An Exorcist Magical Girl!

“Hey, Seo Jun, just out of curiosity.” “Yeah?” “If I die in that dream…” “You die in real life, too.”

 

Shit.

 

“Let’s go back.”

 

There’s nothing we can do here.

 

Seo Jun cleared her throat and took the lead.

 

Her steps were slow and sluggish even as she spoke, probably because she couldn’t find the words to say to her friends back home.

 

“Do you remember my friend who died because he was trapped in this kind of space?” “…Yes.”

 

Seo Jun’s shoulders shook.

 

“That’s exactly how I felt when I went to visit his parents.”

 

A deep sense of helplessness lingered in what had become a monologue.

 

The seemingly inexplicable overlap of past events sent Seo Jun on a downward spiral of despondency.

 

I’m not sure there’s any consolation.

 

All I can do is show her that the road we’re on hasn’t gone downhill yet.

 

“What’s happening now is not like back then.”

 

Seo Jun pauses at my words.

 

“We’re going back to find a way to save Ji-won and Yuri, and we don’t have it here, so we’re going to go out and find it.”

Even as I blurted this out, I wasn’t convinced.

 

I knew that no matter how hard I wished, the path to my dreams would not suddenly appear in reality.

 

I know there’s no point in just waiting for the teachers to come.

 

But I had to say it out loud.

 

That we’re not trying to get out into the real world because we’ve given up.

 

We’re out to find out what we can do in the real world.

 

“We’re not going to face a preordained tragedy.”

 

I stomped past Seo Jun.

 

“…Yes. They’re still alive.”

 

Seo Jun exhaled; her breath lighter. The footsteps behind me sounded stronger than before.

 

We stepped out of the crack.

 

“Whoa! What the hell!”

 

A scream erupted from the real classroom at our sudden appearance.

 

“Okay, okay. Let’s do what we practiced. What are those two?”

 

Min Jiyoon clapped her hands and instructed, and the kids answered in unison.

 

“Ghosts!”

 

What, what are they talking about?

 

***

 

Meanwhile, the eight students who were not in the classroom at the time of the ghost attack returned one after another.

 “You left the door open, didn’t you?” “Yep. Honestly, it’s kind of weird to not let anyone in the classroom until recess is over. I thought about pretending the door was broken, but I didn’t think I could handle it if they found out I was lying. It’s not like we fell down as a group, and it’s just Yuri and Ji-won, so we can pretend that they’re sleeping because they’re tired.”

Min Jiyoon explains. 

 

The two who hadn’t woken up yet were left sitting in their chairs to make it look like they were sleeping in class.

 

“I explained everything to those eight via chat. I told Ji-won’s classmate in class 3 that she went to the health center, so her attendance shouldn’t be a problem. I’ve also thought of a way to trick the CPR instructor in case you guys suddenly appear and disappear like this.”

 

Sounds like a plan.

 

“Here comes the instructor!”

 

Hanbyul, who had been watching outside, ran into the classroom.

 

“The bell hasn’t even rung yet. Guys, I’ll have to listen to you two on the phone.”

 

When the teacher entered the classroom, their friends sat down as if nothing had happened.

 

There weren’t enough desks in the classroom to accommodate Yang Ji-won, and there were no lead sheets.

 

Min Jiyoon noticed my gaze and sent me a message.

 

—I sent Joo Yeon-seo to the restroom and put Yang Ji-won in her place, because the teacher doesn’t know who’s who anyway.

 

Underneath Jiyoon’s message, I sent a quick rundown of what we’d found out and the hopelessness of the situation.

 

My fingertips went cold as I pressed the send button.

 

No one was quick to reply after reading the grim details.

 

Only a few muffled sighs escaped here and there.

 

The only thing that broke the seemingly eternal silence was…

 

─The ending doesn’t have to be the way it’s supposed to be.

 

It was a message from Cha Hanbyul.

 

─Ah.

─!!!

─That’s the way

─Yes. We just need to make it a happy ending.

 

Happy ending……?

 

My hand tightened around my cell phone.

 

I made eye contact with Seo Jun.

 

─Yes. As long as the play reaches its conclusion in some way, you can wake up from the dream.

 

We don’t have to follow the archetype of a ghost story; we just have to bring the curtain down.

 

A ray of hope descended on the classroom.

 

But there was still a problem.

 

─I’m sorry if I seem to be beating a dead horse, but is it really possible?

─Mmm…

─If we can pick and choose the actors, we should be able to change the content of the play!!!

─If it says no, then that ghost is an asshole.

─But how do you actually do that; both Ji-won and Yuri will be completely possessed like they were during the test;

 

I wish I could call them to wake them up.

 

The two people who are following the play’s script need to regain their senses before they can even attempt to change the ending.

 

Can we use a temporary contact circle for the gate like we did for the Rose Tunnel?

 

I immediately started drawing a circle in the air.

 

“That, the short-haired student behind you… suddenly what…?”

 

Min Jiyoon cut off the instructor’s questioning look.

 “Don’t mind her. It’s a resident ghost in our class, and it sticks to you if you pretend to know it.”

 

Dude, seriously?

 

“There’s a lot of ghosts in our school, have you heard the rumors?” “Oh, that’s right.”

 

The instructor looks away from me, sweating profusely.

 “How’s it going?” 

Seo Jun asks, and I shake my head.

 

Of course, it’s not supposed to work. We were just unusually lucky that the contact circle worked on the day of the park mission.

 

But I wasn’t discouraged.

 

There had to be a way to capitalize on what had happened in the space that day.

 

“Hey, mirror, let’s explore your features.” 

 

***

 

 

‘If only B would disappear…’

 

I shook my head angrily at the thought.

 

Had I finally gone insane with jealousy and stopped thinking normally?

 

That was too weird.

 

I didn’t think of that on my own, it was as if someone had written it in my head.

 

The jealousy I harbored wasn’t the kind of jealousy that goes away when someone dies.

 

It was the kind of jealousy that would change after someone died.

 

I chose that sentence as the correct answer because…

 

“Don’t make it a career, just a hobby.”

 

“You’re in high school now, you should focus on your studies and stop going to tutoring.”

 

“Why don’t you join the theater club instead? Won’t that take up too much of your time?”

 

I know it’s not going to change.

 

“Guys, I’m dropping out, I have an audition for a talent agency.”

 

So, I’m jealous.

 

Why am I being called A now?

 

Why am I now the second-place kid clinging to first place?

 

A familiar blue light illuminated my vision.

 

A holographic window hovered over the red bloodstain on the question book.

 

 

【Talent: Theater Actor (Hobby)】【Status: Utilized】【Engagement: ■■■■■■■■■■ …100%】 

 

A, second in the class, is just a character I play in this play. My lost self-reared its head.

 

 【Talent: Theater Actor (Hobby)】【Status: Utilized】【Engagement: ■■■■■□□□□□ …50%】 

 

My name is Kwon Yuri.

 

A pathetic person who can’t even label her shining A⁺-rank talent as

“aspiring”

.

 

I don’t care if I’m number one or number two.

 

Just because the top spot is open doesn’t mean it’s mine.

 

I couldn’t even write my name on the test paper.

 

The place that I had just taken for granted as “

my school’s study hall”

feels increasingly unfamiliar.

 

It’s like waking up from a dream and realizing,

“Oh, that was weird.”

.

 

The gaping holes in my world are only now beginning to become visible.

 

What class was I in at this school? What was my teacher’s name? What club did I belong to? 

 

Why can’t I remember any of my classmates’ names? Did I even have a three-week summer 

vacation? What was first grade like? What was middle school like? What was elementary school like?

 

This place, with all its emptiness, was the stage I was given.

 

The other star of the play, and the object of my hatred until just now, was Ji-Won, the class president, who was also the first B in the whole school.

 

“Ji-Ji-won…?” “Ji-won? Who are you calling?”

 

Uh, what can I do, Ji-won still doesn’t remember anything!

 

The fact that I was able to pull myself out of this situation was probably due to my special talent as a theater actor.

 

So, I had to help her.

 

Although I was worried about what might have happened to my other friends who had taken the TOEFL with me in the previous test center, I decided to focus on restoring Ji-won’s sanity.

 “Ji-Won, don’t you recognize me? It’s me, Yuri. Kwon-Yuri! We were in the same class last year, right?” “Yuri? Ji-Won? Who the hell is that? A, are you having a hard time studying?” “Studying is not the problem right now, ahhh!” “What’s wrong with you all of a sudden?”

 

What am I going to do? I want to cry…

 

“Ji-Won, can you please get your act together? This is not the time to be reading.” “I will call the teacher if you keep doing that.” 

 I was glaring.

 

“Ji-won, let’s go get some fresh air. I’m so tired from studying, okay? Let’s get out of the study hall.” “A, if you’re really sick, you shouldn’t go for a walk, you should go to the health center, take medicine, and get some sleep. You’ve been working too hard lately.” “What? You are the one who needs to take a break.”

 

Oops.

 

The line slipped out of my mouth, and I covered my mouth in surprise.

 

“Haha, this A. You suddenly acted so uncharacteristically; I was shocked.”

 

B, or rather, Ji-won, laughed, saying that she was used to this kind of behavior.

 

If she continued to act uncharacteristically, could shock therapy wake her up?

 

“Me, what’s with me competing with you in studying? I don’t like that anymore! I don’t study, I use books as pillows.” “Are you A?” “Don’t call me A!” “You, what are you? You don’t look like the A I know.” “Yes! I’m not the A you know! I’m not the A you know, I’m the Kwon Yuri!!! You’re not the B you know, you’re the Yang JI-WON!!”

 

Jiwon furrowed her brow as I went on and on.

 

But it wasn’t like she wasn’t listening to me, like earlier.

 

It was the face of someone who was pondering, as if something was about to come to mind.

 

I decided to take advantage of the moment and pressed on.

 

“Don’t you remember Hanbyul? Hanbyul from your broadcasting class? Or Chae-eun? Or Damin? Let’s call the teachers by their names. Do you remember Mr. Jang Jin-cheol, the student council president? He teaches magic and ethics.”

 

A confused Ji-Won recites the names.

 

“Hanbyul? Cha Hanbyul?” “You remember! Cha Hanbyul!” “I don’t know, I don’t recognize her.”

 

She spat out Hanbyul’s last name unconsciously.

 

I saw a glimmer of hope.

 

At times like this, I wish there was something that could trigger her memory decisively.

 

I wondered if my desperate wishes had reached someone.

 

─Kwon Yuri, Yang Ji-won!

─Do you hear me?

─Do you recognize us?

 

Nostalgic voices rang through the air.

 

“Uh, how?”

 

─Ya! I hear you! I hear Yuri’s voice!

 

“Ji-won, do you know whose voice that was?”

 

Ji-won cleared her shaking throat and said to her,

“It’s Hanbyul’s voice, remember?”

 

Ji-won’s face flushed with disbelief as she looked around for the source of the sound.

 

“Cha Hanbyul?”

 

─Oh, I hear Yang Ji-won’s voice too! They must be together!

 

“…This is crazy. What the hell is going on, mass brainwashing?”

 

Ji-won finally came to her senses!