesitate to leap back into action.” Donghoon’s confident voice rang out. He conveyed the kind of inspiring image one would expect from a proud hero radiating justice.

Watching his interview on TV now, however, I reflected differently. Was he truly expressing his genuine feelings, or was he simply elaborating on them to cover up the decay hidden within?

As I was caught up in these thoughts, my phone rang.

“A wish~ that everyone has~”

I picked up the phone and answered, “Hello?”

“Hello, is this Haram Lee?”

“Yes, what’s going on?”

“Please come to Seoul Superpower Central Hospital immediately.”

Superpower Central Hospital? Why on earth would I go there?

“Is something wrong?”

“Do you know a man named Donghoon Kim?”

A sense of foreboding washed over me. “Yes, he’s my friend.”

“He was admitted to the emergency room. He’s unlikely to die, but it’s critical…”

Thud—

The smartphone slipped from my hand, clattering to the ground. The voice continued emanating from the phone, yet I found myself fixed on the TV screen.

“The immense burden of humanity does not rest solely on your shoulders. I hope…”

“Mr. Lee? Mr. Lee? Can you hear me?” The voice from the phone on the floor called out as the man on the TV passionately continued his speech.

Everything felt like a lie.

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