Chapter 13: A Last Chance at Happiness

Jin So-a’s mind froze.

“Huh…?”

Marriage? What was Seo-bin talking about?

“M-marriage…?”

“Yes,” Seo-bin confirmed, the word echoing in Jin So-a’s dazed mind.

Was this a dream? A cruel, beautiful dream born from her desperate longing for marriage?

Jin So-a punched herself in the face.

“Ow.”

The stinging pain confirmed it. This was real.

“So-a! What are you doing?!” Seo-bin exclaimed.

“I thought I was dreaming,” Jin So-a mumbled, still dazed.

“Who punches themselves in the face?! Pinch your arm, you idiot!” Seo-bin scolded.

“Right…” Jin So-a mumbled, nodding absently. She still couldn’t process it.

Marriage? To a man she’d just met?

She looked at Seo-bin, her eyes filled with questions. What are you thinking?

Seo-bin smiled. “Hear me out. Objectively, he’s a good catch.”

He was 33, fourteen years younger than Jin So-a.

“Fourteen years is a perfect match! They say you shouldn’t even bother checking compatibility,” Seo-bin declared.

“Isn’t that four years?” Jin So-a asked.

“The ‘one’ is just decoration. Like a silent letter,” Seo-bin explained.

“Is… is that how it works?”

He looked young for his age. Quite handsome, even without trying.

“Well, his eyes are a little… unsettling. He looks like he’s seen too much,” Seo-bin admitted.

“I noticed that too,” Jin So-a agreed.

“He’s more cynical than you are,” Seo-bin added.

“What’s wrong with my eyes…?” Jin So-a muttered.

He had no family or relatives. He was completely alone.

“No in-laws to worry about. No need for introductions. I’m actually a little jealous,” Seo-bin said.

“Is that really so important?”

“Oh, right. You wouldn’t know.”

“Don’t rub it in!”

And, most importantly, he hadn’t been intimidated by Jin So-a. He’d even talked back to her. That was a rare feat. Everyone in South Korea knew who she was.

“A man who isn’t afraid of you? That’s rare. Most men can’t even speak to a magical girl, let alone you,” Seo-bin pointed out.

“Maybe he’s just crazy,” Jin So-a suggested.

“I can’t deny that,” Seo-bin admitted.

He was a good catch in other ways too. He wasn’t picky about food, didn’t have expensive hobbies, and had no female acquaintances, not even friends.

And he’s not opposed to marriage or children.

He didn’t care about age or body type, as long as the woman was a magical girl who didn’t stab him in the back.

“He’s saying he’s fine with any magical girl, regardless of age or body type, as long as they’re not malicious,” Seo-bin summarized.

“Is that all? Isn’t there more?” Jin So-a asked.

“Well…” Seo-bin hesitated. There was more, but she couldn’t tell Jin So-a about the slipper thing.

“Why slippers, though…?” she muttered under her breath.

“What’s wrong, Seo-bin?” Jin So-a asked, noticing her friend’s distress.

“Nothing! Just… forget it,” Seo-bin said, flustered.

She looked at Jin So-a, her eyes serious. “So, what do you think? He’s not bad, right?”

Jin So-a considered his qualities.

Relatively young.
Youthful appearance.
No family to worry about.
Unafraid of her status.

And…

Indiscriminate taste in magical girls, as long as they weren’t malicious.

He was… a good match.

No, he was perfect.

He was the only one who’d passed all three of her filters: body type, age, and social status.

“Really…?” Jin So-a whispered, still unsure.

Seo-bin’s eyes narrowed. “What do you think?” she asked, her voice soft, almost a whisper.

“W-wait a minute!” Jin So-a exclaimed, waving her hands frantically.

Seo-bin leaned closer, like a serpent tempting Eve with the forbidden fruit. “He’s perfect, isn’t he? As a husband.”

“He’s… not bad, but…” Jin So-a stammered, then blurted out, “What about the other magical girls? Won’t he just… sleep with all of them?”

His indiscriminate taste was a blessing for Jin So-a, but it also meant he’d be equally interested in other magical girls. The problem she’d mentioned earlier would only get worse.

“There’s bound to be trouble,” Jin So-a said, worried.

“Oh, that?” Seo-bin said dismissively.

“Yes. I’m a little worried,” Jin So-a admitted.

“Don’t worry,” Seo-bin said confidently.

Jin So-a was confused. “Why?”

“You were so out of it, you missed the lie detector results at the end,” Seo-bin explained.

“Oh… sorry.”

“It’s okay. The others didn’t notice either.” She added, “He was telling the truth until the end.”

“And?” Jin So-a prompted.

Seo-bin smiled. “But the part about sleeping with all the magical girls? That was a lie.”

According to the lie detector, his outrageous claims were all false. He was just bragging.

“Really?”

“Yes. So, you don’t have to worry about him causing trouble in your unit,” Seo-bin assured her.

But Seo-bin was still puzzled. Everything else had been true: the other world, his attraction to magical girls, even his unusual fetish. Yet, his most outrageous claims, the ones that seemed most likely to be true, were false.

He’d lied about wanting to sleep with magical girls, and about wanting to be around them. It meant he wasn’t interested in them, not even Jin So-a.

It was a double-edged sword. He was less likely to cause trouble, but he wasn’t interested in Jin So-a either.

I’ll have to help her, Seo-bin thought. She wasn’t going to stand idly by. She would help her friend, even if it meant bending the rules.

So-a deserves to be happy.

Seo-bin didn’t want her friend to suffer anymore.

She’s not a bad person. She deserves better.

And she trusted Jin So-a.

“But…” Jin So-a hesitated. She’d addressed all her concerns. Why was she still hesitating?

“Think about it, So-a. This is your last chance. If you let him go, it’s over,” Seo-bin said, pushing her friend. She had to be forceful. Otherwise, Jin So-a would just come up with some half-baked solution.

“Maybe I should just give him an exemption, and then we can meet naturally later—”

See? She was doing it again.

“Don’t be ridiculous! If you let him go, every other woman will be all over him,” Seo-bin interrupted.

“Then what am I supposed to do?!” Jin So-a wailed, her face crumpled in distress.

Seo-bin was starting to get exasperated. Jin So-a could kill monsters without hesitation, but she was paralyzed with indecision when it came to romance. Her lack of experience was a bigger obstacle than Seo-bin had realized.

“You have to keep him close if you don’t want to lose him. That’s how you have a natural encounter,” Seo-bin explained patiently.

“But what if… what if it doesn’t work out…?” Jin So-a asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Seo-bin sighed. She hadn’t expected to have to explain this too. But that’s what friends were for.

“Then you do what I did. Close your eyes and make it happen. It’s not that hard,” Seo-bin said.

“But…” Jin So-a still hesitated. She looked like a child, unsure of what to do.

Seo-bin hardened her heart. “Do you want to die alone?”

If Jin So-a gave up now, marriage would forever be out of reach. Seo-bin wouldn’t allow it.

“Do you want to die alone in an empty house, forgotten by everyone?!” she asked, her voice sharp, her words cruel. It wasn’t like her to be so harsh, but she’d do anything to help her friend achieve her dream.

“No! I don’t want that! But…” Jin So-a cried, tears streaming down her face.

Seo-bin felt a pang of guilt. She might have gone too far. But she couldn’t stop now.

“You need to get married before you turn 50!”

Jin So-a was her hero, her savior, the truest magical girl she knew.

“You only have three years left!”

She was used to playing the villain.

“You need to wear a wedding dress before a shroud!”

Jin So-a froze, her body stiff, like a corpse. But her eyes were alive, burning with a newfound resolve. It was the look Seo-bin knew so well, the look of a true magical girl.

Thank goodness, Seo-bin thought, relieved.

“So-a,” she said softly, “have you made up your mind?”

Jin So-a didn’t speak. She picked up the pen and signed the consent form.

Seo-bin smiled apologetically. “So-a, it’s a bit strange for me to say this, since I’m the one who assigned him to your unit, but… be prepared. It might be difficult. No, it will be difficult.”

Jin So-a nodded silently. She knew. This wasn’t over. There were still many uncertainties. Having a non-magical man in her unit would undoubtedly cause problems. She might not be prepared for the chaos he would bring.

But she didn’t care. Nothing was more important than her own happiness.

“Do your best, So-a,” Seo-bin said, her voice filled with warmth.

“I will!” Jin So-a replied, her eyes shining with determination.