“If you accept the proposal, contact me anytime. The deadline is three days from now. If there’s no contact, I’ll take it as you avoiding it. The location is Yeouido Hangang Park. I won’t restrict your water magic either.”
There’s a way to win.
I deliberately chose a place with lots of water, where Aquamarine can unleash her full power.
Only by defeating her at Hangang Park, her home ground, can I crush her arrogant attitude.
“That’s all. My duel proposal is over.”
I stood up without hesitation.
“Wait, can we get an interview before you go?”
Yang Jong-cheol, the head of the broadcasting department, grabbed me.
I glared at him with cold eyes, and he flinched, letting go of my collar.
“No. I’ve said all I needed to say. Give me back the USB.”
It’s a 128GB USB. Expensive, you know.
“Still, it’d be great if you could give us an interview…”
“Annoying. I need to go feed the baby.”
“Is that so… Then I guess there’s no choice. Ah, I’d like to make one suggestion though.”
—
On the way back home in a taxi, I was lost in thought.
Aquamarine, given her personality, won’t reject this declaration of war.
Accepting it is a given, and now the only thing left to worry about is how to humiliate her even more when I defeat her.
“We’re here.”
“Thanks.”
As I got out of the taxi, a savory smell wafted through the air.
This rich, savory scent…
Hmm.
As if entranced, I walked toward the building across the street.
*Ding-a-ling.*
“Hello, can I get this to-go?”
As soon as I entered the shop, a wave of warm air hit me.
Is the heating already on this strong?
Not that it’s any of my business.
“Of course, we can do to-go~!”
I glanced through the menu.
Let’s see.
Kabe, Bedel, Dusik, Sohee, Chilho, and the minions. Including me… If two people share one…
“Twelve chickens. Spicy, seasoned, fried, soy sauce, mixed evenly. How long will it take?”
Chicken.
Life is all about meat.
When you’re tired and worn out, meat is the answer.
“Oh, it won’t take long! But with this many, it might take a while. Should we deliver it?!”
You say it won’t take long, but then say it might take a while… What kind of logic is that?
The owner is busy frying chickens inside, and instead, his wife, the lady boss, greeted me at the counter.
Well, twelve chickens is like a whole day’s business, right?
No wonder she’s happy.
I thought about asking for delivery, but chicken is best when you take it home yourself.
I might not be able to carry all twelve, but I can call Dusik or Sohee.
With that thought, I shook my head.
“No, I’ll wait.”
The chicken shop was a brand I hadn’t seen before.
Not a franchise, but a local startup, perhaps.
The shop was small, with only two small tables in the dining area.
I walked over to one of the tables and pulled out a chair.
“Uh…”
Chicken shops usually don’t pay much attention to the dining area since most customers take out, but this was unexpected.
“Bab, bab, baaab.”
A baby, maybe a little over a year old, was lying in a seat in the corner.
I thought the heating was excessive, but now I see why.
By the way, the baby is really cute.
Even lying alone, she doesn’t cry, just stares at me with big, black eyes.
“Oh, that’s our daughter. Since both of us are at the shop, there’s no one to look after her. Sorry about that.”
“Don’t be sorry. How old is she? She’s really cute.”
Raising a baby while both parents work hard isn’t something to be ashamed of.
The baby is genuinely cute.
I want to hold her right now.
“She’s seven months old.”
“Past the hundred-day mark.”
Not that it matters.
I picked up the rattle next to the baby seat.
Surely, touching it a little won’t cause any trouble.
*Rattle-rattle~*
“Kyaa, babuuu…!”
Even though it’s just a rattle, she seems so happy, giggling non-stop.
She keeps reaching out her tiny hands, trying to grab it, so I handed it to her.
“Babuu, babup!”
“Hey, no. Don’t put it in your mouth.”
Like most babies, she tries to put everything in her mouth.
I gently stopped her from putting the rattle in her mouth.
“You can hold her if you want~”
“She doesn’t seem shy around strangers.”
“She meets so many people here.”
Even so, I wouldn’t just pick up someone else’s baby…
But more than that, I really wanted to hold her.
Her chubby cheeks and plump limbs.
Her drooling mouth and wriggling movements.
Without thinking, I reached out, unbuckled the seatbelt, and picked her up.
The baby’s high body temperature warmed me up as I held her.
No, it’s not just a feeling.
I actually felt warmer.
“Bab, baa, ubab!”
“She’s at the age where she babbles a lot. Quite the chatterbox, huh?”
“She’s so cute.”
She’s really, really cute.
So cute that even her little wriggles in my arms are adorable.
My chest ached.
My eyes stung.
Holding this baby, who is growing up with so much love from her parents, reminded me of my own childhood.
The oldest memory I have, from when I was still a boy, is of the orphanage.
We had to rely on government support, and in winter, we huddled around a single kerosene heater, relying on each other’s body heat to stay warm.
The memory of fighting over a box of 12 chocolate pies among more than 30 kids.
The memory of secretly crying in the bathroom when someone got adopted, feeling jealous and envious.
The memory of accidentally calling the teacher “mom” during class and running out of school after being scolded for acting like an orphan.
The memory of holding back tears during parent-teacher conferences, refusing to look back.
The memory of rushing back after graduation, only to receive my diploma and leave.
The memory of writing “mom” and “dad” in my diary over and over, then erasing it.
The memory of pretending to sleep with a blanket over my head when the director drank, afraid of being hit.
The memory of counting down the days until I could leave the orphanage after graduating.
Those memories.
“Uh, sir?”
“Yes?”
“If you don’t mind, here…”
The lady boss handed me a few tissues.
“What’s this…?”
“Well, you were crying.”
Crying?
Me?
I handed the baby back to her mom and touched my face. It was true.
I must have cried quite a bit, as my face was damp, not just moist.
Oh, how embarrassing.
I wiped my tears with the tissues and pressed my eyelids.
I heard doing this prevents puffiness the next day. I hope it’s true.
Suddenly, I looked up and saw a mirror across the room.
A cold, emotionless face.
Vertical pupils, unlike a normal human’s, more like a reptile’s.
Bright red eyes.
And the tear stains running down my cheeks.
“Sorry about that. How’s the chicken…?”
“It’s just done! Soy sauce, spicy, seasoned, fried! Three of each!”
“Perfect timing. I’ll pay by card.”
“Yes, thank you!”
I reached for my corporate card but then pushed it back and took out my personal card.
Taste this, kids. Mom’s card.
I grew up without a mom or dad, but you won’t.
As long as I’m here, you won’t.
Looking at the packed chicken boxes, I realized there was no way I could carry all this alone.
It’s not that I’m weak, but my hands are small, so I can only carry so many bags.
I can carry four…
“Should we deliver it after all?”
“Ah, no. It’s fine. You need to take care of the baby.”
I took out my phone.
“Older sister?”
“Yeah, Dusik. I’m at the chicken shop across the street, first floor. Can you send Twenty-seven?”
“Twenty-seven? Why? I’ll come out.”
“No, it’s cold. Just send her. Got it?”
“Uh… Okay, I’ll send her right away.”
After the suspicious call with Dusik, I sat down to wait for Chilho.
“The baby is really cute. Her parents must love her a lot.”
“Oh, where else would you find parents who don’t love their children?”
I laughed.
Yeah, where would you find parents who don’t love their children?
“-Mom, the curry was really bad, but I lied and said it was delicious, I’m sorryㅡ”
I couldn’t help but laugh, remembering Kabe crying her eyes out.
“Babbu, buaap. Abup.”
I gently held the baby’s hand as she waved at me.
She instinctively gripped my finger tightly.
The pleasant sensation made me smile.
*Ding-a-ling.*
“You’re here?”
“Hello, sis. You called, so I came.”
That was quick.
Chilho appeared at the door, dressed lightly.
He’s naturally slim and tall, so even in black sportswear and a white padded vest, he looks stylish.
“Yeah, you’re quick.”
“I flew here because I missed you, sis.”
He always knows how to say the right thing.
Why are all my kids so sweet?
It’s amazing.
“Grab those. I’ll carry four, so you take the rest.”
“Wow, you bought a lot, sis.”
Being a guy, he has big hands, so he easily carried eight chickens, four in each hand.
“Boss, I’ll be back.”
“Thank you~!”
Just before the chicken shop door closed, Chilho looked at me and put the chicken bags down.
“Sis, wait a moment.”
Under the bright white light, Chilho, who had left me alone, went back into the chicken shop and came out shortly after.
“Why? Did you forget something?”
Did he leave something?
“No, not that.”
Chilho’s hand touched my cheek.
He’s taller than me, so he looked down at me as his hand rested on my cheek.
“What are you doing?”
“Excuse me.”
A tissue brushed across my face.
Ah, did I leave tear stains…?
“Sis, were you crying?”
There’s no point in lying, so I nodded slowly.
“I just wiped the stains. You shouldn’t have tear stains on your face, sis.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s only natural.”
Chilho looked down at me.
His hand remained on my cheek.
He smiled as he looked at me.
“Sis, you’re the prettiest when you smile.”
![[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")
