Transformation or Death

Bonus Chapter thanks to Kizu Hana sub to Dual star @BuymeaBeer

Like a Comet in Your Heart (7)

The reason why the girl named Baek Ah-hee became obsessed with magical girls is simple. 

Just as a newborn chick imprints on the first thing it sees as its parent after hatching, Baek Ah-hee simply made her most vivid first memory in life her lifelong aspiration.

Baek Ah-hee’s first memory was dazzling enough that words fell short in describing it.

Burning cars and roads, ringing tinnitus and screams and noises deafening her ears, bright flames blooming and decorating the bloodstains scattered on the road. The traffic light kept glowing red, and the sirens were just as red.

A crimson world.

A starlight appeared amidst the chaos. 

It was the entrance of a magical girl.

An entrance that left an indelible mark on the infant girl’s brain that would never fade.

It was as if a star had fallen from the clear sky.

A mysterious, massive radiance that did not lose its light even when it was not night.

It looked like a comet that had plunged while burning itself to illuminate this world.

Her blurry consciousness made all her memories of that day seem like a dream, but unlike an actual dream, Baek Ah-hee remembered that memory for several days.

Baek Ah-hee became an orphan that day.  

However, the memory of that day did not particularly remain as a trauma.

The red colored memories were overlaid and concealed by the starlight.

For a child who could not yet properly recognize the existence of parents, the sorrow of loss was quite a demanding cognitive activity.

Rather than the sadness of loss, what remained in her memory was the beautiful sight she had witnessed that day.

The orphaned Baek Ah-hee came to live with her grandmother.

As the old woman was an adult and not a child, she was aware of the sorrow of loss.

During those days of gloom, the old woman neglected the girl for a while.

After briefly emerging from her grief, the old woman told her only granddaughter that the starlight she had seen that day was a magical girl.

The girl’s eyes sparkled with interest.

Despite losing her parents, the remarkable girl who did not throw a single tantrum was shown the best hope the old woman could provide within her means.

Most of it involved obtaining information about magical girls from the information media she could access and showing it to the girl.

She borrowed and read books related to magical girls from the library, and operated old electronic devices to show her various videos.

The girl became immersed in the existence called a magical girl to the point of skipping meals.

The vague aspiration she had harbored became more concrete and approached the girl as a tangible entity.

The twinkling starlight in the girl’s eyes resonated in her heart, planting the seeds of change.

The girl who had admired the stars now aimed for the stars.

That’s how the girl gained a dream.

It was the moment when a dream-like memory transformed into a dream of reality.

Even though she was so poor that she could not properly have snacks or desserts, it wasn’t particularly hard.

At school, she was subtly ostracized for her eccentric behavior, but she wasn’t particularly lonely.  

The girl had a grandmother who had raised her to persevere even without parents.

And she had a dream that could overcome all trials and adversities.

After gaining that dream, the girl made great efforts to become a magical girl.

The way to become a magical girl was never revealed.

Nevertheless, the girl tried.

With the vague belief that if she had a heart similar to a magical girl’s and did similar deeds, she might one day become one.

She never stopped doing good deeds.

While other children were playing, she did small volunteer work like picking up litter on the street.

If not, she mimicked magical girl battles to build stamina and prepared herself for combat.

Sometimes, she even did bolder things.

As a middle school student, Baek Ah-hee occasionally ignored evacuation advisories during villain attacks and guided injured people to shelters.  

When she was bolder, she drew the villain’s attention so others could evacuate.

Each time, she was heavily scolded by the magical girls. As these incidents piled up, Baek Ah-hee became a person of concern known within the magical girl association.

Those were quite fulfilling days.

However, despite priding herself on having an aspiration for magical girls more than anyone else, Baek Ah-hee showed no sign of becoming one until a year before adulthood.  

Most magical girls manifest their powers around middle school or high school entrance age. 

In extreme cases, they become magical girls in elementary school.

Baek Ah-hee had missed her timing.

Many who had cheered on her dream also looked at her with pitying eyes by the time she was in her second year of high school.

Her grandmother suggested that she slowly look into other career paths.

Still, the girl did not give up.

If she were a magical girl, she would certainly not give up when faced with an impossible reality.

Her firmly established sense of heroism since childhood became the principle of her actions, her stubbornness and perseverance, and her lingering attachment.

And so, the girl was finally able to achieve her dream.

In the spring of her third year of high school.  

It was another day when she happily skipped school to help with a villain evacuation, then finished her part-time job and returned home.

It was an ordinary day.  

The extraordinary began on her way home.

Strangely, even when the girl arrived home, the siren sound did not go away.  

Thinking she had finally gone insane, the girl realized this was not an auditory hallucination but the truth when she saw people fleeing.

When a villain attacked the poor neighborhood the girl lived in, causing multiple casualties, and the girl’s only remaining family member’s name was added to that casualty list, when the girl had nothing left but her dream, she awoke as a magical girl!

***

Ippotranslation

***

Han Jae-jung was in a perplexed state of mind. 

The empty building, devoid of a single person due to it being the weekend, let out a sigh as he looked at it showing slight signs of aging.

“I’ll go crazy…”

How could he face that child? 

She would certainly be extremely gloomy, or rather, it would be a relief if that was the extent of it.

What if she suffered a wound that would never heal for the rest of her life?

Violence not only inflicts physical pain but also instills fear of oppression, a sense of helplessness, and shame.

No matter what excuse there is, education cannot be achieved through violence.

A pang of guilt struck his heart. 

A faint taste of blood lingered in his mouth. He had bitten the inside of his mouth due to self-loathing.

Feeling that metallic taste, he pondered how to treat her.

Mentioning that incident would be rude, and attempting to console her prematurely would be a meddling act.

Initially, she doesn’t even know his true identity. It would certainly seem strange for Han Jae-jung to feel responsible for that day’s defeat.

He placed his hand on his chin and contemplated silently.

‘Should I just transform into Dogeza…’

It was a rather extreme solution.

Han Jae-jung’s mind was as chaotic as a storm, yet as calm as the eye of a storm.

‘No, an apology like that would only provide relief to the perpetrator. An apology that the victim does not want is merely a nuisance. Wouldn’t it be better to let her vent her frustration freely…?’  

Any emotion, if taken to the extreme, can lead to extreme actions.

Guilt was no exception.

‘No, this is what I should do as a watcher… What should I say to that friend now? What can I do?’

It was also ambiguous to give a lecture like last time.  

Consolation should be avoided even more.

On what basis could he speak so freely?

Beat the child at night and treat them kindly during the day?

It’s not like he’s a domestic abuser.

Hiding his identity makes it even more malicious.

Damn quest.

Why did such a quest to hit the child come up?  

Was this measure necessary to prepare for the level of danger posed by the last Turtle villain?

Was it necessary to instill fear through violence just to survive that level of threat?

What potential did this belt see to give such an instruction?

‘In the end, the quest must have come up because I felt the need to instill fear…’

“Wah!”

At that moment, someone shook his back and shouted loudly. 

Startled, Han Jae-jung turned around.

“Vega.”

“Hehe, did I surprise you?”

Baek Ah-hee waved her hand playfully with a mischievous smile.

“What were you thinking about so deeply?”

She is unaware. That the man standing before her is the same lunatic who inflicted violence upon her and spewed nonsense.

That’s why she can smile so innocently.

Han Jae-jung stood frozen in his place.

Silently gazing at the beaming Baek Ah-hee.  

“…? Why are you like that…?”

“Ah, I was just too surprised…”

Han Jae-jung forced the corners of his mouth to curl up into an awkward smile. A smile that anyone could see as suspicious.

“…Could it be, did I touch Han Jae-jung’s trauma…?”

Baek Ah-hee immediately guessed and covered her mouth with her hand.

“No! It’s really not that. To begin with, I don’t have any past trauma that would trigger me just from being startled.”

If this continued, misunderstandings would lead to more misunderstandings, becoming a vicious cycle. Han Jae-jung hurriedly made an excuse.

“Seeing Vega after such a long time… Should I say that I was dazed because I can’t believe a magical girl like you is my counselor?”

There was no lie in his words.

Why of all people did she have to be his counselor?

“Oh my… are you flirting with me?”

“Don’t say things like that unless you want to be taken away.”

The two joked around as they approached the building.

Red Vega used her key to unlock the door, and they went inside.

Due to the holiday, they were the only users of this building today.

“Sorry for making you come out to a place like this on the weekend because of my situation.”

“I’m currently unemployed, so call me anytime.”  

“Self-deprecating expressions are not good!”

“But it’s the truth, what can I do?”

Han Jae-jung let out a wry laugh, concealing the suffocating feeling behind it.

Red Vega appeared bright now, but it was merely a forced cheerfulness.

He had a strong sense of that.

Her perfume smelled intense, and her makeup was heavier than usual.

She had put effort into her outward appearance to conceal something.

If she had transformed, she wouldn’t have needed such cumbersome adornment, but considering his trauma, she came in her usual appearance to avoid drawing attention.

Everything, from start to finish, was his fault.  

He felt as if the area below his neck was burning black.

“But I’m planning to start job hunting soon.”

How could he restore her shattered self-esteem and honor? As the perpetrator, how should he apologize to the victim?

No matter what he did, it would only be a deception. 

While desperately racking his hardened mind, Han Jae-jung tried to appeal to Red Vega’s brightness and boost her sense of self-worth.

“It’s all thanks to you, Vega.”

“I didn’t do anything…”

“Just having you by my side gives me so much strength. And didn’t you just say that self-deprecating expressions are not good?”

No matter what he said, it didn’t feel right. No, it shouldn’t feel right.

What he needed to do now was not for his own comfort but to prioritize Baek Ah-hee’s comfort above all else.

Even if the result was a lifetime of discomfort.

“Moreover, Vega, you did do something. You saved me from suicide, both psychologically and physically.”

Han Jae-jung resolved to heal at least a part of her wound during this counseling session.  

The roles of the client and counselor had been reversed.

“Vega, you are a much more precious and special person than you think.”

Click.

As those words ended, the door to the counseling room opened. Inside the spacious room, large enough for the two of them, there were tables and chairs lined up, as well as a blackboard.

Perhaps it was originally a recreation facility.

The wide-open window that showed the sky gave a sense of openness.

The sky was bluer than usual on this clear day.

Something moved within that sky.

Too bright to be called an airplane or helicopter, it could not be called a comet either, as it was defying gravity.

And it was faster than a comet.

It was approaching them.

A celestial light came through the window.

By the time he came to his senses, the mass of light had already filled the window.  

Han Jae-jung instinctively embraced Red Vega and fell backward.

Kwaaaaaang!!!!

The celestial light shattered the window and approached.

An enormous tremor that would mock even an earthquake, and a deafening ringing sound. The long beep signaled the beginning of destruction.

The building collapsed, dropping a piece of rubble on the back of Han Jae-jung’s head.

Puck!

***

Ippotranslation

***

“Ugh… Ugh…”

“Mr. Jae-jung! Mr. Jae-jung!” 

Han Jae-jung regained consciousness at the sound of someone calling out urgently.

What came into his sight was Red Vega.  

She had an injury near her head, and her arm seemed to be fractured, severely swollen.

She was considerably injured, likely from the previous collision.

“Ah…! Mr. Jae-jung, you’re okay…”

“Hurt…”

Han Jae-jung opened his mouth haltingly. He was worried about this girl.

Then he felt it.

There was something strange about the sensations in his body.

Particularly around his abdomen.

[You are in a state of excessive bleeding. Stop the bleeding. Transforming in your current condition risks death.]

At the sound of the belt’s voice, he slowly turned his gaze downward from his chest.

A pipe-like object was pierced through, with blood gushing out like a flood. His legs were crushed under the rubble, twisted at an odd angle.

Transforming at this moment would mean death.

He couldn’t protect this girl.  

This girl was also too injured to confront the villain.

“Young lady.”

The identity of the celestial light that had approached this place.

Libra spoke.

“Step away from there.”

Han Jae-jung realized.  

He understood now.

The meaning behind the violence he had committed then.

Why there was such an urgent need to instill fear.

It was to make her flee, leaving the person destined to die here behind.

T/N: Consider donating, there is only one supporter for this novel and it translation and editing requires funds.

For Every 3$,Ill upload a Bonus chapter within the week.

Anyways… Happy Reading!!!

For Every 3$,Ill upload a Bonus chapter within the week.

Anyways… Happy Reading!!!

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