Chapter 30 – Magic Boy (8)
“Ugh… A cold? I’m getting chills.”
Since starting my job, changing into a swimsuit has become routine, but a sudden shiver ran down my spine.
Like a vengeful ghost girl glaring at me from behind!
But there was no one there. Instead, beside me,
“Tch! I told you to take care of your health with a competition coming up.”
The swim coach, who covers my food and lodging, clicked his tongue.
“I’m fine, Coach. It’s not enough to affect my performance.”
“We’ll see when we check your competition times.”
“Yes.”
I didn’t bother arguing back.
The results would speak for themselves.
The atmosphere at the pool today was different from regular practice.
“…”
“…”
Swimmers in their suits, with long towels draped over their shoulders, were observing us from the stands.
‘So young.’
Is it because of the geniuses churned out annually by P’s aptitude tests?
Youthful vigor over experience!
And underlying it all was unshakable confidence in their skills. Every one of them wore arrogant expressions and postures.
“They’re the second tier.”
“The university team? Then where’s the first tier?”
“The first tier is off on a luxury cruise for training camp in the Pacific.”
“What…”
A training camp on a luxury cruise?
I was speechless at the stark disparity based on performance.
“We can go there too. First, you need to get into the second tier.”
“But if I join the second tier, will I still have you as my coach?”
“Why? Don’t like me?”
“No misunderstanding. Just curious.”
The coach lightly massaged my shoulders and answered.
“I’ll be with you up to the first tier. If you want to part ways early, become a national team member within a year.”
“Impossible.”
“That’s up to you.”
“…”
I planned to be an athlete for exactly one year until I secured a stable job.
‘I thought the coach wasn’t expecting much…’
It seems his expectations are much higher than I thought.
“No need to feel pressured. Just do as well as you did yesterday.”
“Yes.”
I had no intention of slacking to lower those expectations.
Whatever I start, I do my best!
That’s why the convenience store owner trusted me for so long.
“Here they come.”
The coach gestured with his eyes.
“…Tall.”
Even without measuring, I could see from a distance that their limbs were longer than mine.
And wide palms, perfect for pushing through water like a fish’s fins!
They had physical advantages that even Song Sun-young, whose aptitude was swimming, didn’t have.
“Your opponent.”
“Coach, just looking at their body, I feel like I’m going to lose.”
“You’re not bad either. For a regular person.”
“That’s not comforting at all.”
“Didn’t you say you wanted beef?”
“Oh! I’m suddenly fired up! I’ll do my best!”
“That’s the spirit!”
While I warmed up lightly, the coaches shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.
“Nice weather to get humiliated, huh?”
“Yeah. It’s raining, so no one will notice if you cry. Haha!”
“Tch. Where’d you pick up a scrawny kid who doesn’t even eat properly?”
“Starved him so he can feast tonight.”
“Unbelievable. Can that frail body even finish the race?”
“Worry about your own athlete. I heard they’re notoriously lazy…”
“If you’ve got time to listen to rumors, save up for some tuna sashimi.”
“Whoops! I forgot to bring money since I’m planning to win.”
“You’re not backing out of the bet, are you?”
“Who’s backing out? I said I’m winning.”
“We’ll see when the results come in.”
“Let’s talk after it’s over.”
The coaches’ banter was more thrilling than the athletes’ competition.
***
“Help!”
“Waaah! Mom! Mom!”
“Please, save us!”
Without warning, an entire apartment building froze solid, and people on the streets turned to ice as if plunged into liquid nitrogen.
In the midst of this horrific scene, someone was laughing gleefully…
“Hahaha!”
A silver-haired man, naked except for armor made of ice.
Just as unconventional as his attire, everything he looked at froze solid.
Trees, grass, insects, people…
No living thing remained around him.
“Fire!”
“Shoot!”
Bang bang bang bang—
Unable to approach due to his ability, the police and military fired from a distance to keep him in check.
If he were an ordinary criminal, this overwhelming firepower would have subdued him.
“Haha! Pathetic!”
But the bullets froze and fell to the ground just before hitting him, dealing no effective damage.
They couldn’t exactly fire a missile in the middle of a city, could they?
They were utterly helpless.
“Request backup…!”
“He’s coming!”
“Retreat! Everyone retreat~!”
“Pull back the defensive line!”
All the police and military could do was provoke him and run, like playing tag.
Still, they didn’t think their actions were meaningless.
“Thank you!”
“Gasp! Gasp! I’m alive!”
Because it bought time for civilians to escape.
“Ugh…!”
“Can you move?”
“M-My legs are frozen…”
The damage was snowballing, with far more deaths than injuries.
Though unspoken, they all shared the same thought.
‘When is he coming?!’
‘Why is he so late?!’
Did their pleas finally reach him?
At last, the ‘hero’ arrived.
“Magic Boy, protector of the world and aptitude, has arrived…!”
With a fluttering red cape, Magic Boy descended from the sky.
Boom! Boom!
Without any stage effects, colorful fireworks erupted on either side of him as he landed.
“It’s Magic Boy!”
“We’re saved now!”
“Magic Boy~!”
The civilians, trembling in fear of the indiscriminate attacks by a killer with surreal powers, cheered in relief.
The same went for the soldiers and police, who had to face a monster unscathed by firearms to protect the people’s lives and property.
“Phew!”
“He’s here.”
Driven by a sense of duty fitting their aptitude, they never turned away or fled from crime, but they were human too.
Facing an ‘evil’ unscathed by a shower of dangerous bullets, they couldn’t help but feel despair and search for a god.
And that god had finally arrived.
“No need to worry anymore! Magic Boy is here!”
Not only his appearance but also his voice and speech transformed into that of a child.
As always, Choi Kang-min charged to defeat the villain.
“Magic Boy…!”
The man, with countless experiences(?) of being defeated by Magic Boy, glared at him like a sworn enemy.
Whoosh~!
A blizzard that froze even the air swept in.
“Feels refreshing!”
But Choi Kang-min effortlessly pushed through the attack that had taken countless lives.
“Don’t underestimate me, Magic Boy!”
“I don’t want to.”
“You’re interfering again—Ugh?!”
Crash—!
The man’s ice armor shattered helplessly under the swing of Magic Boy’s wand, used like a blunt weapon……
A single blow.
It was an anticlimactic end for the villain who had plunged the city into terror.
“Magic Boy won!”
“Our hero! Magic Boy!”
“Long live Magic Boy!”
The onlookers from afar cheered for the hero who saved the city.
“Ugh…”
“Quickly blindfold and restrain him!”
“Yes, Officer!”
Instead of executing the defeated killer, they sent him back to prison…
To study his surreal powers and reform villains into public servants devoted to humanity!
But for 20 years, the cycle of escaping, committing crimes, and being caught by Magic Boy repeated.
“Thank you, Magic Boy.”
“No need to thank me! I didn’t do it for gratitude!”
Meeting the scene’s commander, Choi Kang-min responded humbly, with his usual innocent voice.
“But you were a bit late.”
“…”
“I’m not blaming you, but please understand the damage was significant.”
“…”
“There’s been talk lately that you’re often late…”
“…It’s just a rumor!”
Choi Kang-min forced a steady expression as he replied.
“Don’t worry about it. We can’t complain when we’re already receiving one-sided help.”
“…”
What’s with telling him not to worry after saying that?
Choi Kang-min wanted to smash the head of the scene commander.
No—
‘I’ll remember you.’
With the influence of businessman Choi Kang-min, not Magic Boy, taking down a mere civil servant was child’s play.
He could fabricate a crime and ensure a dishonorable discharge with no pension!
“I’m off!”
“Thank you for your service.”
The commander, unaware his career was already over, saluted.
Boom! Bang!
His exit was as flamboyant as his entrance, with fireworks!
But as soon as Choi Kang-min soared into the sky and confirmed no one was watching, he shouted.
“Damn it…! Damn it all…!”
It wasn’t baseless gossip. His recent tardiness was undeniable.
If there was a grand reason for his delays, that’d be one thing, but…
‘What’s the problem?!’
He was noticeably spacing out more often, without any thought.
Magic Boy, who could fly to the other side of the Earth in a second, spacing out?
No one would believe it.
(…Chairman!)
“What!”
Choi Kang-min flinched at the urgent voice of his secretary through the earpiece.
Had he zoned out again?
He hadn’t even noticed.
(Please return quickly. People are starting to get suspicious.)
“…How long was I unresponsive?”
(About five seconds.)
“Got it.”
By the time he responded, he’d already reverted from Magic Boy to businessman Choi Kang-min.
The entire process took just one second.
If he hadn’t spaced out, he’d have returned to the company even faster.
“Chairman, to the meeting room.”
The secretary, used to this, wasn’t surprised and spoke calmly through the device.
“How late am I?”
“Twenty-three seconds.”
“Tch. The impatient shareholders must’ve had a word or two.”
“Indeed.”
Choi Kang-min wasn’t that late.
But in a world where a single second could make or break a deal, it was critical!
The same applied to his work as Magic Boy, saving the world. Cities don’t get destroyed, and people don’t die in mere minutes.
The ‘evil’ he faced were surreal beings specialized in mass destruction!
Every second he was late amplified the damage exponentially.
“There’s growing discontent.”
“Where from?”
“Not the media. We’ve got that under control. Mostly from private websites…”
“What about the cheerleaders?”
The paid supporters who blindly praised Magic Boy!
Though few, their numbers had grown steadily over 20 years, forming an ironclad fanbase.
But…
“The sympathy for victims’ families is spreading, making it tough.”
“Then hire hackers to shut those sites down entirely.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
As he issued orders, Choi Kang-min’s insides burned black.
This controversy wouldn’t exist if he hadn’t been late.
In 20 years, this had never happened, making it all the more frustrating.
‘Why the hell!’
His body was perfectly fine, yet he kept spacing out for seconds at a time. And it was happening more frequently.
He couldn’t pinpoint the cause.
Only,
“Why Kang Moon-soo…”
The face of the man who claimed this world was a dream and that he’d soon die kept resurfacing.
‘No way! Absolutely not!’
Flash!
A glint of madness flickered in Choi Kang-min’s eyes as he denied it.
***
“Match over! The winner is Kang Moon-soo!”
“What? Seriously?”
My aptitude is shaman, yet…
In reality, not a dream, I beat a swimmer.
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