Chapter 88 : Difference In Direction (3) Part-2

If the situation had been less serious, I might have made a joke like that.

At my response, Ji-hye silently stared at me for a while.

The magical girls, along with Cherry and James, also said nothing.

Maybe they thought any unnecessary comment would feel like a hammer blow in this atmosphere.

“You know why I’m here, don’t you?” Ji-hye suddenly asked.

I nodded silently.

“They told me to convince you. That if I did, both of us could live more comfortably. They said they’d handle everything you went through legally, and even offer benefits if you ever wanted to become a civil servant.”

Ji-hye spoke as if it were no big deal, casually chatting away.

So, that’s how it is.

They brought Ji-hye to persuade me.

I didn’t even know who I should be angry at anymore.

Or maybe I should just give up.

Honestly, I’m so tired of people using those close to me to manipulate me.

I wish I could just stop seeing them all.

“But, you know?”

Ji-hye, who had been prattling on, suddenly pursed her lips and fell into thought.

Then she looked straight at me and said—

“I… I don’t want to say those things to you.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t want to convince you.”

“Why? The people who told you to say those things are the ones who pushed you into this situation. They made you out to be wrong for something you didn’t even do, and…”

Ji-hye’s words left me speechless.

“Do you think I don’t know you? I’ve been with you for so long. Be honest. You don’t want to quit, do you? You want to give those people who put you in this position a taste of their own medicine, don’t you?”

She was right. Completely right.

“But how could I tell you to just take their money and work for them? How could I tell you to play along with the people who did this to you?”

“Ji-hye…”

“If you want to fight, then fight.”

Ji-hye’s voice was firm.

“If you want to run away, then just run. You don’t owe them anything. There’s no reason to follow their rules.”

Only then did I notice the tears welling up in Ji-hye’s eyes.

“You fought today because you wanted to, because you thought it was necessary, didn’t you?”

“I…”

I finally managed to open my mouth.

“I’m not fighting for some grand cause.”

“I know.”

Ji-hye answered immediately.

“I know you’re not trying to be a hero or save the world.”

She spoke as if she could see straight into my thoughts.

“You’re just fighting with the people who made you miserable and put you through so much hardship, aren’t you?”

Ji-hye took a deep breath.

“So, what do you want to do? If you want to reconcile with them, that’s your choice. If you want to go back to school, then fine—they’re saying they’ll fix everything for you. But… is that really why you’re here?”

“If you truly wanted those things, then I wouldn’t even need to be here, right?”

That’s true.

They brought Ji-hye here because they thought they couldn’t convince me otherwise.

Because of me.

To make her persuade her closest friend to give in and join the people she had been fighting against so fiercely.

“Don’t you think those people are ridiculous?” Ji-hye said, lifting one side of her lips in a smirk.

“I don’t get why they think they can’t persuade you but can persuade me instead.”

Maybe it wasn’t persuasion.

Maybe it was coercion.

Saying they’d help Ji-hye become a government official could easily mean they’d block her from ever getting such a position if she didn’t comply.

Saying they’d let me return to school might also mean they could prevent me from attending.

Did they really speak to her so gently?

Or did Ji-hye phrase it like that on purpose, so I wouldn’t worry?

“Ji-hye, you…”

“I’m fine,” Ji-hye interrupted.

“I’m really fine, so just do what you want to do.”

Hearing those words, I clenched my fists tightly.

What was I supposed to feel from that?

Despair?

Despair that I might have to leave Ji-hye on her own?

Or despair at the thought that I might be ruining her life?

Maybe that’s what I should have felt.

Maybe I should have been consumed by guilt.

But strangely, Ji-hye’s words stirred the complete opposite feeling in me.

“Oh, that glows,” Ji-hye said, pointing to the circuits on my wrist.

The circuits were shining brightly.

“Looks like my words had some effect.”

“You knew?”

“No, just a hunch.” Ji-hye smiled.

Thud.

A sound came from beyond the door.

Someone was trying to enter.

Had they been watching through some hidden camera?

Seeing my circuits, Ji-hye suddenly rushed toward me and hugged me tightly.

“Ji-hye…”

“It’s been a while since we hugged like this.”

It had been… but still…

I wasn’t sure what to do, so I awkwardly patted her back.

“You’re still just as awkward,” Ji-hye teased.

“Hey.”

I couldn’t let that comment slide without saying something.

“I’ll be fine, so don’t worry,” Ji-hye said again.

“What could they even do? You’re my friend, right?”

“If you need me, I’ll come to help.”

Somehow, hearing Ji-hye’s words made me feel like I really could do anything.

There was no logic or evidence behind it. But isn’t that what encouragement between friends is?

Listening, empathizing, sympathizing, and believing that good days will come.

It doesn’t solve the situation, but it still brings comfort.

Maybe that’s what hope is.

The hope I had been rejecting in so many ways until now.

Ji-hye finally released me, then quickly grabbed the bag on the table and handed it to me.

I couldn’t refuse and took it from her.

Seeing me staring blankly at her, Ji-hye smiled again, as if she genuinely believed I could do this.

“You won’t hear me, but I’ll be cheering for you. You’ll… you’ll make it. If it’s something you want, you absolutely will.”

The circuits of hope began to spin.

I couldn’t create a black hole with them.

So I thought I wouldn’t be able to do it.

Even now, I honestly still think that.

But at the same time, without any proof—

Somehow, I felt like I could.

Seeing Ji-hye’s radiant smile made me feel like I could do anything.

Feeling as though I was floating slightly, I told Ji-hye,

“…I’ll come find you again someday.”

Ji-hye nodded.