Chapter 4 : Uneasy Mood (4)

Actually, I don’t know much about music.

I enjoy listening to it, but I’m not particularly interested in the titles or composers of the songs I hear.

I just… listen to it.

Because it sounds good to my ears.

That’s why I don’t really have a strong preference for specific genres.

Still, I do tend to enjoy songs with lyrics more.

And if the lyrics are in Korean, even better—it helps me focus more.

As I expected, the album Blossom—or rather, Hayoon—gave me as a gift doesn’t seem to fall under that category.

Well, I did anticipate that.

That’s why I didn’t buy it right away when I saw it at the bookstore.

But still.

“Oh, it’s good.”

Lying on the floor with a blanket spread out, a pillow placed not under her head but near her feet, Jiha tapped her toes to the music and spoke.

Yeah, it was good.

It’s what people commonly call a “classic jazz masterpiece” or something along those lines.

Listening to the soft, resonating trumpet sound, I leaned back in the chair at my desk and gazed at the album Hayoon had given me.

The album cover had an overall dark vibe.

With “blue” in the title, it clearly wasn’t designed to be bright and cheerful.

The album art depicted a performer, holding a trumpet and playing something with a serious expression.

Well, sometimes listening to this kind of atmospheric album isn’t bad.

I slid the album into an empty spot among the others lined up on my desk.

The lineup of music albums, all roughly the same height, coincidentally had Hayoon’s other gifts on either side of the one I just placed.

Well, isn’t that typical for childhood friends? Naturally, we exchanged gifts fairly often.

Though if you tally it up, I’ve received more than I’ve given.

Hayoon, despite appearances, is surprisingly observant.

It’s not because she’s a magical girl… no, that’s not it.

She only started being one about two years ago.

Because of her pink hair, people tend to have certain assumptions, but Hayoon is smart and popular.

She often teases me about getting confessed to, but in reality, she gets her fair share of confessions, too.

Some even come from well-known students in school.

“But, so?”

“So?”

I turned away from the albums I was blankly staring at and looked over at Jiha.

With a light push of my toes, the swiveling chair smoothly turned to face Jiha.

Still lying with her feet propped up on the pillow, Jiha turned her head toward me and smirked mischievously.

“What do you mean, ‘so what?’”

Realizing she wouldn’t start talking unless I did, I sighed and leaned back into the chair.

Well, it wasn’t hard to guess what she’d say next.

“Was the gift from a guy?”

“It was from a girl.”

I replied with my eyes closed.

The music transitioned to the next track.

At least, I assumed it did—the mood had shifted.

“Was she pretty?”

“She’s pretty… but why do you ask?”

Jiha chuckled at my answer, then let out a long sigh.

“No reason. I just thought about how far you and I are from anything romantic.”

Yesterday, she was teasing me about coming home late after meeting a guy.

To which I said no, of course.

“That Hayoon girl?”

“Yeah, that’s her.”

“Figured. That album seems like her taste.”

I turned the chair back toward the albums and stared at the one I had just placed there.

Hmm.

The one I added was jazz, the one to its left looked like Beethoven, and the one to its right was a Beatles digipak.

You know… the one with the crosswalk photo.

Even though I know next to nothing about music, I can tell that these three are from completely different genres.

“So, it’s just the vibe. It feels sophisticated, doesn’t it?”

Come to think of it, I’ve never received an idol album as a gift.

It’s actually a bit of a misunderstanding.

When I browse albums, I just pick up whatever catches my eye and look at the album art before putting it back.

I rarely buy anything, and when I do, it’s almost always a movie or anime OST.

So, from Hayoon’s perspective, the list of “albums Jeong Ji-eun looked at carefully but didn’t buy” naturally ends up being filled with ones like these.

Since I’ve never disliked any of her gifts, Hayoon naturally keeps picking out albums like these for me.

Not that I mind.

Actually, I like it.

Albums like these are often more expensive than movie OSTs, after all.

Well, it suits Hayoon’s taste.

She doesn’t exactly strike me as someone who would be into idol music.

Her family is well-off, and she’s even connected to the Galactic Federation.

That’s probably why Iris dislikes her so much.

Ah, the music changed again.

Actually, it might have changed several times already.

It’s hard to tell when one track ends and another begins.

The earlier tracks were lively enough for some people to call them upbeat, but now the music has clearly slowed down.

At least I can tell that much.

“Oh, it’s snowing.”

At Jiha’s words, I looked out the window.

White snowflakes were swirling down.

Quite a lot, actually.

The roads might be a bit slippery tomorrow.

“It should’ve snowed yesterday.”

If it had, the walk home would’ve been even more bittersweet.

Good thing it didn’t.

Jiha hummed along to the music off-key, then turned her head back toward me.

“So, how’s the vibe right now?”

“The vibe?”

“You know, doesn’t it feel like a scene from a coming-of-age drama?”

I thought for a moment before smiling faintly.

“Yeah, it kind of does.”

Neither of us had any idea who Miles Davis was, but somehow, just sitting here like this made us feel like we knew all about albums and music.

For a long time, we just watched the snow fall outside the window.

…I should be thankful for the gift.

I should repay her, too.

Maybe something as a New Year’s gift.

It doesn’t have to be expensive—Hayoon would probably be happy with anything.

*

December 27th.

Another assembly order had been issued.

At least the 27th was a Saturday, a day off. Being called in on a rest day wasn’t exactly welcome, but it was still better than being summoned during school hours and then getting reprimanded for not making it.

This was probably about the previous defeat.

If they were that confident, why not just train more officers? A corporation of galactic scale should have no shortage of talent.

Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if their employee count exceeded the population of the United States.

“Oh.”

Stepping out of the subway and heading toward the headquarters entrance, I noticed an alien with blue skin lingering nearby.

Some passersby stole glances at them, mostly older people. In contrast, the younger crowd and children barely reacted. They were used to it by now.

Attending school together, working side by side in companies—society had changed in just five years. There were still adjustments to be made, but at this rate, things would improve over time.

The same people who had protested so fiercely in Gwanghwamun weren’t staging any demonstrations in front of Noir Corporation’s headquarters.

Of course not. Noir Corporation had a history of swiftly clearing out protestors from their private property.

The government hadn’t turned a complete blind eye, but no one enjoyed getting beaten up. Besides, the combat units deployed back then had all been reassigned to off-world branches before they could be arrested, leaving not a single witness behind. The incident was quietly buried.

…Well, anyway, that’s how it was.

“…Why aren’t you going in?”

Beneath the blue skin, they still looked like a high school girl around my age. Since their facial expressions were almost identical to a human’s, they felt relatively familiar.

“Oh, you’re here!”

As soon as I spoke, their face lit up.

…So that’s it. They didn’t want to go in alone and get scolded first.

With a small sigh, I turned on my heel and headed for the building entrance.

They quickly fell into step beside me, chattering away.

“By the way, wasn’t Iris amazing? I was shocked when she fired that beam right in front of us. But more than that, how did she know in advance and prepare for it?”

Yeah.

A “Earth-fan” was exactly that—someone obsessed with Earth. Most of them adored Earth’s culture as a whole.

Like how Japanophiles don’t just love anime. Sure, their interests might be highly selective, but they often admire the lifestyle and customs of the country they idolize.

This one was no different.

And their main fixation? Pretty and cute girls. Magical girls were no exception.

…Wait.

Don’t tell me they’re actually a guy wearing girls’ clothes?

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

I had stopped in my tracks, frowning at them. They tilted their head, confused.

“…Nothing.”

“Really?”

They accepted my answer without hesitation and immediately resumed their excited chatter.

“Ah~ but I really wanted to meet Happy Cherry Blossom. Her outfit looks sooo soft. Imagine how nice it would be to touch it!”

There’s no worse fan than a creepy one.

Then again, they probably assumed they could never actually harm a magical girl.

Considering they even grinned after getting punched once, I guess their alien body really was ridiculously durable.

Beep.

I scanned my ID badge and stepped inside the building.

The first floor had some commercial stores, but about a quarter of the space at the back was restricted for employee-only elevators. Without a staff ID, you couldn’t enter.

Some people saw us going in, but no one paid much attention. The company was infamous for weekend work, after all.

“…Whew.”

“…….”

The moment we stepped into the elevator, even they fell silent.

“…Think we’ll get chewed out badly?”

For someone who always had a smile on their face at work, this reaction spoke volumes about how brutal the scolding could be.

They never resorted to physical violence. They didn’t even curse. But these weren’t ordinary humans—these were aliens. Listening to someone lecture nonstop for an entire hour without pausing for breath? Not many could endure that with their sanity intact.

If anyone was playing the villain, it was them.

Ding.

The elevator stopped at the 13th floor.

This floor housed the combat unit’s dorms and offices.

Not that the “dorms” were much to speak of—old-school military-style quarters, with twelve people crammed into a single room. Unless someone had nowhere else to go, they avoided staying there.

Some even said the rooms were oddly comfortable when empty, but since there was always a chance of them filling up, I preferred staying at the orphanage with Ji-hye.

At least it wasn’t mandatory. Being late, though? That was a different story.

“…….”

The chatterbox who had been talking non-stop just moments ago suddenly clammed up as we reached the auditorium entrance.

With a sigh, I grabbed the door handle and twisted it open.

Bang!

The moment I stepped inside, confetti poppers went off from both sides.

Not much of a surprise, really—just the cheap cone-shaped ones they give away with birthday cakes at bakeries. Still, I flinched.

Scowling, I brushed the paper streamers out of my hair.

That’s when someone slung an arm over my shoulder.

Startled by the taller figure looming over me, I looked up—only for them to quickly pull away, realizing the awkwardness.

But their smile remained unchanged.

They looked unmistakably human. A sharp-featured man, maybe even a bit sinister-looking. If he weren’t in a supervisor’s uniform, I might’ve seen him on the subway and thought nothing of it.

But he wasn’t human. Just another species that happened to evolve similarly.

During missions, he always wore a monstrous mask, hiding his face.

“Well, well, our hero has finally arrived! Everyone, let’s give a round of applause!”

Clap, clap, clap.

The applause was half-hearted and weak.

Looking ahead, I saw the auditorium packed with people who looked like overworked office workers sitting on folding chairs.

This… is all because of me?

Some kind of new way to humiliate someone?

As I stared at the officer with suspicion, they gestured toward the stage with one hand, indicating I should step forward.

It felt incredibly awkward.

Wasn’t this the same person who had yelled at me over the comms after our last battle?

“Come on, come on, this way.”

When I didn’t move, looking skeptical, the officer lightly tapped my back, clearly anxious.

When I glared, they stopped immediately—probably afraid of being accused of harassment.

Reluctantly, I walked forward, still pulling bits of confetti out of my hair.

Looking back, I saw that Earth-lover kid sitting in the very last row, just as confused as I was.

He clenched his fists and gave me a “fighting!” gesture.

Traitor.

Suppressing a sigh, I continued forward.

As I climbed onto the stage—

“Testing, testing.”

The officer hurried to stand beside me, tapping the microphone with their fingers, which emitted an unpleasant screech.

Satisfied, they cleared their throat and began speaking.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we finally have someone in our team who has achieved a 100% circuit charge! Let’s give them a round of applause!”

Ah, so that’s what this is about.

Apparently, no one had reached that milestone before.

In truth, this was the first time I’d encountered Iris so close.

My brain, flooded with endorphins or adrenaline—or whatever it was—wanted to hit something, but usually, running away was the best anyone could do.

“Let’s watch the footage!”

Click.

Wait, what?

A projector suddenly beamed light directly into my face, making me squint and turn aside to avoid it.

The video on the screen was from the helmet cam I’d worn during the mission.

[“Happy Iris! Panties! Purple!”]

[“What!? Don’t be ridiculous! Today, it’s definitely black—”]

The atmosphere turned icy in an instant.

If I were a man, I’d probably have been pelted with a full water bottle by now.

“What do you think this is, everyone?” the officer shouted.

Insanity.

“Courage, everyone!”

The officer declared loudly.

“Employee Jeong Ji-eun has overcome fear with sheer courage alone, achieving a 100% circuit charge. Isn’t that an example for us all?”

The mood froze again.

This time, everyone looked at me like I was insane.

Honestly, they weren’t wrong.

Iris had an absurdly keen eye, recognizing people based on the scratches on their helmets.

Next time we met, she’d undoubtedly chase me with a murderous smile on her face.

And yet—

“Now, let’s toast to courage!”

“To courage…”

The poor employees, dragged here on a weekend, half-heartedly raised their hands in response.

“There will be a special promotion for Employee Jeong Ji-eun. Look forward to the next battle.”

Hearing that didn’t make me feel any better.

And “courage”? The truth was, the energy needed to power the circuits came from despair.

Of course, the government and the company knew that.

But they couldn’t exactly tell everyone here that the power driving their circuits came from their own despair.

No matter how much courage you had, there was no hope of winning.

After provoking the enemy, all that came next was despair.

That was how “efficiency” increased.

It felt like I had unwittingly become a lackey for a black company.

…No, not felt like—I was one.

“This time, we’ll add a bonus to the orphanage donation.”

“Thank you.”

I finally bowed to the officer after hearing that.

They nodded, looking pleased.

Maybe they were happy because it boosted their performance metrics.

Still, money going to the orphanage was a good thing.

The storage room door was starting to rot and fall apart, so we could replace it with something new.

…Everyone at the orphanage thought the company’s charitable acts were purely for show.

If they knew I worked here, they’d probably tell me to quit immediately.

But money was just money.

As long as it was used well, it couldn’t be considered wrong.

Steeling my resolve, I let out a long breath.

In the distance, that Earth-lover kid waved enthusiastically at me, clueless about my inner turmoil.

It was… uncomfortable.