Chapter 8: Go to Japan to play
When I came to my senses, I was in Lee Hyejinâs arms.
She asked me, her face pale, breathing heavily.
“Huff⌠ha⌠A-are you alright now, AngelâŚ?”
“⌠Yes.”
I could feel her body trembling throughout mine.
What on earth happened? When I tried to recall, my memory was completely cut off.
âWhat is thisâŚ? Did I lose consciousness?â
I tilted my head in confusion, and then someone burst into the test room.
Click-
[ Breaking News ] A 5.8 magnitude earthquake occurred in Seoul.
â Today, around 3:20 PM on the XXth, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake occurred centered in Gangnam, Seoul. Fortunately, human casualties appear to be minimalâŚ
Those gathered for the Angelâs ability test stared at the TV screen with their mouths agape.
“⌠D-did an earthquake just hit all of Seoul?”
“OhâŚ? Did the Angel dislike the test that muchâŚ?”
“Wow⌠I really almost diedâŚ? So thatâs why there were confidentiality clauses and life benefits in the contractâŚ?”
“Did our current situation just air on TV?”
“No? No way. When something like this happens, the screen usually stops immediately.”
“Then, people wonât even know why the earthquake happened, right?”
“Probably not.”
As everyone was relieved to have survived without major injuries, Choi Eunju rushed in and flung the door open.
“Ha, huff⌠Why is the phone acting up⌠Anyway⌠quickly explain the situation.”
“Well⌔
Choi Eunju then heard the full story from the other researchers.
After that, she tilted her head with a doubtful expression and asked again.
“Hmm⌠So youâre saying the Angel couldnât use telekinesis, right?”
“Yes, thatâs right.”
“⌠That doesnât make senseâŚ?”
“But before the telekinesis discussion, the Angel was cooperative.”
“Thatâs right. It was clear at a glance that the Angel was in distress. And seemed flustered, too.”
“⌠Hmm.”
It was truly unbelievable, but all the researchersâ testimonies matched.
Thanks to this, Choi Eunjuâs gaze naturally turned towards the Angel on the other side of the window.
âAn Angel canât use telekinesis? What on earth does that meanâŚ?â
Her mind was now filled with confusion.
So, after staring intently at the Angel for a long time, she eventually muttered softly as if having made a decision.
“This wonât do. I have no choice but to ask directly.”
“What!? Itâs d-dangerous!”
“The Angel is unstable right now!”
“Thatâs right! If you provoke the Angel any further⌔
I could hear everyone behind her exclaiming in horror and trying to stop her, but she had already made up her mind.
There was no hesitation in her steps.
It had been 15 years since she began serious research into the existence of Angels.
She was convinced that the Korean Angel was different from other Angels.
Click.
When she opened the door, the gazes of the Angel and the woman with the name tag âLee Hyejinâ converged.
Of course, the care attendant was outside her range of interest, so her gaze remained fixed on the Angel.
“Hello, Angel? I am Choi Eunju, the director of this research institute.”
“Ah, yes⌠Ah, hello⌔
When she offered her greeting, a soft yet seemingly tired voice replied.
Upon carefully observing the Angel, the Angelâs eyes were moist and reddish, so it seemed true that the Angel had been teary-eyed.
Choi Eunju bit her lip at the sight that stirred her maternal instincts.
Honestly, it was a moment where she almost lost her composure because it was too cute.
“Hoo⌔
She took a deep breath, calmly maintained her sanity, and pulled out the questions she had prepared in her mind.
“Angel, if you donât mind, may I ask you a few questions?”
“⌠Yes.”
“You can comfortably answer only what you wish to.”
“Yes⌔
“First, Angel, can you perhaps not use telekinesis?”
“Yes⌔
At her question, the Angel was seen drooping and bowing their head deeply.
Small hands fidgeting with the hem of clothes were also visible.
ââŚâŚâ
And so, so much.
For her, who had a hobby of collecting cute animal figures⌠No, wait, this isnât it.
“Ahem⌠hmm⌔
Barely regaining her composure, she quickly cleared her throat and continued her questions.
“Were there any elements during this test that made you uncomfortable?”
The Angel, as seen on screen, had looked very psychologically unstable from the start.
Then, as she had suspected, it seemed there was something, as the Angel was seen hesitating and unable to speak easily.
⌠Ugh, cute.
Just one touch of those soft-looking cheeks⌠Ah, no, this isn’t itâŚ!?
She pinched her own thigh to regain focus.
“Gah⌠hmm⌠I-if youâre uncomfortable, should we just move on?”
“Ah, no⌠Itâs, just⌠there were too many people watching⌠It was overwhelming⌔
“⌠People watchingâŚ?”
Choi Eunju immediately looked towards the window at the Angelâs answer.
However, as expected, nothing was visible.
The laboratory window was made of a one-way mirror for the stability of psychologically vulnerable subjects like the Angel.
In other words, it was structured so that only the outside could see in.
Just in case, she carefully asked.
“Can you still see the people outside, perhaps?”
“Yes⌔
Huh? Can see?
She tilted her head, then quickly pulled out a notepad she always carried in her gown and scribbled something.
Possible clairvoyance?
Angels from various countries each possess a unique ability in addition to telekinesis and immortality.
Of course, it wasnât definitively confirmed if it was truly just one, or if all Angels possessed such.
Because not all of them were cooperative beings to that extent.
However, it was confirmed that the abilities they possessed were at least distinct from each other.
But the one who broke that was precisely the Korean Angel.
The Angel before her already had an overlapping ability with the Japanese Angelâs power: âcommunication with animals.â
âBut on top of that, clairvoyance tooâŚ?â
In an instant, Choi Eunjuâs mind was filled with questions.
However, since she couldn’t keep the Angel standing there, she quickly continued her questions.
.
.
.
A moment later, Choi Eunju, left alone in the test room, tapped her notepad with a ballpoint pen.
This was a habit of hers when she was deep in thought, and a lingering uneasy feeling prevented her from leaving the place.
“Hmm⌠What on earth could it be?”
After pondering for a long time, she began to look around the interior of the test room, just in case.
“âŚâŚ!”
Then, surprisingly, something truly became visible.
They were countless knife-like scratches etched into the wall, which she might have missed if she hadnât looked closely.
She bent down and carefully touched them, realizing that the edges were incredibly sharp, sharp enough to cut if handled improperly.
These were definitely not scratches caused by something rubbing against them.
She raised her head again and looked around, and this time she noticed the grotesquely twisted leg of a steel table and the melted and broken filament of a light bulb that had been almost new.
“I thought it was just a power outage⌔
Everything she had just checked were traces completely unrelated to an earthquake.
“âŚâŚ”
She swallowed hard at the dismal sight of the test room, then quickly began to jot down new observations in her notepad.
Whoosh-
“Wow⌔
Having ridden an airplane for the first time in my life, I unconsciously let out a small exclamation of awe.
The sight of just beginning to fly in the sky, visible through the window, was that amazing.
It felt a little funny to be surprised by an airplane even though I had wings, but in any case, the vast expanse of the sky was incredibly beautiful.
By the way, the place I was going now was Japan.
I heard that Choi Eunju had requested cooperation from Japan, the closest country, to learn how to use psychokinesis.
Funnily enough, Japan readily accepted, but the Korean leadership, on the other hand, strongly opposed it.
The reason was concern that I might not return if I went to Japan.
Well, in the end, it somehow came to fruition with Choi Eunjuâs persuasion and my promise to definitely return.
Anyway, everyone is just too interested in meâŚ
What exactly is this âAngelâ that Iâve become, for everyone to be so interested?
My deep and profound ęł ëŻź was soon forgotten as the airplane soared high into the sky.
.
.
.
And so, a little while later.
Arriving at an airport not much different from Korea, I saw an enormous crowd gathered.
I didnât know, but someone next to me told me they were all people who had come to see me.
“Why, why meâŚ?”
Because of that, when I asked, bewildered, Lee Hyejin replied confidently.
“Aw~ Of course, itâs because the Angel is the cutest!”
“âŚâŚ”
I turned my head away subtly, at a loss for words.
This person always gives the same answer anyway, I wondered why I even bothered to ask.
Anyway, we all walked together, and along the way, I saw many posters with drawings that looked like my face.
D-did everyone draw them themselves�
As my gaze met theirs, I heard cheers from those I made eye contact with.
It was a reaction that brought immense shame.
I instantly felt heat rising to my face.
Of course, I knew that what they liked wasn’t the real me, and it wasn’t my real face.
Nevertheless, the embarrassment, enough to make my heart pound, was physiologically unavoidable.
So, although I wasn’t a celebrity, I felt I should at least show some small token of sincerity.
After all, they were all people who had deliberately taken time out to see me.
I gave them a small, awkward smile and tentatively waved my hand.
Then, everyone let out sounds like “Ahhh~” and clutched their hearts.
“âŚâŚ”
It was truly a reaction that went beyond embarrassment to outright shame.
Because of that, my face flushed red, and I quickly hid behind Lee Hyejin, and it seemed even that pleased them, as similar exclamations were heard once more.
âI-I shouldnât have done itâŚ!â
I quickly covered my ears.