Ch. 75 - My Bosom Has Grown

The Oh Min-Ji incident was quickly contained.

Oh Min-Ji, who had gained some strange power, lost it as soon as the tattoo of the ship disappeared. It was a temporary power, after all.

We thought this incident was just another occasional flare-up by an angry villain. But it was something a little different.

'That woman has started moving.'

The one who first humiliated me with defeat, branding me with her mark. I don’t know why she’s suddenly started to act this way. It doesn’t seem like she has a specific goal. Or rather, maybe I'm the goal.

[Long time no see.]

Leaving such an obvious message makes this feel like a warning just for me.

"Is she planning to come find me soon?"

Why is she so obsessed with me? I don’t understand the reason.

‘You’re the best I’ve ever met.’

In the labyrinth, she crushed and dominated me. She said the reason she spared me was because I had some use to her.

"I don’t know what she’s planning..."

But next time, I won’t just sit back and take it like before. I’m different from the weak person I was then.

“Hey, Hyerim, what’s on your mind?”

After the scene was cleared, Team Leader 1 approached me as I stood watching the prison.

“You look like you’ve got a lot on your mind. Did something happen while catching Oh Min-Ji?”

Something did happen. But I can't talk about it.

Even if I did, no one would understand.

“No, just... I have a lot on my mind these days.”

“It's rare for you to be worried about anything, Hye-Rim.”

“Hey, I have my fair share of things to worry about.”

She patted me on the back encouragingly as I grumbled.

"Well, it looks like that worry might grow a bit more."

"Huh? Why’s that?"

"Well, Hye-Rim, you’re the type who gets tired of being in the spotlight, right?"

"Uh… yes, that’s true."

It was accurate, but why was she bringing it up now?

Just as I wondered, the Team Leader showed me her smartphone.

“Remember when you caught Oh Min-Ji and escorted the prisoners back? Well… someone filmed it and uploaded it on YouTube.”

"What?"

On the screen, there was a video of me, hovering in the air, threatening—not quite threatening—the prisoners with Oh Min-Ji, who had fainted.

…No way, someone had actually recorded that chaos and uploaded it? Without even trying to run?

“It’s only been a few hours since it was posted, and it already has 50,000 views?”

"...Well, what can you do? You’re already pretty famous. You should get used to it.”

“......”

She’s right. Whenever I operated outside, there were always photos or videos circulating online. Since the whole country has been watching me for some time now, I guess it’s unavoidable.

“...At least the views won’t be as insane as when I caught those monsters, right?”

Not that I cared to look, but I heard that the video of me taking down those monster beasts from the Monster Association already had over a billion views. It even became a sensation overseas, with everyone fascinated by the magical girl cutting down beasts with a single sword strike.

“Still, things have started to calm down recently.”

Well, in any case, I don’t think the reactions will be as explosive as before.

***

[Video: Magical Girl Threatens Prisoners with a Corpse]

Is that a corpse? It looks like it, right?

—Nah, he just fainted.

—LOL, so she catches a criminal, roughs them up, and then uses them as a threat.

—As expected of Magical★Iron Fist!

—I can sleep easy with Shin Hye-Rim around~~

—Mom! I want to be like Shin Hye-Rim when I grow up!

Why is it that my predictions never seem to be right? The reaction to the video was intense as usual. People were excited about seeing a magical girl threatening prisoners. The views were already in the hundreds of thousands. Maybe I should handle things more discreetly next time.

"I thought I resolved it pretty peacefully, though."

There were no extra injuries, and I made them willingly return to the prison. I did the right thing.

"Think of it this way: your medal ceremony is tomorrow, right? Just think of this as getting that attention a day early.”

Seeing me frowning at my phone, the Section Chief said nonchalantly.

I had just finished reporting to him about the Oh Min-Ji incident.

"If all I did was get an award, they’d just be like, 'Oh, okay,' and that would be it. People will pay more attention when I make a big move right before it.”

“Heroes risk their lives on variety shows to get a bit of fame, so you’re one of the lucky ones.”

“Being a popular civil servant doesn’t have any advantages, you know.”

Saying that I took the freshly brewed coffee the Section Chief was about to drink.

Mmm, it certainly has a nice aroma, probably from the expensive beans.

“...Why are you stealing your superior’s coffee? If you’re done reporting, just go back to your office.”

“I’ll stay a little longer. I don’t really feel like going back yet.”

“Why?”

“...The atmosphere in my office has been uncomfortable lately.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? How can a team leader be uncomfortable around their team members?”

I wonder that myself.

For some reason, the atmosphere in my office has been strange since yesterday. I don’t know what happened between my team members, even though I’m the team leader.

And from the way Team Leader 1 was acting, she seems like he wants to ask again about what happened after the Oh Min-Ji incident. Could she know something?

“Chief, it feels like I’m being ostracized.”

“It’s normal for superiors to feel isolated from their subordinates. Don’t you hate me too? It’s the same thing.”

“Oh, when you put it like that, it makes sense.”

"…You could deny it a little, you know."

The Section Chief glared at me, but I just shrugged.

“Oh, by the way, how long will the award ceremony be tomorrow? I hope it finishes quickly.”

“Don’t worry. The Association President said it’ll be very brief. He knows you don’t enjoy the attention and wants to keep it short.”

“That’s good to hear.”

I'm receiving a medal for capturing the Monster Association, but I don’t particularly feel thrilled about it.

“Well, now that we’re done chatting, I’ll get going. Thanks for the coffee.”

“Yeah... Wait, you really finished it all? You’re something else.”

“I prefer iced coffee, next time, please prepare some ice too.”

I waved to the Section Chief and left his office. On the way to my office, I ran into Team Leader 1 again.

Actually, it seemed like she had been waiting for me, as I’d sensed someone outside the office ever since I went in. Turns out it was her.

“Uh... is there something you want to ask?”

“Ehehe, could you tell?”

“You looked curious about something earlier this morning.”

Right, it must have been about Alice, whom I’d met yesterday.

“You were wondering who I met, weren’t you?

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“She’s just a close friend. We hadn’t seen each other in a while and just caught up over a drink.”

I debated whether or not to explain who Alice really was, but I decided to keep it simple and tell only what was necessary. It wasn’t a lie to call Alice a friend.

“A friend, huh?

“Yes. Just a friend.

“Hmm, I see. Thanks for answering!”

The Team Leader grinned brightly and went on her way.

“Since Hye-Rim sees her as just a friend, there’s no need to worry. I’ll let Seo-Eun know, too.”

Despite looking so worried just this morning, she seemed cheerful now.

...What on earth?

***

The day after the Oh Min-Ji incident was my award ceremony. Usually, I’d wear something comfortable to work, but today was different.

“It’s been a while since I wore this.”

I pulled out my Awakened Crime Division uniform from the back of the closet. Other than when I was first appointed, I hadn’t had many chances to wear it. Time to bring it out again.

“That’s the Awakened Crime Division uniform?” Seo-Eun asked as she approached me.

“It looks amazing! Why don’t you wear it more often?”

“It may look nice, but it’s really uncomfortable.”

There’s a reason we usually wear casual clothes in the division. The thick, stiff uniform isn’t exactly ideal for moving around freely. Unless it’s a special occasion, it’s not something we like to wear.

Looking in the mirror, I put on the shirt and then the jacket, starting to fasten the buttons when...

“Huh?”

I noticed something was off.

“Oh, the uniform doesn’t fit.”

The buttons didn’t close properly. It had fit perfectly three years ago, but now I couldn’t fasten it all the way.

“What? Did I gain weight or something? I don’t think I’ve put on that much weight...”

I was caught off guard by this sudden issue. I mean, sure, three years is a long time, and people’s bodies can change, but to the point where my old uniform doesn’t fit?

As I fumbled with it, Seo-Eun hesitated, then pointed to a part of my body.

“Um... Hye-Rim. It seems like the problem isn’t your stomach but, uh, up here.”

“Huh?”

“Well, it’s...”

Seo-Eun’s finger pointed at my chest.

“Did only your chest get bigger over the last three years?”

“...”

This damn body.

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