YM778.TV Chapter 15 - Magical Girl@Master (2)
On Sunday night, Alice was on her way home from the fan meeting in her manager\'s car. She felt pretty good; she had met hundreds of people who admired her today. Despite her worldwide fame, the venue could only accommodate so many fans, but it was still a satisfying turnout.
After performing a special show for her fans, Alice was still buzzing with excitement.
"You have no schedule tomorrow, so get some rest. Remember, resting is part of your work too—huh?" Alice\'s manager, Lee Seo-Joon, glanced at his ringing cell phone while driving.
"...Mr. President?"
The caller was the president of the Hero Association. The sudden call from the president caught both Lee Seo-Joon and Alice off guard.
"The president called you?"
"Yes. Can I stop the car for a minute to take this call?"
"Of course."
Lee Seo-Joon pulled over and answered the call from the president.
"Hello, sir. Oh, yes. I\'m doing well. Yes, yes, oh....you have a message you need me to pass on to her?"
As Lee Seo-Joon conversed with the president, Alice grew increasingly curious about the call\'s content and watched his reactions closely.
"...Yes? Okay. And tomorrow, ... What?!"
She could tell it was something serious by the way he gasped in surprise.
After a few more minutes on the phone, Lee Seo-Joon turned to Alice with a serious expression.
"Alice, I have two things to tell you. These decisions have already been made, and it\'s impossible to change them."
"Um... okay. What\'s going on?" Alice\'s nerves heightened as she observed his expression.
"Well, for starters, you\'re going to hold a concert in two weeks, and it\'s going to be free."
"What? A sudden concert, and for free?"
Taken aback by the unexpected news, Alice exclaimed and then asked him the reason for this sudden decision.
"I don\'t know the details; the president didn\'t mention them. But we\'re renting a large concert hall in Jamsil, and your concert will be free."
Tickets for world-famous Alice\'s concerts are quite expensive. Premium seats can sell for hundreds of thousands of won. However, the upcoming concert is going to be free, so the crowds are going to be huge.
"There will be a huge crowd. Will public order be okay?"
"They\'re going to mobilize a large number of staff and call in heroes for security."
"I... see. That\'s sudden."
Hearing that, Alice thought she understood why Lee Seo-Joon was so panicked on the phone. It was the president of the Association, not anyone else, who ordered him to do this.
"Well, it\'s a concert, something we\'re familiar with. We\'ll handle it as usual. I\'m confident the heroes will maintain order. But, Alice, that\'s not the real issue here."
"What do you mean? Isn\'t this already a big deal?"
Lee Seo-Joon shook his head, indicating there was more to it.
What could be more concerning than a free concert, and why was Lee Seo-Joon sweating profusely?
"Tomorrow, Awakened Crime Division\'s Team Leader 5 will come looking for you."
"...What?"
Alice\'s breath caught in her throat as the weight of those words settled in. She realized now that Lee Seo-Joon\'s distress stemmed from this revelation.
"Isn\'t she the one involved in the Hero Association\'s bloodbath?" Alice whispered, fear creeping into her voice.
"Yes, that\'s her."
"W-why on earth would she be looking for me? I haven\'t done anything bad enough for her to come after me!"
"I don\'t know. The president didn\'t provide a reason. But, Alice, it\'s not every day that Team Leader 5 takes matters into her own hands."
The Awakened Crime Division\'s Team 5 isn\'t your average squad. It\'s a specialized unit tackling cases that the rest of the Awakened Crime Division can\'t solve. When Team Leader 5 makes a move, it\'s no ordinary occurrence—it signifies a grave situation.
Alice\'s body trembled increasingly as she listened to Lee Seo-Joon\'s words.
"Anyway, someone of this caliber is personally coming to visit you. I don\'t know what\'s going on, but you\'d better brace yourself mentally."
"Brace myself? What do you mean?"
"...Prepare to be targeted."
Alice, primarily an idol with nominal hero duties, hadn\'t mingled much with other heroes. Yet she\'d caught wind of rumors about Shin Hye-Rim circulating among them.
[When Team Leader 5 has you in her sights, it\'s game over.]
"...Hiccup."
Of course, there wasn\'t anything normal about her rumors.
The next day arrived, and Alice found herself in the Hero Association\'s reception room, feeling like a lamb led to slaughter.
‘My stomach is upset…’
She had consumed several bottles of Cheonsimhwan to calm her nerves. Before entering, Lee Seo-Joon had warned her repeatedly to tread carefully and avoid offending Shin Hye-Rim.
"She is not going to take me away, is she...?"
Alice imagined Shin Hye-Rim beating her with her fists and dragging him off to the criminal division, just as she would with any other criminal.
And thus, the Hero Association would witness a new legend: The Star Idol Bloodbath.
-Thud thud
"!"
Footsteps neared, and as Alice turned, the door creaked open.
A stunning woman entered, her light blonde locks cascading. Shin Hye-Rim finally stood before Alice.
"Hello."
She smiled gently, and Alice tried to return the greeting with as much brightness as she could muster.
"Hic...?! Ah, ah, hello!"
Alice stammered, her body betraying her fear.
\'You Idiot...! How can I look so frightened?!\'
Alice berated herself, closing her eyes tightly. Her efforts to appear harmless seemed futile.
"Haha, there\'s no need to be afraid," Shin Hye-Rim reassured, her voice soft.
"...Yes?" Alice responded tentatively, meeting Shin Hye-Rim\'s gaze.
With soothing tones, Shin Hye-Rim said. "I understand your fear, Alice. You must have heard unsettling rumors about me, right?"
"N-no, I mean, not exactly..."
"You don\'t have to deny it. I\'m aware of the rumors circulating. But rest assured, I\'m not here to arrest you, Alice."
"I-I see."
As Shin Hye-Rim eased her worries, Alice thought to herself, \'Maybe she\'s not as scary as I thought she was?\'
Alice\'s trembling subsided, and I forced a smile, realizing that if she fled in tears like Kim Min-Seok, our conversation would hit a dead end.
\'Guess this is karma catching up with me. Let\'s just accept it.\'
"The reason I\'m here, Alice, is because of your upcoming concert in two weeks."
"Oh, the free concert I\'m hosting?"
"Yes."
Fortunately, it seemed Alice had grasped the situation well.
I planned this to draw people to Alice\'s concert. While the entrances and exits of amusement parks and big parks can be controlled, Hongdae Street poses a challenge. So, I aim to use Alice to divert crowds from there as much as possible.
With the world\'s most popular idol offering a free concert, who wouldn\'t want to attend? If BTS suddenly announced a free concert, I\'d be there too.
.
Naturally, if news spread in advance, attendees would flock not just from Seoul but from all over the country. Therefore, we planned to announce the concert on the morning of the attack. Once word got out, the venue in Jamsil would be packed within hours.
"At the performance, I want you to use some magic."
"Magic...? What kind of magic?"
I intended to teach Alice\'s latent powers earlier than planned and use them in this operation—on civilians, not monsters.
"Ms. Alice, did you know your voice possesses a magic that captivates people\'s attention?"
"What? I have magic like that?"
Alice\'s beauty and singing prowess had contributed to her stardom, but she possessed a unique magic of her own—an enchantment that drew focus and attention. Using this in the attack was crucial.
Naturally, Alice was unaware of this aspect of herself, so I will make her realize it and also enhance it.
"As a fellow magical girl, I recognize your immense magical potential."
"I had no idea though..."
"Well, now you do. And that\'s why I\'m here—to amplify your magic."
"Um... thank you?"
Alice seemed overwhelmed by this sudden revelation of hidden abilities, but it was a decision already set in motion. She had no say in the matter.
"But why is Team Leader 5 doing this for me?"
"I\'ll explain shortly, but first, let\'s change how you address me."
"How I address you?"
Yes. Henceforth, I\'m Alice\'s trainer. My focus will be solely on helping her master new magic. So, it\'s fitting to address me as such.
"From now on, please call me Producer Shin, not Team Leader 5."
"......What?"
After briefing Alice on the upcoming events, I exited the reception room.
Normally, I\'d steer clear of Alice, the story\'s heroine. However, this time, her assistance was crucial in preventing the terrorist attack without casualties. Thus, I had to nudge her forward, much like I did with Jung Ha-Yeon. I plan to help her take just a small step in her growth, minimizing the impact on the original storyline.
As I made my way towards the exit, I encountered a gathering of heroes who had just returned from sealing a gate. They had just returned from sealing a gate, appearing hard at work. However, they\'ll face much greater challenges later.
As I was walking down the corridor, someone approached me. It was our main heroine, Jung Ha-Yeon.
"M-Ms. Hye-Rim!"
Jung Ha-Yeon hurriedly approached, calling my name. I wondered if she intended to greet me.
"Hello, Ms. Ha-Yeon. It\'s been a while."
I greeted Jung Ha-Yeon, who stopped before me. Glancing behind her, I spotted Shin Chul-Min among the returning heroes.
Ah, they defeated the monster together. It pleased me to see her gradually form a bond with the main character.
"Yes, i-it\'s been a while. Have you been well?"
Jung Ha-Yeon\'s greeting seemed awkward, her nervousness more palpable than before. I wondered if she had heard some rumors about me. I\'d be genuinely disappointed if she viewed me with the same fear as Alice or Kim Min-Seok did.
"Of course. As well as I could be."
"...That\'s good to hear. Oh, by the way, Ms. Hye-Rim, what brings you to the Hero Association?"
I couldn\'t tell the entire truth to Jung Ha-Yeon, especially regarding the Monster Association, which would likely drive her crazy.
So I left out the part about the Monster Association.
"I\'m here to see Alice."
"Alice? ...Why?"
Jung Ha-Yeon\'s tone held a hint of anxiety. Perhaps she assumed I was there to catch Alice, a common reason for Awakened Crime Division members to meet heroes.
"Just so you know, I\'m not here to catch her. Alice hasn\'t caused any trouble. I\'m here for... um..."
Hmm, how do I phrase it? Vocal training? That sounded awkward.
Let\'s keep it vague.
"Well, it\'s not a big deal. I\'m here to provide tutoring for Alice."
"Private tutoring?"
"Yes. Alice is a magical girl, right? As one myself, I see potential in her to become even better, and I\'m here to assist with that."
"...I see."
It wasn\'t a lie. I\'m sure I can say this much, at least.
Jung Ha-Yeon seems to understand my explanation, but her expression struck me as odd. Before I could ponder further, she spoke again.
"What about me?"
"...Huh?"
"You won\'t do that for me?"
Her tone was chilly, and her disgruntled expression was unmistakable.
...What\'s wrong with her?