When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a place I had never seen before.
Is this a hospital?
No, there was no need to question it; it was a hospital.
And a pricey-looking single room at that.
The white, clean atmosphere of the single room immediately gave off the impression that it must be a rather expensive place.
I tried to sit up in shock, but then screamed.
My body ached all over.
When I go to the usual treatment center, even if I break a bone, I can recover in a few hours.
In fact, that “few hours” is for when I’m seriously injured.
A broken rib or two wouldn’t even take an hour to heal.
But now, is there something in my body that hasn’t healed?
Maybe I ended up coming straight to the hospital and didn’t go to the treatment center?
“Jieun!”
Before I could check on my condition, I heard a voice calling my name.
It was a voice I knew well.
“Ji-hye…”
“Yeah, I’m here!”
Ji-hye said this as she took my hand.
I had to grit my teeth to suppress the pain.
“Oh, sorry.”
Seeing my face change, Ji-hye must have realized how much I was hurting, so she quickly let go of my hand.
That made it a little better.
“What… happened?”
“When you went on the field trip, there was an accident. Noir Corporation and the magical girls often fight, right? Looks like the magical girls had something to do there. They were fighting, and… apparently, there was an explosion of unknown origin.”
“…Really?”
Was there no mention of me?
I wasn’t with the students at the time; I was wearing combat gear and fighting with the magical girls.
And, covered in that black substance, I fought like some kind of monster.
Then, my identity was exposed, and…
I stopped my thoughts.
“You got caught up in it.”
“The cause of the explosion is still unknown?”
“Yeah. For almost a week, the news kept talking about it. Representatives from both the Galactic Federation and Noir were on panels arguing like crazy.”
“The magical girls?”
What about Hayoon?
When I thought of Hayoon’s face, it felt like the blood drained from my head.
That day, Hayoon saw my face.
It seems like Ji-hye still doesn’t know I’m a combatant.
If she did, she would have mentioned it first.
And combatants don’t exactly have a good public image either.
“They haven’t officially said anything yet. Until now, only representatives from the Galactic Federation have spoken. They’re high-ranking, but I don’t know their names. They’re not even Earthlings, to begin with.”
“I see.”
I exhaled.
“How long… how long have I been like this?”
The pain all over my body might be because of that.
Since I’m in a room like this, they might have been changing my position to prevent bedsores, but still, my body felt stiff, like I was forcing it to move, and it hurt.
“One week.”
“…A week?”
I turned my head back to the bed after trying to look at Ji-hye.
“It’s okay. I don’t think the school will say anything. They’ve talked about it on the news too.”
“On the news?”
“Yeah. You’re the only student who got injured. They’re probably blaming the teacher’s supervision or saying the company didn’t manage the crisis properly. Anyway, it seems like no one’s asking me anything.”
“…”
Even after hearing all that, I still couldn’t grasp how things were turning out.
“And… Hayoon came by too.”
“Hayoon?”
I quickly lifted my head again, only to wince.
“Yeah. She always comes before me and stays sitting here until I arrive. You’re… friends with her, right? She’s probably really worried about you.”
“Did anyone else come by?”
“Yeah. Other magical girls, and someone from the company. A foreigner in a suit.”
That’s probably James.
After hearing Hayoon’s name, my mind calmed down.
I wasn’t exactly sure why Hayoon came to visit me.
Maybe she had something to ask.
Of course, she came to check on me too, but I had so much I needed to answer.
Would Hayoon understand?
Even though we’ve known each other for so long, I couldn’t imagine how she would react.
Maybe that’s why I felt calmer.
After all, worrying wouldn’t change anything.
Of course, seeing her would make me think completely differently.
“Umm… Jieun.”
“Yeah?”
Ji-hye carefully called my name, so I turned my gaze back to her.
She looked like she was thinking about something.
“Well, back then…”
But before Ji-hye could speak, a knock sounded on the door.
“Ah, yes, come in.”
Instead of continuing her sentence, Ji-hye turned to face the door.
The door opened.
The person who came in was the “foreigner in a suit.”
James.
“Are you awake?”
James spoke, his face showing no surprise at all even though our eyes met.
I unconsciously looked around the hospital room.
Could there be something like a CCTV? But after checking, there was nothing.
Well, if such things were installed in a hospital room, it would raise issues regarding patient rights.
“Excuse me, but may I have a moment to talk with Jieun? There’s something important I need to discuss.”
“Pardon? Ah, yes.”
Ji-hye stood up, looking slightly confused.
“I’ll wait outside.”
She spoke while looking at me, and after I nodded, Ji-hye left, carefully closing the door behind her.
James sat down in the chair where Ji-hye had been sitting.
He crossed his legs and placed his hands on his knee.
Then, after staring at me for a few seconds, he spoke.
“Is your mind and memory intact?”
“…I’m fine.”
“You remember everything that happened that day?”
“…”
“Well, not everything, but it’s fine as long as I remember the important parts.”
James glanced around, as if organizing his thoughts.
“I’ve been coming here every day for the past week. I come exactly at this time. I didn’t want to run into any magical girls. It’s a bit of an ironic situation. We’re the ones paying for the hospital bills, after all. Unfortunately, we can’t control who comes in and out of this room. Anyone who’s been authorized by your… guardian can enter.”
“Like the orphanage teacher?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
James nodded.
“If they had come here as magical girls, it would have caused a stir, but when they came, they were just a student. In situations like this, being a magical girl actually worked to our advantage. Because of that position, your friend and their friends could all come in.”
“They’re here too.”
“We’re the ones covering the hospital costs, and more importantly, the situation is tied to our company. We… bear the responsibility for the damages you’ve suffered. I’m the representative in this case.”
So, at least externally, it wasn’t about “coming here in a superior-subordinate relationship.”
That was a bit of a relief.
“As I understand it, it seems your identity has been exposed to the magical girls.”
James asked, not particularly cautious with his tone.
“……”
“Well, that’s fine. It’s not that deadly of a revelation. Being a combatant doesn’t mean I’m a spy or anything.”
It’s still important to me though.
“What really matters is the data in your helmet. The footage there is remarkable. It could very well be the key to a new technological breakthrough.”
“So?”
Without realizing it, I responded a bit sharply.
“Are you saying I became some important asset to your company?”
“I think so.”
“So others don’t think that?”
“That’s right.”
James sighed deeply.
It seemed genuine.
Whether his appearance was real or a facade, James looked genuinely tired and frustrated.
“First, I want to make it clear that the explosion wasn’t my goal.”
“If it wasn’t you, then who?”
“It could have been another executive from the rival group, or possibly a third party. The important thing is, the company still hasn’t figured out who was behind it.”
“Are you trying to blame the magical girls for it?”
“It could have been part of the plan. I think it’s possible, but even so, it wasn’t me. There were researchers there, after all.”
I stopped for a moment, unable to continue my sentence.
“Then…”
“Yes, they’re dead. A few of the staff who were on surveillance duty also died.”
I shut my mouth.
“The higher-ups at the company are probably going to pin the blame on me. And if that happens, the most effective way to shift the responsibility is to place it all on you.”
“Excuse me?”
When I asked, looking confused, James slowly explained.
“You’ve been a combatant for the past three years. But combatants aren’t considered a career. I’m sorry to put it this way, but it’s practically just a labor job, no different from part-time work.”
I couldn’t find any rebuttal.
It’s true.
The role of a combatant doesn’t require special skills.
The battles aren’t regular, and you don’t get much training, it’s just a matter of putting on the gear and heading out.
There might be industries that recognize experience, but it’s not a “professional” kind of career.
“Yet, I’ve been paying close attention to you and have spared no support. I gave you prototype equipment that no one had used yet, and I even upgraded it for you.”
“So, you’re saying I’m the cause of this?”
“I don’t think you’re the cause. But, it’s rare for both the Galactic Federation and the company to be aligned on this matter. They’re competing to expand their influence on this planet, and neither of them wants to be completely ousted.”
“……”
“The Galactic Federation wants to keep quiet about losing their researcher. The magical girls want to maintain the image of being invincible. After all, just like you, magical girls are hard to come by.”
James continued explaining calmly, as I stared at him in disbelief.
“The company doesn’t want to admit that the explosion was due to their failure in managing the situation. Yes, this is also my fault. So don’t make that face. We haven’t finished the conversation yet.”
Seeing my expression, James raised both hands as if trying to calm me down.
“It’s a messy situation, and everyone knows it. I think so too. But how do you think the outside world, the ones who don’t know about this, will see it?”
I clenched my teeth.
Yeah.
It’s not entirely impossible to pin something that never even happened on someone.
It’s possible to frame the person who first reported the bomb threat as the terrorist.
But why does it have to be me?
“How do you plan on making this up? I didn’t even touch the bomb.”
“We won’t focus on the bomb. We’ll use the data from your helmet. We’ll say it was a major accident caused by a rampage. The energy from that time was large enough to not be ignored.”
“…”
“Stupid, isn’t it?”
James muttered angrily.
“No matter how smart individuals are, when those smart individuals come together as a group, they end up doing incredibly stupid things. It’s the same here. The company is content with the current ‘circuit.’ They can extract sufficient energy from individuals with no talents. They question whether they need someone whose output is unstable, someone who keeps damaging the circuit.”
“So, you’re saying I’m…”
“Really, incredibly stupid. It’s almost unpleasantly stupid. Isn’t it?”
The reason why James was angry probably wasn’t because of me.
It was likely because his ongoing project had completely failed and, more importantly, because his own position had become precarious.
“But my abilities…”
“They’re excellent. It’s a skill no one has been able to replicate so far. It’s not just about effort; it’s about some innate talent you possess. Just like the magical girls.”
James sighed deeply, as if genuinely regretting something.
“I called it a third party, but honestly, I think it’s something from within the company. Someone must have extremely despised me. They might have felt rushed after seeing the talent I uncovered.”
“If such a person exists, shouldn’t we catch them?”
I was furious.
“Why me…?”
“Again, when smart people come together, they often form a stupid group.”
James looked directly at me as he spoke.
“When a battle at the top tips to one side, it inevitably influences everyone beneath them.”
“…”
“I’ll tell you one thing. Almost at the same time as your accident, the president of Noir Corporation went missing.”
“Was he someone on your side?”
“Yes. He was someone who was going to make excellent use of the new discovery.”
Though, his biggest goal was likely human subjugation.
“Our company is not a publicly traded company. It’s a private enterprise completely controlled by its owners. That means—”
—if the president disappears, those below him can freely take everything.
Of course, in most cases, that’s a foolish thing to do.
The suspected leader loses the trust of the people beneath him.
Especially if the accident is as glaring as this one.
“Coercion and bribery.”
James said.
“They’re preparing to form factions and take control.”
“What about the government? People died. If they properly investigate—”
“They’ve already decided on the result. Of course, the company has likely handed over something. It’s probably a key part of the space navigation technology. Wouldn’t the government be interested in such technology? They even risk their lives infiltrating other countries to steal it.”
I stared at James with my mouth open.
“Of course, for our company, it’s a huge loss.”
As James had said, stupid people only care about the benefit they get in their hands and couldn’t care less about the rest.
…Just like I had been until now.
“But, you…?”
“It’s just unpleasant.”
James spoke.
“This situation, the way it’s unfolding, is infuriating. I’d do anything to sabotage them.”
James rummaged through his pocket and placed something on my bed.
It was a small clock, resembling a smartwatch.
“It’s a circuit. One of the things we’ve been researching.”
James looked at me with burning eyes.
“So, what am I supposed to do with this?”
“Run.”
James said.
“Take the circuit and run. You must never be captured.”
“Where to…?”
“Anywhere but Seoul. And run to another galaxy corporation that isn’t connected to ours. Use a warp gate to leave Earth if you can.”
“…”
“Maybe the situation will settle by then. When it does, you can come back and take care of the rest.”
“But what about Ji-hye? The people at the orphanage…”
“They’ll be fine.”
James sneered, as though my concern was laughable.
“Didn’t they already receive a huge donation?”
“…”
“They’ll have enough for the next few years. It’s not like the government isn’t providing any support. Oh, and all the things I said while threatening you have become useless now. There’s nothing I can do at this moment.”
James said, looking thoroughly upset.
“So, what are you going to do? Stay here and get caught? I’m just presenting one of the options.”
“…”
I thought for a moment.
My heart kept racing.
Was what James said true? Was he trying to deceive me?
“I… can’t believe it.”
“Then don’t trust me.”
James shrugged.
“I didn’t say it expecting you to believe me. I’m just incredibly angry and frustrated about this situation.”
James stood up and headed toward the door.
“I’ll call your friend outside. Think it over carefully.”
Then, James left without a second glance.
I stared blankly at the closed door, but it opened carefully again and Ji-hye came in.
“Jieun?”
Ji-hye carefully asked as she saw my expression.
“Why? Did you hear some bad news?”
“No.”
I shook my head.
I quickly hid the watch under the blankets.
“No, it’s nothing. I’m fine.”
Even though I said that, Ji-hye didn’t seem reassured.
I guess it was because my face didn’t show any relief.
But I didn’t know how to hide my feelings.
I lay back down and stared at the ceiling.
Now, what should I do?
Of course, no clear solution came to mind.
*
“Well, back then…”
Were you wearing a combatant outfit?
Ji-hye asked, as if trying to bring up something.
She had vaguely heard bits of the conversations whenever the magical girls came by.
She knew Ji-eun worked for Noir Corporation.
And that “work” involved being a combatant.
Hearing this, Ji-hye thought she could somewhat understand the behavior Jieun had shown.
She would come home late at night, always looking exhausted.
At that time, Ji-hye would tease her, thinking it was because of her boyfriend.
If that was the case, then Jieun must have been at the scene of that incident.
She hadn’t really had a chance to talk about it, as someone had come by shortly afterward.
But maybe it was better that way?
Being at the scene meant she must’ve seen something awful.
And then, Jieun…
The one who attacked Jieun was none other than…
Staring blankly at Jieun, Ji-hye was curious.
Why had Jieun been doing such a thing?
Was it for the money?
Her chest felt heavy.
She had never truly understood the situation Jieun had been in, even though they had been together for so long.
But, even so, Ji-hye didn’t know what to say.
The two of them sat in silence for a long while.