Chapter 45
I chuckled as I watched the news.
It seemed like they were getting restless, probably because the situation wasn’t looking too good. And it made sense, considering the chaos in the country.
They must have judged that the news of an A-rank magical girl’s return to Korea could give people some hope.
Well, I wouldn’t say it’s a wrong judgment.
The two A-rank magical girls from Mureung-do won, currently dispatched overseas, had a unique characteristic—they were optimized not for direct combat abilities but for other skills. And among them, one was a perfect counter to Unicorn. It was only natural for the media to spread hopeful stories.
…Magical girls focused solely on special abilities.
Until now, most of the magical girls I had seen were those focused on direct combat. From versatile ones like Reina, Bing Seol Hwa, and Hong-ryeon, to Artilleri, who specialized in long-range attacks, and even Ha-eun, whose output varied depending on the situation but still engaged in direct combat.
However, the two A-rank magical girls from Mureung-do Won both leaned more towards other skills than combat. They would be quite different from what I’d seen so far.
And if the magical girl returning to Korea was the one I thought, she’d likely become a key figure in the fight against Unicorn.
It was the same in the original story. She was the one who enabled them to fight back when only Unicorn held the initiative.
I wasn’t sure how effective she’d be with Unicorn now allied with the New Humanity Association, but at the very least, she could turn the tide of the bleak situation. I didn’t need to worry too much about it.
So, that leaves me with one thing to focus on—Mirinae. The main point of concern in my efforts to deal with Mirinae was the research conducted by its parent company.
If Mirinae had a clear weakness, it was that research carried out by its parent company. A significant vulnerability that could cause even Mirinae to falter. My goal was to find that. But the problem was that I didn’t know where to look.
This was because that scene had never been directly portrayed in “Magical Girls Never Fall.”
To be precise, it had only shown indirect effects, not the actual research.
Because of this, I had no idea how to gather evidence about the research.
For now, I’d planted the seed through Jung Ha-yeon… Bing Seol Hwa. The only thing left was to wait for Jung Ha-yeon while investigating myself.
***
Bing Seol Hwa sat alone in her room, furrowing her brows.
She was examining Mirinae’s financial structure—looking into the flow of funds within Mirinae. After meeting Baek Seung-hyun, she had discreetly investigated and compiled the information.
On the surface, there wasn’t much that seemed suspicious.
But that didn’t mean there was nothing at all.
There were payments made to unknown personnel she wasn’t aware of, and funds coming in from Galaxy Bio that seemed to match those payments perfectly.
What exactly were these people doing? Why was Galaxy Bio providing these funds? Why did they go through Mirinae instead of establishing a direct contract with Galaxy Bio? Her mind swirled with questions.
And above all, had there ever been such a research institute within Galaxy Bio?
In the Galaxy Group, which was Mirinae’s parent company, the bio-industry wasn’t a high priority.
Compared to electronics, trade, or finance, the bio-industry wasn’t considered very important, and, moreover, its technological capabilities weren’t particularly outstanding in the industry.
So, why was Mirinae, one of the most prominent companies under Galaxy Group, getting involved with a company that wasn’t all that important, had limited technology, and low profits? And why did such a research facility exist that even she didn’t know about?
Bio? Why bio? It didn’t make sense. Could this be the strange thing Baek Seung-hyun had mentioned about Mirinae?
If so, it meant that Baek Seung-hyun was likely involved in this somehow, but what could it be? What connection was there?
Bing Seol Hwa pondered deeply, considering her thoughts. But no amount of thinking provided any answers, and she had to make a decision.
It seemed like something was definitely off. She furrowed her brows for a moment, then called someone to instruct them to investigate.
And then, her father summoned her.
***
Sitting across from her father, Bing Seol Hwa furrowed her brows. She didn’t like him much. He was always trying to control her, always cold and scheming. Whenever she looked at him, she felt an inexplicable sense of discomfort.
But that wasn’t important right now. Bing Seol Hwa looked at her father and spoke.
“Why did you call me?”
“Why do you think?”
Silence.
Cautiously, the daughter’s voice came out.
“I’m trying to investigate the data on Mirinae.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
The father and daughter locked eyes. Bing Seol Hwa couldn’t read anything from her father’s gaze. He spoke briefly without any wavering.
“Stop it.”
“Stop what?”
“I’m telling you not to dig into that matter. There’s nothing good to come from it for you.”
“If that’s the case, then tell me what it is. Why are magical girls I thought had left Mirinae now working in a special team I know nothing about?”
Another silence.
Bing Seol Hwa glared at her father. He wasn’t really her father. To be precise, his identity as the head of a large conglomerate and as a man driven by his own desires was far stronger than his identity as a father. He wasn’t the type to answer just because his daughter asked. Yet, Bing Seol Hwa had no choice but to speak.
“I told you. You don’t need to know.”
As expected. Their gazes clashed in the air.
“The fact that you’re being so secretive makes me think there’s definitely something there. I don’t plan to back down until you tell me.”
“If you’re not going to back down, then what will you do? Will you leave the family again, like you did a few years ago?”
“It’s not like I can’t do that.”
It was a bluff. She wasn’t the same person who could throw everything away for the illusion of justice and defy her father. But she put on the bravado without hesitation. Otherwise, her father wouldn’t even listen.
But Bing Seol Hwa failed to realize that her father was a man who could easily see through such bluffing.
“Well, isn’t the situation different now? Where would you go? To your old lover? I don’t think that would be a wise choice. I wonder if he still has any good feelings toward you.”
She felt like she couldn’t breathe.
She recalled Baek Seung-hyun’s cold gaze as he looked at her. It was clear that the reason he had disappeared from her life was because of her father. Whether he was directly involved or at least knew something, he surely had a hand in it.
Bing Seol Hwa glared at her father and spoke.
“It’s all because of you…!”
“No, you’re wrong. I only put things in their proper place. Now, you’re saying you want to go back to the wrong place again, but it’s meaningless. Everything will return to its rightful place eventually. And here you are, still whining like a child.”
Bing Seol Hwa steadied her trembling heart and glared at her father.
“So you think whatever you’re hiding is the right thing to do? What are you so afraid of that you can’t even tell your daughter? What exactly is right about this? I don’t understand.”
Her father responded.
“What is right, you ask? It’s simple. What the powerful desire is what’s right. I have power, and you don’t. Therefore, what I desire is what’s right.”
Crack, ice began to form. Icicles grew, as if they might pierce through her father at any moment.
“I can kill you right now.”
“Go ahead, if you think you can. But I’ll tell you in advance, you won’t. Even if you have the strength to kill me with a flick of your finger, it won’t matter. You won’t wield that power. That’s why you’re weak.”
Bing Seol Hwa gritted her teeth and glared at the man, then withdrew her power. She sprang up from her seat.
“Is that so? Let’s see. I’ll show you what I can do. I’ll prove to you that your attempts to stop me won’t matter.”
Her father quietly closed his eyes as he watched his daughter turn her back and leave the room.
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