How many people like me, shoved into this kicking and screaming, had she seen before?
Kang Ihyeon felt the tension that had been building inside him suddenly drain away like water down a sink, and he leaned back against the sofa.
"It's because of Sis, right? You don't want to leave Se-ah Sis's care in someone else's hands."
Those bone-chilling words from the secretary before entering the representative's office.
Even after hearing that, his fear and grand motives paled in comparison to the simple desire not to hand Sis's care over to a stranger.
Cha Ye-rin's eyes deepened.
"People who go through the official process handle retired Magical Girls as a duty. Whether it's late or soon, things change like that."
To Cha Ye-rin, a meeting with a novice civilian like him must have felt like a break. She leaned back on the sofa and continued.
"The closer the relationship—family, close friends, acquaintances, lovers—the more a Magical Girl and her Care Supporter are drawn to each other, especially if they're good-hearted."
"Does that cause problems if they become lovers or get married?"
"No. In fact, those cases often work out well, but if issues arise after the bond deepens..."
Cha Ye-rin trailed off deliberately, leaving the rest to his imagination.
"A Magical Girl reveals her flaw—her weakness—to her Care Supporter, and he pities and sympathizes with the woman suffering from it."
She summed up the relationship between retired Magical Girls and Care Supporters in a single sentence, as if she'd witnessed it countless times.
"The purer and more devoted your feelings for Yoon Se-ah, the greater the backlash when things crumble. Are you okay with that?"
"I've steeled myself for..."
"No. It's not about you. It's Yoon Se-ah."
Her sharp words stabbed him right in the chest.
Choosing someone to love and spend a lifetime with, vowing to match their steps as partners.
Yet human relationships could diverge at any moment.
There was no such thing as absolute certainty in this world.
If that happened, could the timid, gloomy woman he cared for bear that weight?
A metallic, bitter taste like blood spread across his tongue.
"..."
"..."
He couldn't bring himself to speak.
A painful silence stretched on, long enough that he could watch the dust motes dancing mockingly in the air.
Just as his blood felt like it might dry up completely, Cha Ye-rin's lips curved faintly into a hazy smile.
"Yoon Se-ah has found herself a fine Care Supporter."
"Pardon?"
The cold aura surrounding Cha Ye-rin seemed to soften, just a little.
It felt like an iron fortress cracking open its gates, offering a glimpse inside.
"Just knowing you're not the type to panic and spout lame excuses, or someone with an ego so strong you'd shake up a retired Magical Girl—that's enough."
"Ah..."
"Keep pondering deeply. Don't forget that."
He caught a glimpse of the sharp insight someone who had evaluated countless people possessed.
Or perhaps she'd seen that many failed cases...
Cha Ye-rin returned to her desk, grabbed a binder, and handed it to him.
"What's this?"
"The Magical Girls you'll be responsible for from now on."
"...Magical Girls?"
Wait, why was she talking like there were multiple Magical Girls he had to care for?
He stared at Cha Ye-rin in stunned silence.
She slumped back onto the opposite sofa, her eyes urging him to check the documents already.
"W-Wait. Hold on a second?! Magical Girls? Plural? I thought it was just Se-ah Sis?!"
He hurriedly flipped open the binder to find three documents inside.
One was, predictably, Sis's personal info—the one he was supposed to care for. The other two held photos and details of unexpected women.
"Yoon Se-ah's flaw severity is rated medium-low on the upper-lower scale, so caring for her won't be too hard. Reports said her personality made it difficult until now, but that seems resolved..."
Her words made it sound like she knew exactly what kind of relationship he and Sis had, leaving him flustered.
She threw her head back, gazing at the ceiling, and continued in a voice thick with exhaustion, as if to say not to misunderstand.
"Don't get the wrong idea. Even I don't know the details of a retired Magical Girl's flaw. Just the severity rating and a general care direction."
"Huh? You don't know?"
"Of course not. A flaw is a shameful weakness no one can share. Only the assigned Care Supporter knows. No records are kept in any form."
Cha Ye-rin tapped her temple with a finger, warning that information must stay in the mind alone and never be leaked.
"Breaking that rule means penalties not just for the Care Supporter, but for the Magical Girl too."
"Even if it's not her fault?"
Straightening up, Cha Ye-rin stated coldly and firmly.
"A retired Magical Girl is a bomb left in the middle of the city. Your job is to manage and care for it. You wouldn't leave a time bomb with a leaked password alone, would you?"
Beings who could kill at any moment by pulling the trigger.
Her chilling warning strangely resonated in his chest.
"...I'll keep that in mind."
At Kang Ihyeon's serious response, Cha Ye-rin leaned back on the sofa again.
She seemed intent on resting while he reviewed the documents, so he quickly dove in.
'Grace Flower?'
Kang Ihyeon skimmed Sis's info and picked up the second document, his eyes widening in surprise.
Grace Flower.
A Magical Girl who often paired with Purple Rose, Sis.
Older than Sis, she used somewhat unique magic among Magical Girls, so she stuck in his memory even long after her retirement.
True to her name, she wielded flower-based magic, but with zero offensive power.
Her only physical ability was binding monsters' legs with vines, and otherwise, she could create vast flower fields that boosted allies' abilities in various ways.
Beyond that, she scattered debuffs that sapped monsters' powers over huge areas, allowing her to pair with all sorts of Magical Girls.
'Grace Flower. She's married... Wow. Feels like I'm reading something I shouldn't.'
A strange mix of voyeuristic thrill and forbidden excitement bubbled up, like peeking into someone's private life.
Fortunately, her flaw severity was rated low, same as Sis.
He'd have to hear the details directly from her, so he crammed the info into his head and checked the final document—only for his body to freeze solid.
"Something wrong?"
Noticing his obvious agitation, Cha Ye-rin looked puzzled from her rest.
He held out the trembling document and explained his panic.
"Um, is there any way to change the Magical Girl I'm assigned to?"
Cha Ye-rin read the document he handed her, her face showing no idea what the issue was.
"Because her flaw severity is high? Even novice Care Supporters can't make exceptions."
"N-No, it's..."
"No valid reason means no changes. We're critically short-staffed."
She casually illustrated just how desperate the manpower shortage was in this industry.
"My own assigned Care Supporter had to transfer to another region for urgent business, so I'm getting a new one."
Even as she explained, Cha Ye-rin massaged her shoulders, looking genuinely weary.
'Hold on—her Care Supporter needs reassigning? So Cha Ye-rin is a retired Magical Girl too?'
He'd suspected it from her two-tone hair, and sure enough, she was one as well.
But shock could wait; explaining his situation was priority.
The third Magical Girl, Solavite.
Shockingly, she was someone he knew.
The reason for his change request was their relationship.
Kang Ihyeon averted his gaze like he was exposing a shameful secret and forced out the reason.
"Solavite. Or rather, Park So-ra... she's, uh..."
"What?"
"My university junior... and ex-girlfriend."
"Ex-girlfriend?"
"Yeeeah... pretty much..."
Shame flooded him, like he'd been caught with a dirty secret.
His time with Park So-ra had been extremely brief.
So fleeting it was embarrassing to even call it dating.
But the rift from that short period left them awkward—practically enemies.
Cha Ye-rin's expression soured, as if looking at a pathetic child throwing a tantrum.
"Huuuugh..."
Her long sigh brimmed with reproach.
"Over something that trivial, really..."
Unable to contain her rising anger, Cha Ye-rin trailed off.
"Ah, well, it's just really awkward between us. If we're assigning blame, I'd have to bow my head and apologize no matter what... Representative?"
Mid-excuse, something felt off about Cha Ye-rin across from him.
The document in her hand crumpled in her grip with a crunch.
"No. Say it properly. How am I supposed to read this if you crumple it before I'm done?"
Kang Ihyeon picked up the thrown document from the floor.
Changing assignments seemed hopeless now, so he smoothed it out to read—when Cha Ye-rin bolted up from the sofa.
"Representative?"
"H-Huh..."
Head bowed, she staggered unsteadily toward her desk.
The air in the office thickened instantly, skin prickling with the sense that something was very wrong.
"H-Haah! Haah! Haah!"
After just a few steps, desperate gasps poured from Cha Ye-rin, like she might collapse any second.
She slammed a button on her desk, and a voice came over the speaker.
[Yes, Representative?]
"H-Haah! N-Ngh... R-Right now, send any... Care Supporter on-site... F-Female... female Supporter only..."
[Understood! I'll send someone up immediately—just don't hit the isolation button and hold tight!]
The voice on the other end sounded as frantic as if it grasped her condition instantly.
'Isolation button?'
Kang Ihyeon shivered at the specific term from the speaker.
His trembling gaze flicked to Cha Ye-rin's desk.
There, glaring incongruously, was a button glowing an eerie red.
"H-Hoo...! Hoo! Hoo!"
His eyes rolled from the blood-red button to the woman barely standing beside it.
"G-Get... Get out! Now, m-me... aaaah...!"
"Damn it!"
It was the flaw.
The same twisted, alien aura Sis had emanated in the living room recently poured from Cha Ye-rin.
Dangerous enough to require isolation.
He jumped from the sofa and bolted for the door to escape.
'Why is this office so damn huge?!'
Cursing the unnecessarily spacious room, he kicked off the floor hard.
As he reared back to boot the sturdy door open, a shrill BEEEEP pierced from behind.
No time to think—a massive steel slab slammed down over the only exit with a thud, blocking his path.
"Ack?!"
He'd nearly been crushed; shock sent him sprawling backward.
No time to calm his pounding heart—the room sealed itself with steel walls from all sides, like it might collapse inward.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Ears ringing, not a single gap left as iron sealed every direction tight.
One button press, and it became an airtight bunker.
"Huff! Huff! Huff!"
Ragged breaths burst from Cha Ye-rin, slumped over her desk.
Her bloodshot blue eyes glared resentfully at him, trapped with her.
"D-Damn... it..."
Spitting curses that clashed with her capable, icy image, she collapsed fully onto the desk and lost consciousness.
"We're screwed."
Locked alone in a steel chamber that could withstand a missile strike—with a Magical Girl whose flaw had just erupted.
You can read more at novelshub.org