“So, do I really have to do this?”
As soon as the next day arrived, Eve dragged me to a studio in Cheongdam-dong, saying there was a place we needed to go.
“Of course. Did you think we could just wing it for a main event like this?”
“No, what is this even…?”
“Hey, do you think events like this are common?”
“You said you do it every year.”
“Ah, no! That’s true, but still, a showdown of the century like this isn’t something you see every day!”
So, to sum it up, this Christmas charity event is going to charge an entrance fee. Since they’ve been doing this event every year, the costs have become significant, so they decided to charge an entrance fee. The problem is, the plan leaked somewhere, and public opinion isn’t too happy about it.
In the meantime, Eve brought up this big event—though I’m not thrilled it’s directly tied to me—so we’re going to take photos and put up advertisements everywhere, according to Eve.
Sounds great, right? In short, they’re going to use me as an advertising model. I don’t mind taking photos, but I wish they’d give me a heads-up about these things.
“Do you even have any self-awareness? I’m technically your enemy, you know that, right?”
“I know. But what does it matter?”
Eve laughs nonchalantly. Seeing her like that, I couldn’t help but laugh too.
Yeah, it doesn’t matter.
I don’t care.
If things go south, it’s your problem, not mine.
I got my makeup done while in my transformed state. This is probably the second time I’ve had makeup done, but it still feels awkward every time. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it.
My face gets covered in all sorts of stuff, and gradually, the reflection in the mirror looks less like me and more like a sculpture…
“Wow, you look like a sculpture, Yoon-Woo.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. A shattered sculpture.”
“You’re dead.”
That joke is as old as ever. She laughs at her own joke, clutching her stomach and cackling about “shattered sculptures.” I sigh as I glance at her.
Looking around, I notice the makeup artists have stiff expressions too.
Weird jokes are universally disliked. I’ll have to hit her after the makeup is done.
*
The thing I hate the most after becoming the Mother-Body is taking off clothes with too many buttons.
Whether it’s my transformation outfit or a shirt, I really hate clothes with too many buttons. Because, yeah, unbuttoning down to the chest is fine. But my chest is so big that once I start going down from the peak, I can’t see below. So, even if I tilt my head, it’s useless, and I have to rely solely on my sense of touch to undo the buttons. It might get easier with practice, but it’s not something I’m used to yet.
The reason I’m enduring this inconvenience and taking off my clothes is because of the photoshoot that just happened. They thought my transformation outfit looked too dark, so they had me wear a prepared outfit. That was fine.
But the design wasn’t much different, just the color. So, I had to deal with all these buttons when putting it on, and now it’s taking forever to take it off.
“Are you done yet?! Why does it take you all day to take off your clothes?!”
-Zip!
“Crazy woman! Didn’t you close the door?!”
Eve barges into the dressing room while I’m in the middle of undressing. She’s clearly not in her right mind, so I grab the coat hanging nearby and throw it at her face, then kick her.
“Ugh!”
The sound of Eve collapsing is oddly satisfying. Feels good. I’ve been wanting to hit her, and she just gave me the perfect excuse!
“Who just barges into a dressing room like that?!”
“I thought you rented the whole place since you weren’t coming out!”
Ugh, this is so annoying. I finally undo all the buttons and put on the robe hanging nearby before stepping out.
Eve is sitting in front of the dressing room door, rubbing her red nose and grumbling as she looks at me.
“Couldn’t you have come out faster?”
“It’s my body.”
With the robe on, I head back into the costume room. As soon as I enter, my eyes land on a dress, and I can’t help but sigh.
A red silk dress on a mannequin. It’s not bright red but more of a dark, glossy red that subtly reflects the light.
The design emphasizes the chest, with a deep cut that practically exposes the nipples. Wait, no. Looking closer, it’s not just emphasizing—it’s outright revealing. Is this really okay?
The dress has black frills layered around the neck, shoulders, and waist, giving it a mature rather than pretty design.
This is the dress I have to wear.
“A dress… I really wanted to avoid this.”
It’s not like I’ve never worn a skirt before. I wore one when meeting with tax and labor consultants. My suit was technically a skirt from the start.
But this is a dress. It’s far from a suit.
If a suit is the battle gear of a frontline soldier, this dress is the battle gear of a backline nuker who appears leisurely from far behind.
Unlike the common yet sharp suit, this is a rare, high-damage nuker’s battle gear.
This is what I have to wear today.
“Are you done?”
Eve, in contrast, is wearing a pure white dress. She’s even holding a small bouquet of forget-me-nots, baby’s breath, and roses.
Compared to her, I’m holding… a fancy feather fan.
Isn’t the difference a bit too much?
“You’re clearly enjoying this.”
“Yeah.”
“It’s weird that you admit it so easily.”
“What’s weird about it? A magical girl wearing a dress—what’s strange about that?”
“Yeah, you’re amazing.”
Still, Eve looked pretty. If only I were 23 and she were 27, it would’ve been perfect. Whether it’s normal for two young women in their early to mid-20s to wear dresses like this is another story.
Actually, if we’re going to question things, we should question why two middle-aged men in their mid-20s are having a popularity contest.
Let’s just move on.
*
Fortunately, we didn’t have to pose together or anything. Eve, holding her bouquet with a bright smile, and me, sitting on a black chair with my legs crossed, staring straight ahead.
We took over ten photos like that.
These will be edited into banners and posted on various websites.
“Hey, Eve. You’re paying me for this, right?”
“…Of course.”
“You hesitated just now.”
“I’ll pay you. Don’t worry.”
“What do you mean, ‘I’ll pay you’?”
“Nothing, nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
She’s definitely up to something. But as long as it doesn’t affect me, I don’t care. I left the studio with Eve.
“Want a ride?”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll just take a taxi.”
“Let’s grab dinner.”
Eve seems to have something to say, but I’m too tired to indulge her.
I’ve been changing clothes and doing makeup all day, and wearing unfamiliar heels has left me feeling sluggish and in a bad mood.
“Just dinner.”
“Alright. What do you want?”
“Anything you want to eat?”
The way she’s insisting, she must have something to say.
“Beef intestines.”
“You really like beef intestines.”
Who doesn’t like beef intestines? You’re the weird one.
*
Two young women sitting in a noisy beef intestine restaurant can attract a lot of unwanted attention… or so Eve said. I’ve never experienced it, so I don’t know.
As we sat across from each other grilling intestines, Eve muttered something, and suddenly the voices around us disappeared.
“It’s a simple barrier. They can’t see us properly, and they can’t hear us. The downside is we can’t hear outside noises well either.”
“So, what did you want to say?”
“What?”
“You must have a reason for insisting on dinner.”
Clink! She lightly taps her beer glass and takes a sip.
“Ahhh!”
“Eve, you’re such an old man.”
“My soul is an old man.”
Do you even have self-awareness?
I dip the well-grilled intestines into the oil sauce. Mmm, this is life. The greasy, savory flavor fills my mouth.
“Is it that good?”
“Yeah. It’s amazing. I love beef intestines.”
“Really? Eat up.”
“I will.”
“You could at least pretend to be modest.”
“If I’m modest, I won’t get to eat. You have to eat as much as you can when you have the chance.”
“Well, that’s true.”
I dip a pepper into the sauce and take a bite. The slight spiciness spreads in my mouth. But this much is fine.
“So, um, about you.”
“Yeah.”
Eve hesitates. She always does this before saying something weird. What nonsense is she going to spout this time?
“Why did you ignore my text before? Are you mad at me?”
“Huh? When?”
Did that happen?
I think I replied to most of them.
“The day before the fight with Aquamarine.”
Oh.
I remember.
I ignored it on purpose to make her nervous.
Seriously, she still remembers that? It’s been days.
She’s surprisingly obsessive.
“Ah, that.”
“Yeah. Why did you ignore my text?”
People are like that sometimes. They just want to tease and mess with others.
“Why?”
“What? I’m asking you. Why did you ignore my text?”
“Do you like me?”
“What?!”
Eve is flustered by my sudden question. Teasing her is fun.
“No, that’s not it. You sent that text days ago, and you still remember it. Now you’re asking why I ignored it while treating me to expensive beef intestines. Isn’t that weird? It’s like a teenager with a crush…”
“Wh-what are you talking about?!”
“Did I say anything wrong?”
“No, it’s just, uh, manners! It’s not polite to ignore someone’s message!”
Ah.
Is it polite to reply to every message?
Since when did that become a thing?
“Really?”
Maybe I’ll try the large intestines next. They’re so delicious.
“It’s funny hearing you talk about manners when you’re stalking people.”
“No, that’s…”
Eve always clams up when this topic comes up.
“Eve.”
“Yeah?”
Maybe I should exaggerate a bit.
“You seem to have a misunderstanding. Even though you’re the landlord and I’m just renting, I’ve been putting up with it for my kids. I want them to live comfortably.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Just keep it in check. You don’t have the right to demand I reply to your texts.”
“Well, that’s true.”
“I was tired and went to bed early.”
Not a lie.
I was holding a beer can and dozing off.
“Is that so…”
She looks visibly disappointed.
What did she expect?
Did she want me to fix things?
“Yeah. You act like my wife or something…”
Wait, no?
What’s the right word for this?
“Uh… husband? What do you call it? Anyway, you act like my spouse. We’re not in that kind of relationship.”
“Well, that’s true.”
“Whatever. Just keep it in check.”
“But… I worked up the courage to text you.”
“Yoon-Woo, it was three words. What courage are you talking about?”
“I-I did work up the courage!”
“Alright, alright. So, what did you want to say?”
“Well.”
And then Eve said something quite shocking.
“I forgot.”
I see.
![[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")
