One of the classic traits associated with fairies in media is their mischievous nature.
But with Ha-rin, I didn’t sense even a hint of that playful trickster energy.
“But hey, aren’t fairies usually known for messing with people through pranks and stuff?”
“That’s all just human imagination in the end. When I think about it, there are some similarities between the stories and reality, but there’s always a subtle difference.”
“…You’re right. Come to think of it, I’m technically a Western-style dragon, but I can make it rain and control lightning.”
“Exactly, right? It’s like centuries of human imagination have stacked up into something pretty accurate. Not perfect, but definitely not totally wrong. Just look at Yeon-hwa unnie.”
Now that I thought about it, Ha Yeon-hwa didn’t really deviate all that much from what humans imagined vampires to be.
There’s… something there.
“Maybe this whole mutation phenomenon is born out of human imagination itself.”
I said it without really thinking, but Ha-rin nodded.
She said she agreed.
Sure, the details are different, but when you look at the big picture, it’s all oddly similar.
“I think the same thing. Oh, unnie—if you’re free today, want to come with me to see Jin-ha unnie?”
“Huh? You know Jin-ha too?”
“Of course! She’s the one who made my clothes.”
Ah, that’s right.
Jin-ha said she designs outfits for mutants free of charge.
If Ha-rin’s been around longer than I have, of course she’d know her.
“Did you already have plans to meet her?”
“Not exactly. She just messaged me to drop by since it’s been a while. But if I go alone, I know I’ll just end up becoming one of her doll models again.”
Judging from the tired look on her face, even the cool and composed Jin-ha must’ve surrendered to Ha-rin’s overwhelming cuteness.
She probably makes Ha-rin sit on her lap and rubs her cheeks nonstop.
When I said that, Ha-rin nodded.
“Exactly. Being popular is seriously exhausting.”
“…Yeah, I can imagine. So before joining the agency, what were you doing? You said you dropped out of college, right?”
“I was just unemployed. Then I started helping out with some mental health support for mutants at the hospital where I first woke up.”
“Don’t you need a certification for that kind of work?”
“Technically, yeah… But the doctor said it was okay since it was actually working. Even if it’s not formal, if it helps, then what’s the problem, right?”
Fair point.
Though… there are a lot of shady fake therapists out there who use that as a cover to scam people.
“So you could’ve easily tricked people if you wanted to.”
“Oh, no way. Besides, I’m sure NIS agents were monitoring me anyway.”
Ah—right. I’d forgotten that.
They must’ve judged she was safe enough even under surveillance.
And really, when it comes to therapy for mutants, there probably wasn’t anyone more suited to the job than Ha-rin.
“So, is that how you ended up joining the agency?”
“Agent Choi Jeong-ho—well, the Deputy Director—told me something like this, Instead of pretending to be a therapist without a license, how about working here officially? It sounded tempting, so I said yes.”
“But that’s kind of different from what he told me about you.”
“Different? How so?”
I recalled what the Deputy Director had said about Ha-rin.
That she had a tendency to be overly curious, even to the point of being a bit of a nuisance.
That she had a loud, bubbly personality.
I told her what he said word for word, and Ha-rin burst into laughter.
“Ahaha! That makes sense, actually. I did ask him a lot of questions—about everything.
He’s in charge of mutant affairs, and I’ve always been super interested in other mutants.”
“You seem a lot calmer than that description, though…”
“Oh, that’s because the Deputy Director specifically told me to tone it down. He kept reminding me to stay calm when meeting someone for the first time.”
So… she was kind of wearing a mask.
Or rather, holding back her real temperament.
But doesn’t that contradict what she just said earlier?
“Then isn’t that kind of a contradiction? If you’ve got a loud, energetic personality, doesn’t that mean you also like playing pranks and being silly?”
“Come on, unnie—that’s a separate thing. Being loud doesn’t automatically mean I like pulling pranks. I’m just really interested in people, that’s all. I mean, look at how I came out right away just to meet you!”
“Ah… right.”
“…But Jin-ha unnie is kind of my natural enemy. Like, I can’t act the way I usually do around her.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. It’s this weird… psychological wall? Like my instincts are telling me, ‘You better behave.’ You’re kind of similar, unnie, but with Jin-ha unnie, it’s more like… something deeper. Like it hits on an instinctual level.”
I understood exactly what she meant.
It reminded me of how Si-ah reacted around me.
Didn’t she say her instincts were screaming in fear?
“Maybe it’s because Jin-ha’s an Arachne?”
“That’s what I think too.”
“Come to think of it, Si-ah was the same. She was shaking when she saw me.”
“Really? Si-ah unnie? That doesn’t sound like her at all… Maybe there are instinctive predator-prey relationships between species we just don’t understand yet.”
“Maybe… Anyway, should we get going?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
After leaving the café, we made our way toward Jin-ha’s shop.
I could feel people’s eyes on us as we walked, but… I was used to it by now.
And the autograph requests—why were there always so many?
I was pretty used to it from my time on campus, but still, it felt strange having this many people asking me for selfies and autographs in public.
“You’re a public figure now, unnie. You might not be exactly a celebrity, but…”
“Am I?”
“Well, some people might see you that way. Like a social media influencer or something. That’s probably why they ask for your autograph.”
“Has that ever happened to you, Ha-rin?”
“Not that often. I guess it’s because of how I look. People usually hesitate—like, they’re afraid they’ll get in trouble if they mess with me.”
True enough—Ha-rin looked like she was barely a year or two older than Ha-yoon.
Most people would probably assume she was still a minor.
Though I wasn’t sure how she felt about that.
“Doesn’t it stress you out? Looking so young even though you’re twenty-two?”
“Looking young’s not so bad. Honestly, I don’t really think about it anymore. At first, I was stressed—like, did I turn too young? But, let’s be real… It’s better than looking old, right?”
…Fair point.
We kept chatting as we walked, and before long, we arrived at Jin-ha’s shop.
When we stepped inside, Jin-ha greeted us with a warm smile.
“Oh my, Seo-hyun, you came too?”
“Yeah, it just sort of happened.”
“It’s been a while, Ha-rin, hasn’t it?”
“Y-yeah, it has…”
“Aww, no need to be nervous now, right?”
If I said the way she leaned in to hug Ha-rin made her look like a predator eyeing prey,
would that be rude?
Ha-rin stiffened up slightly at the sudden embrace.
Meanwhile, Jin-ha was already nuzzling her cheeks and pouring on the affection.
“Ughhh…”
“Awwww, you’re too cute! Do you know how long I’ve been waiting to see you again And yet you’re so hard to catch!”
Honestly, the composed image I’d had of Jin-ha just shattered completely.
Not that I couldn’t understand it.
Ha-rin really was that cute.
Still… I was a little jealous of that.
“Oh! Look at me, spacing out. Here—Ha-rin, your new outfit. That’s what I actually called you here for. It’s one of my best works!”
“Oh, and Seo-hyun, this one’s for you too. Since I heard you were coming along, I prepped something for you.”
“…Thanks.”
“Uh, I already have a lot of clothes though…”
“Pfft. You can never have too many clothes. I barely gave you anything last time anyway. Might as well fill up your closet while we’re at it. When I asked Seo-ah earlier, she said you didn’t have much besides the stuff I gave you.”
“Oh, you talked to Seo-ah?”
“Yep. I heard she’s transferring majors. Said she’s trying to get enough credits together. I’m all for it—there’s no such thing as too many talented models. So, how about you, Seo-hyun? Ever think of switching majors?”
“Ahaha… I’ll have to pass on that.”
Jin-ha looked disappointed at my reply.
“That’s a shame. Well, I get it—you’re pretty busy these days. Anyway, how’s work been? Everything going okay?”
“Yeah. Nothing major so far. I guess that warning I gave during the press conference worked—no mutants have caused any trouble since.”
“Hmm… Is that so? That’s a relief, at least. Things overseas have been pretty wild lately.”
“Overseas? Like what?”
“I heard this from a contact of mine, but… In Mexico, there’s apparently a mutant-run paramilitary group that’s emerged.”
“Well, ‘paramilitary’ might be generous—it’s basically an organization with five mutants or so. But they’re so strong, even military-grade weapons can’t stop them. They supposedly took over leadership in one of the big drug cartels.”
“That sounds like a nightmare to deal with.”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t really involve Korea, so… We probably won’t have to worry about it, right?”
Ha-rin chimed in.
And she had a point.
Korea and Mexico weren’t directly connected, so there was no reason I’d be sent all the way over there.
“Yeah, probably.”
“Mutant-related matters are usually handled domestically anyway. I doubt the Agency would get involved in something like that.”
I nodded at Ha-rin’s words.
She was right.
Unless someone over there lost their mind and came charging into Korea, there’d be no reason for the Agency to act.
The Agency’s role was to stop domestic mutant criminals.
…Or so I thought.
That was before the mutant-led cartel in Mexico wiped out an entire U.S. strike team.