Midterms are officially over.
Just as I was catching my breath after they ended, Yeon-hwa suddenly added me to a group chat.
[Ha Yeon-hwa: Ppyong!]
[Yoo Ha-rin: Hello.]
It looked like this group chat was made to introduce Yoo Ha-rin to me.
Maybe it also served as a space for Mutant Crime Eradicate Agency members to share work updates or news.
[Yoon Seo-hyun: Hello.]
[Yoo Ha-rin: You must’ve been surprised by the sudden invite, huh?]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: Not really. I wasn’t that surprised.]
[Yoo Ha-rin: Oh, really? I was! …Yeon-hwa unnie has this habit of doing things out of nowhere sometimes.]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: Doing things out of nowhere?]
[Yoo Ha-rin: Yeah. I was just about to ask her what kind of person our new director was, and she suddenly tossed me into this group chat.]
[Ha Yeon-hwa: I figured it’d be better to let you two talk directly than explain it all myself.]
[Yoo Ha-rin: Well… I guess that makes sense.]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: I’m always happy to meet. Especially since we’ll be working together from now on.]
[Yoo Ha-rin: Honestly, when I first heard about the agency, I was kind of confused. Me? A government worker? What is this? Is this… awesome? That kind of thing.]
Oh… Ha-rin thought just like I did.
To be fair, it is pretty sweet. I basically went from unemployed to suddenly having a job.
[Yoon Seo-hyun: What did you do before your mutation?]
[Yoo Ha-rin: I was just in college. Dropped out now, though.]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: Ah, I see… I’m curious—what kind of powers do fairies have?]
[Yoo Ha-rin: Um… it’s kind of a mixed bag. For starters, I can calm people’s minds and bodies… and I can interfere with dreams.]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: Dreams?]
[Yoo Ha-rin: Yep. It just happens naturally, really. Oh—and I can also bring nightmares into reality.]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: …That’s kind of a ridiculous power in its own way.]
[Yoo Ha-rin: Right? It’s actually pretty handy. I can help with mental health support, or completely break someone’s mind. I once put a really nasty mutant straight into a psych ward.]
…Now that I think about it, Ha-rin’s ability is no joke either.
She can literally manifest nightmares?
What is she, some kind of dream fairy?
I kind of wanted to see it in action.
Fairies seem like they’d be super cute.
Even Si-ah was adorably cute—those chubby cheeks that stretched when you poked them.
[Yoon Seo-hyun: Oh wow.]
[Ha Yeon-hwa: Before I joined the mutant crime division, Ha-rin had to go through so much.]
[Yoo Ha-rin: Thanks to that, I made quite a bit of money. Way too much for someone who’s only twenty-two, honestly. I went on a luxury shopping spree.]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: Luxury?]
[Yoo Ha-rin: Oh, that… it’s kind of a quirk I picked up after becoming a fairy. Like, whenever I see something beautiful, my heart skips a beat? So I can’t resist luxury items or pretty things… Does that happen to you too, Director?]
There was something I could relate to in what Ha-rin said.
After becoming a dragon, I didn’t exactly show it, but I did feel a little spark of desire when I saw gems or sparkly stuff.
Of course, Jin-ha’s clothes satisfied a lot of those urges, so I hadn’t felt much temptation to actually spend money.
[Yoon Seo-hyun: Not really, but… I do get a little flutter when I see treasure-like things.
But ever since Jin-ha gave me those clothes, it feels like that desire’s kind of been satisfied.]
[Yoo Ha-rin: Must be the dragon in you, huh? You know, like those greedy dragons in pop culture—hoarding treasures and gold in their lairs.]
Yeah, I knew what she meant.
That’s pretty much the standard depiction of dragons in Western media.
So maybe there really is a connection.
[Ha Yeon-hwa: Seo-hyun, Ha-rin is seriously cute. I want to squish her cheeks so badly.]
[Yoo Ha-rin: She says that, but she’s never actually done it.]
[Ha Yeon-hwa: I want to, but whenever I see you in person, I freeze up!]
Oho~ So Ha-rin must be really cute, like Si-ah.
Come to think of it, we’re close in age too—twenty-three and twenty-two.
Just how cute must she be for Yeon-hwa to say that?
[Yoon Seo-hyun: Now I’m curious, hearing that from Yeon-hwa.]
[Yoo Ha-rin: Want to meet?]
I was just saying it out of curiosity, but she immediately suggested we meet.
Not like I had any reason to say no.
[Yoon Seo-hyun: Do you have time now?]
[Yoo Ha-rin: Yep.]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: Oh, before that—where do you live? If I’m heading over, I want to get there quickly.]
[Yoo Ha-rin: I live in Seoul too. Now that the agency is officially up and running…]
[Yoon Seo-hyun: Oh… So, around Seocho?]
[Yoo Ha-rin: Yeah. Not far from the NIS. Want to meet here? Or should I come to you?
If you’re near Hanguk University, it’s not that far.]
Seocho, huh…
That’s really close to the National Intelligence Service.
Quick commutes really are the best—even if we don’t have to show up to work that often.
[Yoon Seo-hyun: Then would you mind coming this way? I’ll send you the location.]
[Yoo Ha-rin: Sure! I’ll head over soon.]
Ha-rin answered casually, almost nonchalantly.
But I was kind of looking forward to it.
If Yeon-hwa was hyping up her cuteness this much to everyone she met, then she must be really adorable.
Well.
Once again, I waited for her at the same familiar café.
What can I say?
The coffee’s just good here.
The owner, who had been flustered last time I came in, now greeted me with ease and familiarity.
When I mentioned that I used to come here often before my mutation, the owner looked genuinely surprised.
I ordered an iced Americano and waited.
Maybe ten minutes passed.
Then the café door opened, and a girl who looked about sixteen stepped inside.
Sky-blue hair. Blue eyes.
And most of all—an absurdly cute appearance.
It was obvious at a glance that this was Ha-rin.
And in that moment, I instantly understood why Yeon-hwa had made such a big fuss about her.
She was seriously adorable.
I wanted to rub my cheeks against hers.
The kind of face that made that desire bubble up all on its own.
She seemed to spot me too, her wide eyes filled with curiosity.
That innocent, mischievous sparkle in her eyes only made her look even cuter.
“Hello.”
Ha-rin walked straight over and sat down across from me, greeting me with a calm voice.
Given how fairies are usually portrayed as playful tricksters, she already seemed a little different from the fairy image people imagine.
“…You’re cute.”
“Uh… sorry?”
The words slipped out before I even realized, and Ha-rin’s expression turned awkward.
Mine probably did too.
Ah—oops. That was a mistake.
“Sorry, that just kind of slipped out. Yeon-hwa was right about you.”
“…Thanks. But, I don’t really like being called cute all that much.”
Even her slightly curt tone was adorable.
If my cousin had said that to me, I’d have flicked their forehead.
But coming from Ha-rin, it was just… ridiculously cute.
When the mutation beam that turns people into mutants hits, is this the kind of appearance you get when the beam maxes out the ‘cuteness’ stat or something?
Honestly, if it weren’t completely inappropriate, I’d have wanted to pull her into my lap and rub her cheeks, just like I did with Si-ah.
No, in some ways, she was even cuter than Si-ah.
…If I ever saw the two of them standing next to each other, I’d probably end up taking a hundred photos without even realizing it.
Because, come on.
They’re adorable.
Now that I think of it, Si-ah mentioned the World Tree project was wrapping up soon…
Maybe when it’s finished, I should bring Ha-rin along for a visit.
“I’m sorry if that made you uncomfortable. I do try to keep it in check,
but you’re just… really cute.”
At my words, Ha-rin just nodded casually.
She had a curt but calm demeanor—like this kind of thing was already familiar to her.
“I get it. My mom won’t even let go of me these days—she’s always hugging me.”
“Ah, I might be a little jealous of that…”
“Huh?”
“N-no, nothing. Anyway, it’s nice to meet you. Let’s get along well from here on.”
“Yesss, Director.”
…Hearing her call me “Director” felt kind of awkward.
It didn’t bother me when the Deputy Director said it, but coming from Ha-rin, there was a strange sense of distance.
She really was a fairy with a strange kind of charm.
I’ve never been someone who wanted to get close to others this quickly.
Was she releasing pheromones or something…?
“Just Seo-hyun is fine. Doesn’t ‘Director’ sound too formal? We’re going to be working together after all.”
“Oh, okay. Then I’ll call you Seo-hyun.”
“Or, like Yeon-hwa does, you can just call me unnie. I’m twenty-four.”
“That really makes it feel like the distance just disappeared all at once.”
Even I thought so.
“Uh, yeah. I mean, only if you’re comfortable with it—don’t force yourself.”
“It’s not a burden. I get that kind of reaction a lot… Then I’ll just call you unnie. Seo-hyun unnie, you can speak informally with me too.”
“Okay. But seriously, you’re kind of amazing… wow.”
“Huh? What is?”
“I mean, your looks. I got a bit of that impression with Si-ah too, but not as strongly as with you.”
“Really?”
“I don’t usually close the distance with people this fast. But the moment I saw you, it was like—whoa. Just, yeah.”
“It’s kind of easier for me, too. Most people are just naturally friendly when they meet me. I think it’s similar to Si-ah unnie’s ability—probably because she’s a High Elf.”
Now that I thought about it, elves and fairies both fall under the “fae” category, so it made sense.
They both bond with nature, and receive nature’s protection in return.
“So, can you communicate with nature too?”
“Yeah. But not to the level that Si-ah unnie can—like having full conversations with it or anything.”
“That’s so fascinating…”
“What kind of powers do you have, unnie? Not the ones already public, I feel like there’s more. Like during the press conference last time. Do you use magic or something?”
Magic, huh…
Now that I think about what I did with Si-ah back then, maybe something magic-like is possible.
Maybe it’s an ability I haven’t fully realized yet.
“Who knows… I don’t think I fully understand my powers yet, either. But for starters, I can make it rain.”
“You can make it rain?”
“Yeah. I think I’ll start using it more actively next spring. That’s usually when wildfires break out.”
“And what other powers do you have?”
“Fear.”
“Fear…?”
“Yeah. You know in stories, how they describe dragons exuding a kind of overwhelming pressure, like a ‘dragon fear’? I’ve got something exactly like that. I used it to subdue a demon-type mutant.”
“I thought my powers were pretty impressive, but yours are seriously beyond anything I imagined.”
“I think so too.”
Ha-rin stuck out her tongue in amazement as soon as she heard about my powers.
She said she’d never seen a mutant with such a wide spectrum of abilities before.