I won the critical race that decided the fate of the world, but I don't think it's over.
If I don't stay by Song Sun-young's side to help her keep her promise not to kill herself, wouldn't that be irresponsible?
Keeping my distance, treating her like a stranger, was my way of being considerate.
'Though I'm a bit worried if she felt it as consideration!'
Monitoring whether she keeps her promise felt like disrespecting her.
But since she asked for my help, I have to step up. To prove I wasn't just standing by out of indifference.
As the first step,
"I'll wait in front of your classroom every break from now on."
"To keep an eye on me?"
"Yeah."
With the aptitude tests over and the last winter break approaching, classes have gotten lax. Otherwise, there'd be too many gaps in the surveillance for it to matter.
"Even the bathroom?"
"I'll let that slide…"
I don't need to be by her side all the time.
Family, friends, students, teachers…
Even a stranger with enough sense of justice to stop a girl from jumping off a rooftop would suffice.
"Everyone will see."
"Can't help it."
For the greater good, I have to accept some side effects. The fate of the world is in my hands!
***
Ding~♬
"Thank you, come again!"
The fate of the world resting on a girl's palm is important, but I couldn't ignore the rent and living expenses staring me in the face.
"You're working hard."
Song Sun-young, who followed me to the convenience store where I work part-time, was watching with curious eyes.
In her hands were a drink and bread the store manager gave her before leaving to play computer games.
'He never gave me anything!'
Favoring a girl he's never seen over a diligent employee who's worked weekends too? I was floored.
"Moon-soo."
"Speak."
"Don't you get bored just standing at the counter?"
"When there are no customers, I do this and that to pass the time."
"Like what?"
"School homework."
"…Sounds like staying still would be better."
"I do other stuff too. I read the magazines over there."
"Oh… lots of science ones."
"They're free monthly issues from a publisher run by the manager's friend."
"Do customers read them?"
"Some use them as a stand for instant noodles."
We passed the time with idle chatter.
Ding~♬
"Welcome!"
Conversations paused when customers came in…
"Is the young lady next to you an employee too?"
"No."
Song Sun-young, still in her short school uniform skirt with her superior legs crossed, drew subtle glances from many people.
Some went further:
"Here's my card, miss."
A man offering a fancy gold-trimmed business card.
"Can I get your number…?"
Another holding out his smartphone to ask for her number.
"Do you have a boyfriend?"
One blatantly ignoring me to show keen interest.
And more, and more…
There were a lot.
"You're popular."
"I know."
Song Sun-young replied indifferently, as if used to it.
The gold-trimmed business card was already sorted into the paper recycling bin.
She flatly refused to give her number. As for the boyfriend question:
"Your eyes must be decorative."
"Saying that to a customer…"
Her sharp retort was satisfying yet made my heart sink.
"I'm a customer too, you know?"
"Oh, yes."
If I'd said that, the manager would've been called instantly.
"…I'm going to the bathroom."
"I'll go with you."
"You have to watch the customers."
"It's fine."
If she heads to the rooftop instead of the bathroom, it'd be a disaster. Better to go than wait idly.
"I don't want you to get in trouble because of me."
"I'd get scolded by the manager for leaving the store too often, but it's fine now. It's the quiet early morning hours."
"If you say so…"
Still, Song Sun-young's expression didn't brighten.
"Where's the bathroom?"
"…I'll hold it. By the way, how long is this shift? You have school too."
"I'm more curious about your parents, who never contact you. Don't you need to let them know? They might worry."
"Nope."
Her curt response made me drop the subject.
"It's almost over. The next part-timer should be here soon."
"Yawn! When do you even sleep?"
Yawning widely without covering her mouth, Song Sun-young emphasized how sleepy she was.
"Roughly an hour from now."
"Are you even human?"
"I thought I couldn't do it at first either. But you get used to it. What about you?"
"You know why you're asking."
"Right. I'll walk you to your house."
She might head to a rooftop instead of home the moment we part. I have to check until the end.
"What? Obviously, I'm going to your place."
"My place? You too?"
"My parents are too busy fighting to care about their daughter. They probably wouldn't notice if I disappeared."
"…Can't argue with that."
I couldn't bring myself to say she shouldn't follow me home.
***
I was really lucky. Just the day before, my homeroom teacher came over and helped clean up my trash-heap of a home.
Song Sun-young, seeing the single room in the rundown commercial building where I live, shared her thoughts.
"You've already moved out on your own?"
"Something like that."
I was relieved she didn't realize I had no parents at all.
"I'm jealous. But I wouldn't want to live off part-time jobs like you."
"That ends this year. Once I graduate, I'll have plenty of time. I'll start preparing for a real job."
"No college, huh?"
"What's a shaman going to do at college?"
There's no university in this country that teaches how to see ghosts.
There's a rumor about a comprehensive school on the other side of the globe that specializes in the occult, but still.
"You seem fine with your aptitude."
"It's not that it suits me—it's just what I got."
"Oh, right."
"But I'm going to look for something else. I don't have the confidence to make money on broadcasts like Yoo Il-am."
"That won't be easy."
"I'll still try."
It's rare for someone to be hired for a job that doesn't match their aptitude. Efficiency drops otherwise.
Doctors are doctors.
Nurses are nurses.
Pharmacists are pharmacists.
Each has a distinct role.
For example, would someone with the aptitude of "president" do well running a company smaller than a country?
Not at all!
They'd likely cause trouble with unnecessary political remarks and scare off investors.
"Another job…"
"Why don't you look for something else too, Sun-young?"
"…Is that possible?"
"Easier than winning a medal at the Olympics, don't you think?"
The Olympics—a war of superhumans who surpass ordinary physical limits!
It's hard to believe those monsters are human like me. To win a medal, you have to rank in the top four in the world every four years.
"I'm not particularly good at anything besides swimming."
"…What about modeling?"
"Modeling?"
"You're already pretty, but when you wore that swimsuit, I couldn't take my eyes off you."
"The bikini?"
"Yeah."
"…I don't like people ogling my body like it's a product."
"Hm…"
Aptitudes don't lie.
If she could handle others' gazes without care, her aptitude test would've shown a different result.
"I'm sleepy. Let's sleep."
"Take the bed. I'll lay a blanket on the floor."
"Oh! Being considerate because I'm a girl?"
"Yeah."
"Suspicious… It's the bed you use every day. What if I get pregnant?"
"I'm not doing anything!"
A man's sperm can survive for an average of three days, maybe seven if very healthy, but still.
"Can you guarantee that?"
"…It's impossible."
My confidence wavered a bit.
"If you touch me while I'm sleeping, I won't forgive you."
"If you're worried, go home and sleep."
"Is that okay?"
"No, sorry, that was a slip. Please sleep here…"
I let her into this place, which I'd never shown anyone, to keep an eye on her.
"Goodnight."
"You too."
Living together like this might be possible impulsively for a day, but it's not realistic long-term.
"…Asleep?"
"…"
"Sun-young."
"…"
Has she already gone to dreamland? No response.
'I'll figure out a plan later.'
To keep watching her, I need to wake up before her, so I should sleep quickly.
I focused on falling asleep.
"…"
"…"
Bzzz-
I jolted awake at the vibration of my smartphone.
"Who the hell at this hour… Oh no!"
Caller: Song Sun-young
I whipped my head toward the bed, stunned.
She's gone!
Song Sun-young had vanished!
Beep.
"Where are you!"
My voice trembled as I pressed the call button.
It was fear.
The dread of possibly never seeing her again.
(Come to the rooftop.)
"Don't move!"
If she was planning to kill herself, she wouldn't have called.
Clinging to that faint hope, I rushed to the rooftop of the commercial building.
***
"Sun-young!"
"Shaman. You're here."
Song Sun-young was sitting on the rooftop railing.
"It's dangerous. Get down from there."
"Stop."
Freeze.
Her warning-like words halted my steps as I approached her slowly.
"Sun-young, this isn't right."
"Sorry. I don't think I can keep my promise."
"…"
I wanted to rush over and hold her fragile body tightly, but one step forward and she'd jump.
From the moment I fell asleep, it was checkmate.
'It was impossible from the start.'
I'm human too—I eat, I sleep. I can't monitor her 24/7.
"I knew, actually. No matter what I did, my aptitude wouldn't change. But I wanted to change it."
"I know. I know how badly you wanted to."
More than anyone.
"Thank you. For going along with my stubbornness."
"I'll keep going along with it. So come down from there."
"That's not possible."
"…"
"I called you here to leave my last words."
"Last words…?"
"In case your fears come true and I really die. It'd be too sad if we never saw each other again."
"If you know that, then why…"
"I can't stand it."
Like withdrawal from an addiction, she was in agony.
"Calm down."
"Moon-soo, just one more time. If it works, even if I don't get rich, I can make some money. I've been studying stocks in my spare time while you worked."
"Sun-young…"
I've seen how much she's struggled because of her promise to me.
At school, at the convenience store, on the street, at home…
I know how hard she tried.
"Let's meet again with smiles."
"Wait."
"…"
"It's not urgent, right? This could really be our last conversation."
"…Say it from there."
This was my last chance.
I'm no skilled actor, but I spoke with conviction.
"You'll die."
"Maybe not."
"Don't cling to uncertain hope. I'm a shaman. This occult stuff is my specialty."
Who'd have thought I'd be grateful for my "shaman" aptitude!
"Shaman…"
"You know it too, don't you? I don't lose my memories like you. That's why I can say with confidence: this time, you'll die for sure."
"…Then these will be my last words."
"Sun-young!"
"Sorry."
A precarious stance where a slight lean backward would mean falling!
But she didn't jump right away.
'Is she… scared?'
Hesitation appeared in her, who had always killed herself so casually.
This was a chance.
The very last chance!
I decided to lie to her one more time.
"I can guarantee it. You'll succeed as a model."
"I told you, I can't."
"Think of everyone as mannequins."
"Mannequins…?"
"You said it first. Everyone but me looks like a mannequin. That's why you could even show your underwear at the department store—"
"Don't bring that up."
"Yes."
We locked eyes, like in a staring contest.
Her wavering pupils.
I could see her inner conflict.
"The old Song Sun-young might not have been able to be a model. But the you now has experiences P's aptitude test can't measure."
"…"
"If you treat everyone as mannequins, you won't feel embarrassed. Am I wrong?"
"You're right."
"You'll definitely succeed as a model. I guarantee it."
"…"
"Sun-young—"
"…I'll try. Modeling."
"Sun-young!"
Finally stepping forward, I rushed to her in one stride.
And then,
Whoosh!
"Ow, that hurts!"
"Thank you!"
I hugged her tightly, determined never to let go.
"What are you saying… I'm the one who's really thankful."
"Sun-young, I have something to say."
"Wait. I'll go first. I really like you, Moon-soo—"
***
"Oh…?"
I was sharing warmth with Song Sun-young's chilled body.
'What?'
Even though she didn't kill herself, my vision changed.
And,
'This isn't school?'
I was lying in a soft bed, wearing a white hospital gown, with an IV in my wrist.
A hospital, then?
"Ugh!"
I wanted to look around, but my body, heavy as water-soaked cotton, wouldn't move.
'What the hell…'
It's definitely not the past. I have no memory of being hospitalized.
I wished someone would explain this situation…
"Oh my! Doctor! Doctor! The patient's awake!"
"What?! Really?!"
"Yes! Kang Moon-soo, who was in a coma, woke up after ten days!"
"Oh! What a miracle…!"
"…"
Thank you for the explanation.