Chapter 46 : Monsters, Media, and Mayhem

In the end, the problem I had agonized over for days was resolved as quickly as calling the telecom company about slow internet speed.

A text message contained a fake name and a national ID number.

It wasn’t a real person, but on paper, someone who unquestionably existed.
The things I couldn’t do just because I lacked those few characters in a name and ID number were far too many.

Once that issue was neatly resolved, my mind went blank, unsure where to begin.

The messenger app I’d always felt incomplete without was finally at my disposal.

Faced with the prompt for parental consent, I confidently clicked “Yes” and entered the virtual parent’s information.

It was almost absurd how simple it was, leaving me feeling resentful for having struggled so long to achieve it.

I installed mobile games I’d never been able to try.

I signed up for online games I’d always been excluded from.

Grateful to my paper-only parents, I got a taste of adult life, even if indirectly.

After school, my routine was to head straight to the computer and log into an online game.

“Damn it, this makes no sense,” I muttered.

While spinning a loot box 80 times, never once hitting the 5% jackpot, I cursed the suspicious odds, suspecting foul play.

“Mari, I wanna play too!”

“Wait a minute, this is a critical moment.”

After acquiring my virtual parent, a small rift emerged between Siyeon and me.

We had only one computer, but two people wanted to use it.

Since I’d started using the computer in earnest, Siyeon, who used to enjoy watching videos on it, found her share of time reduced.

Even if I handed her my phone to watch her favorite magical girl anime, Siyeon often wanted to copy whatever I was doing.

However, I didn’t want her to be exposed to the chaotic RPGs full of violence and profanity.

When I found a game more suitable for her, it always meant the end of my turn on the computer for the day.

Buying another computer was out of the question—not only was there no space, but recent expenses had been too high.

“Hmm…”

But as the saying goes, parents can’t win against their kids, and today, I gave up the computer to my sister-like Siyeon again.

I climbed up to the top bunk of my bed and idly played with my smartphone.

When I ran out of energy in my mobile game and had to take a break, I turned to the search engine full of sensational headlines, letting its algorithm dictate how I spent my time.

• [Animal Welfare Activists: “If communication is possible, it’s clear abuse” – Magical Girl Criticism.]
• [Kaiju Expert Prof. Lee: “Nonsense” – Denial despite clear evidence.]
• [Octopus Doctor Demands Conversation; Some Communities Mock: “We Knew It.”]
• [Incheon, Kaiju Appearance Rate Drops to 0% – Requests for Explanation Met with “Please Wait.”]
• [Truly a Safe City Now? Property Prices Skyrocket in This Area.]

“Even animal groups are spouting nonsense these days.”

As always, I let out an exasperated sigh at the provocative headlines filling the page.

If they just treated dogs and cats as animals and left it at that, it would be fine. Why meddle so much?

If they think it’s abuse, they should have a conversation themselves. Why are they yelling at us?

The moment an evacuation alarm sounds, they’ll be the first to run, no time for talking.

“What could they even do by throwing a fit?”

I smirked and flicked the screen, scrolling through the ridiculous claims of the activist groups, silently mocking them in my head.

If you’re that against it, why not do like some extreme vegan groups and stand in front of the monster, holding signs that say, “Fighting monsters is violence!”

And if you get caught up in an attack, wouldn’t that just be a natural consequence?

Not that those tax-draining civic groups would ever have the guts to try something like that.

As I scroll through the negativity of society plastered on my screen, a sudden call fills the display of my smartphone.

[Caller ID Hidden]

There’s only one person who would call me like this.

Sliding the green button to answer, I greet with a token phrase.

“Hello?”

“Sun? Any chance you’re coming up to Seoul this weekend? Think of it as a sightseeing trip, huh?”

The first words out of the Minister’s mouth after I pick up the call are an invitation to Seoul.

“Huh? No, I’m not interested.”

Naturally, I frown and reflexively reject the idea.

Calling me just to suggest a casual trip to Seoul?

She’s not someone who’d spout sweet nothings without an ulterior motive.

She must have a scheme brewing, but what could it be?

Suddenly, one of the news articles I just scrolled past flashes through my mind.

[Incheon’s Monster Appearance Rate Drops to 0%. Officials Ask for Patience as an Explanation is Pending.]

“Ah.”

I’m not completely sure, but I have a pretty good guess.

Their vague “please wait” response to the explanation demand—are they planning a press conference or something?

“I’m not doing a press conference.”

“Oh, come on… we’ll write the whole script for you! You just have to transform and read it. And while you’re at it, you can enjoy some sightseeing in Seoul with Siyeon!”

The moment she gets caught, the “sightseeing” excuse morphs into a “there’s hardly anything for you to do” plea. A seasoned pro at these tactics, this woman.

She seems to have intended to drag Siyeon into this conversation all along, yelling her name loud enough for me to hear through the phone.

I quickly press the volume button to lower the sound to the bare minimum, just one notch above mute.

“Siyeon! Siyeon! Don’t you want to visit Seoul this weekend?”

“The sound’s all muted.”

No matter how much she yells, her voice won’t reach Siyeon, who’s too engrossed in her magical girl anime.

As I lie on the bed, lazily picking my ear, I hear the Minister’s annoyed voice creeping through the speaker.

“That kid has zero cute moments!”

“Well, it just means I’m hard to manipulate. In this harsh society, that’s the highest compliment. Thank you.”

“Look, this isn’t about what you want this time… You really need to come. If this gets messier, it won’t be good for either of us. Let’s just say no and put an end to it, okay?”

Her voice, suddenly serious, gives me pause.

If the commotion doesn’t die down, it won’t end well for anyone.

She’s not wrong about that. It’s not like it’d take that long anyway. Begrudgingly, I give in.

“You’ll write the script for me, right?”

“Of course! I’ll send the two you’re already familiar with. It’s always better to deal with familiar faces, right?”

“Yeah, sure.”

With a half-hearted reply, I resign myself to the rapidly approaching weekend. Before then, I call out to Siyeon, who’s still glued to her magical girl anime on the second floor.

“Siyeon! Hey, Siyeon?”

“Yeah?”

Siyeon, engrossed in her magical girl anime, lifted her head upward. With a puzzled expression, she placed her smartphone on the bed and said,

“This weekend, I’m going to Seoul with those guys we saw last time.”

“Seoul? Where’s that?”

“Um, where the rich people live?”

Explaining it to Siyeon, who still didn’t know the names of many places, I strung together a few words that came to mind and summed it up briefly. It might not actually be like that, but that’s the perception, isn’t it?

And so, as time flowed by, the weekend arrived.

The two public officials, looking somewhat haggard, visited our house once again. Well, nobody likes working on the weekend—I should have asked for someone else to come. Still, they were the ones who bought us free chicken tenders last time.

“Oh, come on in! It’s the first time meeting each other in person, right?”

We headed to Seoul in the same official vehicle from last time.

It was the first time the magical girl and the minister were meeting face-to-face. She might seem like a pleasant older lady, but I couldn’t forget that she was a seasoned politician—a veteran survivor of the political battlefield.

“Hello!”

“Oh my, so you’re Siyeon?”

“LH!”

Responding cheerfully to Siyeon’s lively greeting, the minister gave her cheeks a friendly squeeze while beaming a warm smile.

Siyeon didn’t know why she was brought here, only that it was fun to travel far by car. In the midst of this cheerful atmosphere, I broke in and spoke to the minister.

“So, what exactly do you plan to do?”

“Ah, right! Yes, yes. Mari, you’ll just read this script as it is…”

Receiving the prepared script, the minister gave me various tips—don’t try too hard to answer the journalists’ questions sincerely, sidestep any tricky ones, and stick to what’s on the script.

She also advised ignoring inappropriate questions, like those trying to provoke a transformation-reversal spell. Basically, just say what’s written on the script.

“Take care of Siyeon, please.”
“Ah, sure.”

Of course, there was nothing Siyeon needed to do, so it was decided that I would go to the press conference alone. Leaving Siyeon with the two officials, I skimmed through the script’s contents.

Arriving at the highly anticipated press conference hall, the tension in the air was palpable as the bright lights focused on the stage.

Click, click.
The sound of camera shutters echoed in quick succession, and the flashes nearly blinded me.

[Magical Girl Sun]
[Was it really possible to communicate with monsters?]

“Hello, I’m Sun.”

The first passage I was to read addressed the core topic of this press conference:
Was it really possible to communicate with monsters?

I explained to the journalists in a composed tone, firmly denying the idea, reading from the script, and facing the crowd. After every section, questions poured in.

“Next question, please.”

At my brief prompt, hands shot up like a wave, journalists stretching their arms straight.

“Yes, Ms. Kim Mi-seon from X Daily.”

“Hello, this is Kim Mi-seon from X Daily. Just now, you mentioned that communication with the monster is impossible. In that case, what do you make of the writing on the metal plate in the photo?”

Her gaze dropped to the script at the question.

Even questions that could be roughly anticipated were written in the script, so all she had to do was answer accordingly.

Excuses that seemed plausible, even to a magical girl working in the field.

“I suspect Earth’s information is being sent to them randomly through some unknown route. It’s certain they don’t understand the meaning of the writing.”

After reading through the scripted responses to several rounds of questions, it was time for open Q&A.

The polite questions from a few reporters at the beginning quickly gave way to a free-for-all. Reporters, eyes bloodshot in their desperate hunt for exclusives, bombarded her with questions alongside the sound of camera shutters.

“Are the magical girl transformation reversal spells standardized?”

“This is Lee Hyun-chang from Mugung News. What’s your actual age?”

“Oh, that question is off-lim—”

“Some argue that monster extermination is animal abuse. What are your thoughts on this?”

“Animal abuse? Monsters attack people—”

“Do you agree with the opinion that magical girls are subjected to child exploitation and abuse?”

“How do you locate the monsters and arrive at the scene?”

The press conference turned into complete chaos.

There were too many reporters interrupting before answers could even be finished, making it impossible to respond properly.

Flash—

As she turned to answer a reporter directly, a camera flash hit her square in the eyes.

“Damn it…”

Her brain screamed not to say it, but her reckless mouth had already moved.

“Did these bastards learn manners through self-study or what?”