Chapter 27: I Escaped After All

It was a legitimate resident registration card, not a forgery.

There were two questions that arose from this.

Why was the address registered at the magical girls’ headquarters, and why did Happy refuse to reveal where it came from?

A voice inside my head told me I had to find out.

It wasn’t the whisper of the Quest Jewel—it was my own instincts screaming at me.

“Lie down, Sis. I’m going to return my phone to the living room.”

I nodded and followed her instructions.

Meanwhile, Happy was getting ready to leave the room.

As she deactivated her magical girl transformation, her pink hair and frilly outfit vanished in an instant.

Then, she placed her magic staff on the shelf beside the door and quickly walked out to the living room.

She was about to close the door when—

“Hyun-seo! Come out and talk to me!”

Her mother’s voice rang through the living room before she could shut the door.

This wasn’t good—for either of us.

“See you tomorrow, Yeres.”

Just as she said her farewell, Happy disappeared, and Hyun-seo emerged in her place.

Now, I would have to switch my approach from dealing with Happy to handling Hyun-seo.

And that was where the problem began.

I had only spoken to Hyun-seo for about ten minutes in total.

I knew she had a completely different personality from Happy, but I didn’t know exactly how deep those differences ran.

But what choice did I have?

Her opponent was her own mother, someone even Happy struggled to deal with.

I had no way to stop her from returning to the living room, nor could I risk being seen by her mother—I was an unwanted guest here.

“Did you do everything you were supposed to today?”

“I studied, cleaned my room, and ate all my dinner.”

“And?”

“I finished my academy homework and left my phone in the living room.”

“Work harder.”

“Yes, I understand.”

It was almost eerie, like a pre-recorded conversation playing on repeat. It was exactly what I had heard earlier that morning.

When she finally returned and shut the door behind her with a deep sigh, I noticed the hesitation in her movements, the way she fidgeted slightly, the way her voice carried traces of unease. That hesitance, that reluctance—it made her look just a little pitiful.

It was also a reminder that the Quest Jewel’s punishment was still in effect, even when she was Hyun-seo.

“Yeres, Sis.”

When she saw me sitting on the bed, her gloomy expression brightened just a little. It wasn’t a dramatic change, but it was noticeable.

Click.

Even though she had supposedly returned her phone to the living room, she was still holding it in her hand.

She stared at me as if she couldn’t believe her eyes, then suddenly lifted the phone and took a picture.

Amused, I raised my hand and formed a V-sign.

That was a mistake.

“Uh… Sis?”

Hyun-seo was so startled by my reaction that she nearly dropped her phone. If it had been Happy, she never would have been this flustered.

The clueless smile on my face deepened.

“Hyun-seo.”

Her name left my lips, and in response, her face turned bright red. A strange kind of excitement flared up inside me.

“Aren’t you lonely?”

As soon as I said it, I regretted it.

I could feel myself slipping further and further, losing my sense of reason.

I could feel myself giving in—whether to Happy, or Hyun-seo, or maybe just both.

…Yes.

I was loving them.

The drive to uncover the truth behind the resident registration card faded into the background.

More than that, I wanted to hold Hyun-seo in my arms.

So, I spread my arms wide.

“I’m lonely too. So, won’t you hug me?”

At first, she hesitated. But step by step, she inched closer.

And when she finally fell into my arms, I pressed my lips against hers.

“W-Wait, Sis!”

Hyun-seo pulled back, startled.

Come to think of it, this was the first time I had kissed her.

“A-Ah, it’s not that I don’t like it! It’s just… this is my first time, so…”

“Hyun-seo, you need to be quiet.”

I placed a finger against her lips, silencing her.

It was the same gesture Happy had made when she refused to tell me the truth about my resident registration card.

“We don’t want your mother to hear, do we?”

“…Ah.”

She furrowed her brows slightly, then quickly smoothed out her expression.

“The thing is… I have dissociative identity disorder.”

I already knew that, so I didn’t pay much attention to the revelation.

Now that I thought about it, Happy referred to herself as “I,” but Hyun-seo used “me” instead.

“But even when I’m in magical girl form, I don’t disappear or anything. Our consciousness is shared. However…”

As I mulled over that thought, Hyun-seo kept talking.

“I just… it’s my first kiss, so…”

“Didn’t like it?”

“No. I liked it. I liked it a lot, but…”

So, you do want to kiss me, but you’re just too shy to say it outright?

“It’s fine.”

That much was obvious.

For this lifetime, I could indulge in it as much as I wanted.

Even if, by the end of today, I was planning to escape from this place.

“You’ll get used to it.”

I pulled the blanket over both our heads, cocooning us together.

The heat from our mingled breaths made the air grow warmer and warmer.

Hyun-seo squeezed her eyes shut, and I leaned in slowly, gently—so she wouldn’t be startled.

My lips brushed against hers.

The emotions I felt in that moment were strange.

I looked forward to tomorrow, yet at the same time, I wouldn’t have minded if tomorrow never came.

I wanted to forget at least one of those feelings.

I wasn’t sure which.

But deep down, my desires already knew the answer.

And so, I let them guide me.

Unlike with Happy, Hyun-seo’s kiss carried a faint hint of bitterness.

But that didn’t mean it wasn’t sweet.

“Then, should we stay like this a little longer?”

Lying down on the mattress, I lifted the blanket slightly. I gestured to Happy, inviting her to come inside, and she nodded before approaching me.

“Just 30 minutes, okay?” she said.

“Why? You still have an hour left.”

“You need to eat breakfast too, don’t you?”

I didn’t bother answering, half because I agreed and half because I didn’t.

Instead, I wrapped my arms around Happy as she slipped under the blanket without hesitation.

Maybe because I had spent last night lying next to Hyun-seo, I kept noticing the differences between them.

Unlike Hyun-seo, Happy didn’t blush. She didn’t fidget with her fingers to relieve her embarrassment.

She didn’t try to speak, only to lose courage and shut her mouth again.

She simply lay still, determined to savor these 30 minutes in complete silence. I admired her resolve.

At the same time, I realized this was my last chance.

Pulling out the resident registration card from my pocket, I spoke slowly.

“I looked at this yesterday.”

“What is it? Oh, the resident card?”

“Yeah. The address here… this is really where I live, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Why was it registered there?”

“Because the Magical Girl Administration Bureau is there.”

Had she already decided to reveal it, or did she assume I already knew from overhearing her call?

Either way, Happy had just carelessly given away the location of their headquarters—to me, the former Queen of Dark Moon.

“So, does that mean they made it for you?”

“Hey now. I told you yesterday—it’s a secret.”

“I’m just really curious. Can’t you give me a little hint?”

“No means no, Yeres.”

So that’s how it was.

She hid only the information I actually wanted to know.

And to make it clear she wouldn’t answer any further, Happy pressed her lips together and stared at me.

The madness I thought had faded from her eyes was slowly creeping back.

“I get it. I’m sorry for prying, Happy.”

If I kept asking, I would ruin what we had built.

Quickly, I slid the resident card back into my phone case.

“You knew I wouldn’t answer, so why ask?”

“I was just too curious.”

“What exactly were you curious about? You mean the fact that this is your first time having a resident card?”

“Yeah.”

After all, I had left the orphanage and become the Queen of Dark Moon.

I had never needed an ID for the life I lived.

“Ah, I see. Well, think of it as an ID card. It has a lot of personal information, but every adult in Korea carries one.”

“Really? That’s interesting.”

“What part?”

“For example…”

Since I had irritated her, I needed to lighten the mood with small talk.

It was something I had learned in the past two days—Happy responded well to this.

So we stayed like that, holding each other and chatting about everything and nothing.

As time passed, Happy’s expression gradually brightened, and I found myself smiling as well, momentarily forgetting that I was a captive here.

But then—

Beep beep beep.

Beep beep beep.

The alarm from Happy’s phone broke the moment.

“Haah…”

Letting out a deep sigh, Happy got up and walked toward the stairs to fetch my breakfast.

I watched her go, focusing on steadying my racing heart.

Today was the day.

The anticipation of escape swelled inside me, mixing with the bittersweet thought that I might never see Happy or Hyun-seo again.

But this time, I resolved not to be swayed by this artificial love.

“For love and peace.”

A contradiction.

For the former Queen of Dark Moon to chant a magical girl’s oath.

Yet, in this moment, it felt like the perfect expression of my emotions.