I peeked outside through the window. Maybe because it was night, the dazzling lights were shining everywhere. The city lights sparkled like jewels.
It was a view I never got tired of, no matter how many times I saw it. I absentmindedly moved closer to the window and stared outside. Bora was next to me, getting ready to leave work.
“I’m eating snacks, and you better behave, okay? I’ll be back tomorrow.”
Since Bora had her own place, she usually left when it got dark. I wanted to stop her, but I didn’t because she was tired. For some reason, being alone in this big place made me feel like ghosts might show up.
Of course, since someone stayed behind every night for duty, if I got scared, I could just run to the office. They were so busy that even during duty, they rarely came to my room. Curious, I went to the office and saw people wrestling with their computers.
After sending Bora off, I grabbed a bag of potato chips and sat down in front of the computer. The crunching sound was satisfying.
Sure, I could survive on just sunlight and water, but who wants a boring diet like that? I preferred indulging in good food. Eating was all about savoring the taste and feeling full. If you truly enjoy food, you gotta chew and feel it.
I turned on NewTube and started watching *Little Magician Lumi*. I was determined to spend the night with Lumi. I was almost halfway through Season 1. What surprised me more was that there were up to 9 seasons, so I still had a lot to watch.
What I was watching now was the very early days of Lumi, so I had the chance to see her grow stronger. Of course, that’s if I didn’t get bored by then.
I tore open the potato chip bag with both hands. Maybe I used too much force—*poof*—and some crumbs fell to the floor. I glanced down slowly, then turned my attention back to the computer.
I didn’t used to enjoy snacks this much, but lately, they just tasted so good. I couldn’t resist. They were delicious.
The crispy potato chips crumbled in my mouth. The salty flavor spread, and I made a satisfied face. *This* is what potato chips are all about.
I thought it’d be cool to build a tower out of potato chips as I watched *Little Magician Lumi* on the computer. I kept the lights on because turning them off would supposedly ruin my eyes.
Just like that, 30 minutes flew by. The chip bag was empty. I was about to watch the next episode, but I suddenly felt so sleepy. Once the sun went down, an irresistible drowsiness hit me.
I could’ve fought it, but there was no reason to resist the wave of sleepiness. I dove into bed. I should’ve brushed my teeth, but I was too lazy.
But my body’s instincts dragged me to the bathroom. I quickly brushed my teeth, buried my face in the soft pillow, and drifted off to sleep. This unemployed life was starting to feel familiar.
*Flash!*
The round sun rose in the morning, brightly lighting up my room, and I instinctively opened my eyes. It was early, so there weren’t many cars outside.
I checked the clock. It was only 7 a.m. It would take some time for Bora or Haru to arrive. Since I woke up earlier than planned, I tried to go back to sleep. But sleep didn’t come.
Sighing, I got up and headed to the shower room to wash up. The shower room was spacious, which was nice.
I turned on the shower and waited for the warm water to come out. It would’ve been great if warm water came out immediately, but unfortunately, the boiler wasn’t that great.
I checked the water temperature with my hand. Once it felt warm enough, I quickly stepped under the falling water.
My green hair, which reached my waist, clung to my body. Short hair would’ve been more convenient, but Bora and Haru liked long hair, so what could I do?
I applied fragrant shampoo to my hair and finished with rinse-off conditioner. For my body, I just squeezed some body wash onto a shower towel and scrubbed.
My once long limbs had shortened, and I still wasn’t used to it. My body didn’t feel like my own. I sighed softly, rinsed off all the foam, and stepped out.
I roughly dried my wet hair with a towel and sat in front of the mirror. I didn’t need a hairdryer. Strangely, my body absorbed water well, so it would dry off in just a few minutes.
I picked out one of the clothes Bora washed daily—it had a nice scent—and changed into it. Finally, I looked in the mirror, gathered my hair with one hand, and used the other to grab a hair tie and secure it.
Now I understood why girls with long hair did ponytails. There was nothing more convenient than tying your hair up when it got annoying.
Standing there, I saw my reflection in the mirror. My unnatural green hair and eyes greeted me, as they always did.
I looked in the mirror and suddenly raised my right arm. The me in the mirror also raised my hand. Even though a month had passed, this body still felt awkward. It was strange to think I could get used to it in such a short time.
I stood there awkwardly, then grabbed the corner of my mouth with my hand and forced a smile. The original was so beautiful and cute that I felt like pinching the cheeks of the child reflected in the mirror.
No matter what I did, it was still adorable.
—
Morning passed, and it was lunchtime. After soaking up enough sunlight and water for lunch, I finished my remaining studies and turned on the computer.
Then, as if it were second nature, I started browsing the NewTube channel that creates and distributes the Little Magician Lumi. I occasionally got spoiled, but there was no place as fun as this channel.
But then, I couldn’t help but widen my eyes. The animation studio that makes Little Magician Lumi was holding an event.
I hurriedly accessed the website. Thankfully, it wasn’t blocked as a harmful site. And I remembered that the community site wasn’t blocked either…
Anyway, I entered the event site and found the event I wanted. When I clicked, a large image of Lumi, the main character, filled the screen.
Below, it said they were giving away Lumi’s magic wand through a lottery. In the anime, Lumi’s wand turns into knuckles when fighting villains, but unfortunately, the real wand didn’t seem to have that feature.
“This… this is!”
I was shocked. Were they really giving away such a rare item just like that? I couldn’t resist. I was about to enter the lottery, but then I hit a big obstacle.
[Please register.]
“Huh…”
Right now, I was an illegal immigrant with no identity. Of course, they wouldn’t turn me over to the police, but it was frustrating when events like this happened. I wanted to participate but couldn’t…
In desperation, I tried entering my old name and ID number. But a new window popped up, saying the name didn’t exist.
“Ugh…”
Had my original existence disappeared? This unexpected turn of events gave me a headache. It felt like there was a huge treasure chest in front of me, but I didn’t have the key to open it. I felt like crying.
If only I had cooperated when they offered to create an identity for me… Not that it was my place to step forward, but it was still frustrating.
But as they say, all roads lead to Seoul. If I could just get that magic wand, I didn’t care if people found out I was watching a kids’ anime.
“Bora!!!”
I opened the door and rushed to the office. When I shouted, Bora, startled, came running out of the office.
“Hana, what’s wrong?”
Bora asked me with a surprised look. I pointed to the room and said,
“Help me, just this once.”
I tried to sound as cute as possible, twisting my words. Seeing me like this, Bora patted my head and said,
“What kind of trouble are you asking for help with now, you little troublemaker~”
Even as she said that, Bora was smiling. I clung to her as we went into the room.
“What’s this?”
Bora looked at the screen on the computer and asked.
“I want to do this, but I don’t have an ID… Can’t you use your ID for me?”
I looked at Bora with the most teary eyes I could muster.
“So Hana was into this kind of thing? You always act so mature.”
“W-well, but!”
“It’s not like it costs money, so sure!”
Bora laughed, looking at me as if she had discovered something unexpected.
I felt a bit ashamed, but to get Lumi’s magic wand, I could endure this much humiliation.
Bora fiddled with the keyboard and then said it was done.
“Thank you!!!”
I hugged Bora with all my might. Now, the magic wand was mine.
