MistyTL

Chapter 3: The Ever-Positive Angel Is in Charge of the Magical Girl's Mental Care

Added 2025-05-16 07:35:35 +0000 UTC

Magical Girl Black (Food)

Maybe because I passed straight through the door, Yoo Seo-ah gave up and let me inside.

After all that back-and-forth, I finally entered her home—

And “mess” didn’t even begin to describe it.

The entire room was saturated with the stench of old cigarette smoke.

She must’ve smoked so much that even the wallpaper was stained a dull apricot color.

You’re wondering, “Wasn’t it just that color to begin with?”

No. I can say with confidence—definitely not.

I mean, ceilings are usually white, right?

But even the ceiling had turned apricot.

Actually, the upper part of the wall near the ceiling was almost brown.

If that’s what hits you right away, you can imagine what the rest of the room looked like.

The sticky floor made squelch, squelch sounds with every step.

Empty cigarette packs scattered everywhere, glass bottles filled not with drinks but with ash and spit, and dozens of overflowing ashtrays.

How can someone live in a place like this?

It wasn’t a room. It was more like she was living inside an ashtray.

As I glanced around the disaster zone, Yoo Seo-ah sighed and slumped onto the bed, looking completely drained.

“…Just find somewhere to sit. Don’t waste time with pointless chatter.”

“Ah, yes.”

Somewhere to sit… but aside from the bed, there’s literally nowhere.

I could float in midair, but it’d feel weird to just hover around when I’m supposed to be here doing mental care...

Guess there’s no choice.

“Uh, excuse me, I’ll just… scooch in for a moment.”

“…Huh? O-oh… okay.”

Fluttering gently through the air, I sat down next to Yoo Seo-ah on the bed.

She flinched slightly in surprise, but didn’t push me away.

Now that I was sitting right beside her, I expected… you know, that kind of soft girl scent.

But there wasn’t any.

From head to toe—just the smell of cigarettes. Nothing else.

…This is bad. Really bad.

“Um… Where should I begin? I guess a self-introduction would be best?”

As I cautiously opened the conversation, she glanced at me with a surprised expression, then looked away, staring blankly ahead again.

Judging from that hazy expression, she didn’t even seem to have the will to talk.

“Anyway, I’ll go first then?”

“…Do whatever you want.”

“I’m… well, just like I said earlier, I’m an angel. See? Wings, halo, right here.”

“…Yeah. I see that.”

…Could you at least look this way when you say it?

I swallowed the words rising to my throat and forced a bitter smile.

“I came here to help you, Yoo Seo-ah-ssi.”

“…Help me?”

The moment I said “help,” Seo-ah’s voice dropped low and heavy as she turned to glare at me.

Her eyes made it clear—if I said the wrong thing now, I might die.

Goosebumps crawled down my arms.

“You think you can say that shit when you don’t know anything about me?”

That glare could kill.

I averted my eyes and replied quietly.

“I don’t know.”

“…What?”

“I don’t know. That’s why I came. To hear your story. The pain, the suffering, everything that’s been hurting and tearing you apart. So I can listen, and then try to help.”

“…Ha.”

Yoo Seo-ah let out a hollow laugh and covered her mouth.

The way she covered her lips with one hand didn’t look like she was trying to stop herself from speaking, it looked more like she was holding a cigarette.

She stared silently into empty space for a while, then finally let out a sigh and answered.

“…Didn’t you already know everything about me before you came?”

Her words, tossed out like she didn’t care, were filled with nothing but resignation.

Lying and saying “no” would only backfire here.

It was better to be at least a little honest.

“Hmm… Not everything. All I knew was that you’re a magical girl… and that you’re really struggling.”

“…I see.”

She flinched a little at the mention of magical girls, but then simply nodded.

There wasn’t any deep meaning behind it—just a nod.

“…Guess I really am having a hard time, huh.”

She muttered that, then turned her eyes toward me.

“If I’m hallucinating something like this, I must be really fucked up.”

…Is that why she didn’t hit me earlier, even though she looked like she wanted to?

I let out another long sigh, then hopped off the bed and stood up straight.

“Huh?”

Yoo Seo-ah stared at me, blinking blankly, but didn’t do anything.

I stepped toward her and gently took both of her hands in mine.

Her hands—those hands that had held weapons and fought for so long—were nothing like the image of a magical girl.

They were hard, rough, and covered in calluses.

With these hands, she’d saved others.

With these hands… she’d taken her own life.

When my thoughts reached that point, a small flame ignited in my heart.

No matter what happens, I’m going to make sure this magical girl smiles again.

Truly, genuinely smiles.

In the chaos of everything, I’d almost forgotten.

Why I came to this world in the first place.

‘Make the magical girls happy in place of that bastard author.’

With that resolve, I squeezed her hands tighter.

Only then did Yoo Seo-ah flinch and finally look at me.

“…Huh?”

“I’m not a hallucination. And I’m not a voice in your head, either. Like I said, I’m an angel. An angel sent just for you.”

I smiled brightly as I said that.

Her hands started trembling.

“I know it’s going to be hard. But I’ll be right here, helping you. So please, let me help you.”

She bowed her head deeply, and I quietly waited for her reply.

Soon after, Yoo Seo-ah slowly lifted her head.

“…Get out.”

“…Huh?”

“Get the hell out of my house!”

She grabbed me by the collar and before I could react, she flung me out the front door.

“W-wait! There’s still a story to share—!”

“I—!!”

I flinched at the sudden shout.

“I…I never asked for anyone’s help. So just leave me alone. Please… just go away…”

With that, she turned her back on me and walked off into the night.

I stood frozen for a while, staring at the spot she’d been.

Then I looked back at the open door.

“…She didn’t even close it.”

After a moment’s thought, I gave a small nod.

Yeah.

Screw it, let’s just barge right back in.

***

I’m pissed off.

Seriously pissed off...

Help me?

Who the hell are you to say something like that?

Like you know anything.

You don’t know a damn thing.

You don’t know how much I've been through.

And yet you want to help me?

Crack...

I grit my teeth and head for the convenience store.

When I arrive at the usual place, the same part-timer as always greets me.

“Ah, welcome. You’re here earlier than usual today.”

The way he smiled brightly made me think of that self-proclaimed angel again, and my stomach twisted.

No, this is all because I haven’t smoked.

Once I have a cigarette, everything will be fine.

This damn irritation, the headache—everything.

“Five cartons of Marlboro Red, please.”

“Huh? It’s only been four days. Did you already finish all of them? That’s really bad for your health, you know.”

“What makes you think you get to worry about me?”

The words slipped out before I could stop them, reacting to the concerned tone in his voice.

Normally, I wouldn’t have snapped like that.

But I guess not being able to smoke has made me more on edge than I realized.

“Ahaha… Y-yeah, you’re right. Sorry. I guess I was overstepping…”

“…Just ring it up already.”

“Thing is… we haven’t gotten the new stock in yet. I only have two cartons right now. Do you still want them?”

I usually only come in once a week, so I guess it’s not weird they don’t have more.

Not that it matters. Whether it’s two or ten—if there’s any, that’s enough.

“Yes.”

“Alright, that’ll be 90,000 won. I’ll throw in a lighter for free.”

Instead of saying thanks, I gave a quick nod, paid, and walked out.

(TL: This is Yoo Seo-ah)

Hands shaking, I tore open the packaging, shoved a cigarette between my lips, and lit it up.

Click. Flick.

I took such a deep drag that my vision started spinning.

The cigarette burned down in an instant.

As I exhaled with a long sigh, all the tension in my body drained out.

I staggered for a moment, then leaned against the wall of the convenience store and took another drag.

My lungs are burning.

The auditory hallucinations faded along with the crackling of burning tobacco.

That damn headache vanished behind a curtain of smoke.

“Haaaah…”

Just two drags, and I’d already burned through the whole stick.

A cold shiver ran through my body.

I gagged. My mouth dried up completely.

But that horrible sensation—that was what reminded me I was still alive.

And this toxic smoke—this was my oxygen tank.

“…”

Just one more.

Tears I couldn’t even explain welled up in my eyes as I stuck another cigarette in my mouth.

Lighting it, I breathed in, praying that lunatic would be gone by the time I got home.

One cigarette, then another…

By the time my hand stopped trembling and my mind started to go fuzzy, I realized the brand-new pack I’d just opened had gotten noticeably lighter.

‘Already almost through a whole pack…’

At this rate, I really might die young.

…If only I actually could.

If I could just burn up and disappear like one of these cigarettes, all in an instant…

With that thought lingering, I slowly got up and made my way home.

Dragging my feet, swimming through the dusky, fading streets of evening, I finally arrived.

“Did I leave the door open…?”

I squinted at the half-open front door, closed my eyes tightly, and then reopened them as I stepped forward.

‘…Food?’

The moment I stood at the entrance, what hit me wasn’t the usual stale stench of cigarettes—

It was the warm, savory scent of soybean paste stew.

Of course, no one lives in my house but me.

It’s a single-family home—no roommates, no neighbors.

Which means…

There’s only one possible culprit.

“…”

Any slight sense of calm I’d gotten vanished like it had been stomped into mud.

I flung the door open and stepped inside.

Gone were the piles of filth, cigarette butts, and overflowing ashtrays—

Instead, I was greeted by a room that had been scrubbed clean.

The yellowed wallpaper and stained ceiling were still the same, but at least the sticky floor no longer clung to my feet with every step.

“Why the hell would she do something like this without my permission…!!”

I stormed in, tossed the cartons of cigarettes onto the bed, and started tearing through the place.

But no matter where I looked, there wasn’t a single trace of that so-called angel.

“Come out!! Come out right now!! I never asked for your help!! You don’t know a damn thing, so what gives you the right to ‘help’ me?! You’re just getting in the way!! Who the hell do you think you are to—!!”

I screamed, but of course, no answer came.

I fumed and paced for a while, but the pounding headache forced me to put a cigarette to my lips again.

Just as I was about to light it—

I froze, staring at the meal set out on the table.

Soybean paste stew, white rice, kimchi, grilled fish.

A simple meal, but… it somehow felt familiar.

I stared at the food in a daze for a while.

Then, like I was in a trance, I sat down and picked up the spoon.

I took one sip of the stew—

And it was salty.

So salty it stung my tongue.

She must’ve gotten the water ratio wrong.