Bedel and Kabe playing at the playground.
Kabe slides down the slide, then swings on the swing while Bedel pushes her.
After a while, Bedel takes a turn on the swing, and Kabe pushes her.
“Mom, look at this!”
In the sandbox at the playground, someone had left a sand play set.
Kabe scooped up dirt into a bowl-shaped toy and suddenly handed it to me.
“What’s this?”
“Rice!”
Rice.
Rice is important.
“Omnomnom, it’s delicious~”
“Mom, does plain rice taste good even without side dishes?”
Oops.
“Because it’s rice made by Kabe, even plain rice tastes good.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Now, go play with Bedel oppa.”
“Okay!”
Watching the kids play in the sandbox, I went to the vending machine and inserted a coin. What should I drink…
Meanwhile, someone reached out and pressed a button.
“Is this right?”
A girl pulled out a can of coffee from the vending machine and handed it to me.
The girl with bright blonde hair smiled as brightly as her hair color.
“Dusik.”
“Yes, unnie.”
“I was going to drink cola.”
“Oops.”
Coffee isn’t bad either.
I got Dusik a coffee too, and we sat side by side on the bench, drinking coffee.
“You worked hard.”
“At what?”
“The last fight.”
“Did I work hard… Hmm.”
I did. Honestly, I really did. I don’t know how the others fought, but I had a really tough fight against Aquamarine.
“Yeah, I did work hard.”
“Hahaha. That’s so like you.”
What’s so like me?
Anyway, forget that middle schooler-like line. Sitting here with Dusik after so long, I felt really relaxed.
“Where are the others?”
“Sohee is sleeping, and Keru-nim went to the Dark Realm for a work report.”
“Work report?”
Come to think of it, Karin said she was going for a work report. When I asked Keru if she did that, she said she only loses, so she doesn’t… But since she won this time, she must be doing it.
“I came out because I was bored being alone.”
“I see.”
The conversation stopped again.
I need to say something to break this awkward atmosphere.
Suddenly, I remembered Dusik’s notebook.
It felt like her affection for me was a bit over the top.
But it’s not like I can just ask her about it directly.
There must be some other issue.
Ah.
“Did you know about the Dark Territory?”
“No, I didn’t.”
Thanks to our victory in that fight, the areas declared as battlefields, including Pangyo Station, have all become the Dark Territory, our territory.
Becoming a territory doesn’t mean we get taxes or anything, but it means that area is now under our control. And the wider our territory, the more our combat power and abilities increase.
Also, when we fight there again, we get additional stat bonuses, and the wider the Dark Territory becomes, the stronger our power grows.
In other words, if we keep winning against the Magical Girls and take 100% control, everywhere will become the Dark Territory, and our power will become so strong that the Magical Girls won’t be able to defeat us.
“That’s how it works.”
And then, the game ends.
But I don’t need to explain all this to Dusik.
“How did you know, unnie?”
The system told me… But that’s not something Dusik would want to hear.
“I just found out somehow.”
“I see.”
The conversation stopped again.
It’s getting chilly. Maybe I should take the kids back soon. If they catch a cold, it’ll be a big problem.
“Hey, unnie.”
“Yeah?”
Dusik’s voice came as I was about to check on the kids.
“By any chance, do you have a…”
“Waaaaah!”
It’s Kabe crying!
“Dusik, wait a second.”
I turned around, wondering why the kid who was playing in the sandbox suddenly started crying, and saw Kabe sobbing next to the slide. Next to her was Bedel, looking lost.
What’s going on?
I quickly ran over to the kids.
“Kabe, what’s wrong? Bedel, what happened? Tell me.”
“Mo, no, Mom. It’s just…”
Kabe kept crying, and Bedel looked helpless in front of her.
“Kabe wanted to go down the slide fast and asked me to push her from behind…”
“Yeah.”
“So when Kabe sat down, I pushed her from behind, but I didn’t control my strength well.”
“Didn’t control it well?”
“She fell off the slide…”
Hmm.
It’s not really something to get angry about.
Kids playing around and having accidents like this isn’t that rare.
Looking at Kabe’s face, forehead, and exposed skin, there don’t seem to be any serious injuries.
“There, there, Kabe. I don’t see any injuries.”
“But still…”
Bedel seemed really worried about Kabe.
I get it. Even though the slide isn’t that high, it seems really high to kids.
If you fall wrong, you could get seriously hurt.
“Kabe, it’s okay. Nothing happened. Stop crying now. There, there.”
I crouched down and wiped the dried tear stains from Kabe’s eyes. As I brushed the sand off her hair, I noticed Bedel fidgeting, unable to look at me.
He probably feels bad because I trusted him to take care of Kabe, and this happened.
“Bedel.”
“Yes… Mother-Body.”
“Ah.”
I reached out and took Bedel’s hand.
“…Mom.”
“Come here.”
I pulled Bedel into a hug. He’s about the same size as Kabe, so when I hugged him, he fit snugly into my arms.
I patted Bedel’s back as he stood quietly in my arms.
“It’s okay. These things happen. Kids grow up like this. I didn’t put you here to protect Kabe. I put you here to play with her, to be like friends, like siblings. When you play together, sometimes things don’t go as planned, and sometimes you hurt each other. It’s okay. It’s not your fault.”
“…”
“Do you understand, Mom?”
“…Yes, Mom.”
“Good. It’s okay. Kabe, you shouldn’t blame Bedel oppa either. It was your fault for asking him to push you dangerously on the slide. Understand?”
“Yes, Mom. Oppa, I’m sorry.”
“Ah, it’s okay…”
After the awkward apology and awkward understanding, the two kids seemed to have made up.
Kabe didn’t seem to be in pain anymore and was smiling, and so was Bedel.
I guess everything’s settled now?
“Alright, kiddos. Let’s go home. Let’s go home and have a snack.”
“Okay.”
Holding Kabe and Bedel’s hands, I walked with Dusik.
Eve will probably come tonight.
She said she’d bring some beef intestines, and she said she’d buy pork belly for the kids…
“Dusik, there’s a wallet in my back pocket, right?”
“Yes, unnie. It’s there.”
“I’ll take the kids home first. Go buy some lettuce, perilla leaves, and garlic. Eve said she’d bring beef intestines for dinner.”
“Beef intestines?”
Dusik’s voice immediately perked up.
She knows what’s good.
“Yeah. Knowing her, she’ll probably just bring the intestines, so we’ll buy the side dishes.”
“Got it, unnie!”
“Ah, and earlier, you were about to say something about a rel… what was it?”
I think so.
Dusik seemed like she was about to say something but got cut off. Something about a rel… what was it?
“Ah, that. I forgot too. I’ll tell you if I remember.”
Dusik smiled brightly, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Alright, be sure to tell me when you remember.”
“Yes, unnie. Go ahead. I’ll stop by the supermarket and then come.”
“Okay. Oh, and buy some drinks too. Cola for the kids. You know what I want, right?”
“Yes!”
That evening, Eve brought beef intestines and pork belly.
And Dusik said to me,
“Unnie, I can’t believe Eve unnie really just brought beef intestines and pork belly.”
What did I tell you?
I know her well.
“See? I told you to buy them, and it was a good thing, right?”
Beef intestines are good, but eating just the intestines is a bit heavy.
They’re savory and delicious, but they can be a bit greasy, so wrapping them in vegetables makes them even better.
“Anyway, congratulations on Yoon-Woo’s first victory. It’s been 10 years, right?”
“Yeah. They said it’s the first victory in 10 years.”
The kids’ teeth aren’t strong enough for beef intestines yet, so I grilled pork belly separately for them, and the adults gathered to drink soju with the beef intestines.
“Where’s Keru?”
“She went for a work report.”
“I see…”
Hmm, Eve thought for a moment, then smiled brightly and raised her glass.
“Anyway, congratulations. Yoon-Woo, just have one drink and stop. And, Sohee, was it?”
“Yes.”
Sohee, dressed in a black hanbok, held out a glass of cola. She’s from the Joseon era, so technically she’s the oldest here, but… she insists she’s 18 since she stopped aging at 18, so there’s no arguing with that.
“I heard from Priqu and Evangelin. They said it was amazing.”
“It was because they were weak.”
“Hahaha… Just like your boss…”
Did I just hear something really rude?
“Anyway, they said it was amazing. They said it was a complete defeat. And they said next time they won’t go easy.”
“Tell them I welcome any challenge.”
Clink, the sound of glasses kissing.
Gulp, the sound of soju going down.
The bitter taste of vegetables in my mouth, the aroma of garlic, and the long-awaited beef intestines! The greasy, savory, chewy taste of beef intestines!
“Ahhhhh…!”
This is what life is all about.
This is why we live.
“Anyway, Eve.”
“Yeah?”
“That Aquamarine bitch. If I see her one more time, I’ll put a hole in her stomach, not her forehead.”
“Oh, right. I need to talk to you about that. They said you overreacted after a fair fight. Honestly, a headshot with a magical gun is an overreaction. What did she do to make you do that? Did she try to tame Kabe? If that’s the case, I can understand the headshot—”
“She did.”
“What?”
“She did.”
“What?”
“She tried to tame her. Those sneaky bitches, they left out what they did.”
“Really?”
Eve’s face turned pale.
“Did she just try to tame her? She even tortured her by drowning her. Why, didn’t you hear any of that?”
“Wha, no, ah… That damn bitch, really…”
Eve put down her chopsticks and frowned, looking like she had a headache.
“That bitch, what happened?”
Saying “that bitch” implies there’s a history of similar incidents.
Judging by Eve’s reaction, this must have been an ongoing issue.
“No, no… It’s not something I should tell you. Anyway, do you have proof?”
“Yes. I’ll show you after we eat.”
“Alright. For now…”
“Fill my glass first.”
“You’re such a heavy drinker. Got it?”
“Ah, yes, yes. I’ll be careful~ I’ll drink moderately~”
“Moderately, my ass, you crazy bitch.”
Cough, a cough came from somewhere.
Sohee’s voice saying, “Dusik, water,” came too, but I decided to finish the soju in front of me first.
![[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come](https://i3.wp.com/darkmtl.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737407792-8993-TS-The-end-of-magical-girls-has-come.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come")
