I Became a Magical Girl In a Harem Manga

It’s been a long time since I felt my brain freeze. I couldn’t say a word.

Jung Ha-Yeon doesn’t like Shin Chul-Min? That is just impossible.

The original comic was a romantic comedy, where the emotions of the protagonist and the heroine drove the story. But now, a romantic comedy with a protagonist but no heroine?

Does such a thing even exist?

"Hold on a second. I’m really confused here, but you said you have someone you like, right? And that person isn’t Shin Chul-Min?"

"......It seems you really don’t know?"

"......"

I was left speechless by Jung Ha-Yeon, who spoke as if I was clueless.

My heart trembled with fear. If she does not like Shin Chul-Min, then who is it? Are there any other decent guys among the heroes?

The plot has strayed far too far from the original. I have to figure out who Jung Ha-Yeon likes.

Which thief... no, which charming person has stolen the heart of my favorite heroine?

"Could you, maybe, tell me who you like?"

"......"

Jung Ha-Yeon didn’t answer my question and just glared at me with her arms crossed.

Her gaze was cold, even icy. This was the first time she’d ever looked at me like this, and for some reason, it hurt my heart.

"Ms. Hye-Rim, don’t go around thinking you're perceptive from now on."

"No, wait..."

"I thought your usual antics were like those of a cunning fox, but it turns out you’re just a turtle. No, maybe you’re subconsciously a fox?"

Jung Ha-Yeon muttered something incomprehensible, sighed, and then spoke again.

"I’m not going to tell you who I like. I think you should figure it out on your own."

"...So, um."

She seemed mad. Was it really that bad that I couldn’t guess who she liked? Or maybe she hated the thought that she liked Shin Chul-Min that much.

I really don’t understand women.

The awkward silence lasted until we returned from the convenience store.

It was the first time I’d ever been angry at Hye-Rim.

She’d taken my heart so thoroughly and yet... despite teasing me like she knew everything about me, she hadn’t even understood my feelings.

"Honestly, Ms. Hye-Rim went too far."

I like Ms. Hye-Rim. Yet here she was, completely misunderstanding. Does she think that I liked Shin Chul-Min instead?

Does that mean she’s been watching me and Shin Chul-Min all this time, thinking it was some kind of romantic tension? Was I not even considered a potential partner in her mind?

To be disregarded when I hadn’t expected to be at that stage yet—that was saddening.

This isn’t good. As far as I know, there are, at least, two people who like Ms. Hye-Rim. There might be more people who harbor feelings for someone as great as Ms. Hye-Rim,

"I could lose without even competing."

I can see it now—Ms. Hye-Rim, happily with someone else, while I stand off in the distance, wiping away tears, unable to do anything.

I don’t want that. I hate that even just imagining it. I don’t want to be the tragic heroine in this story.

What should I do, then? What can I do to get Ms. Hye-Rim to notice me?

Should I just confess my feelings directly?

...That’s terrifying.

Even if I were to confess, I don’t think Ms. Hye-Rim would accept my feelings. She’s never seemed interested in romance.

"Love is really difficult."

This is the first time I’ve ever felt something like this. I have no idea how to manage these emotions. If it were about defeating a monster, I’d know what to do, but conveying emotions to someone you like… I’m so clumsy at it.

I’d like to ask my friends for advice, but the only close friends I have are Mi-Na and Yun-Seo. Mi-Na, like me, is indifferent to romance, and Yun-Seo... well, it’s better not to talk to her.

Yun-Seo’s advice wouldn’t be serious. She’d probably just enjoy watching me struggle.

"...What do I do?"

After parting ways with Jung Ha-Yeon and returning home, I couldn’t sleep. I had no idea what to do next.

I stayed up most of the night and headed to work in the morning.

As I left the house with Yoo Seo-Eun, we ran into Jung Ha-Yeon, who had just stepped out of the neighboring apartment.

"Oh, hello to both of you!"

"Yeah, hello."

"...Hi."

Jung Ha-Yeon greeted us, and Seo-Eun and I waved back. I was still uneasy and exhausted from staying up all night, so my response was sluggish.

"Do you always leave for work around this time? We seem to leave around the same time."

"Yeah, usually around this time."

"I see. Well, from now on, I’ll walk with you to the station in the mornings."

Jung Ha-Yeon smiled brightly and started walking beside me.

On any other day, we’d probably make small talk or chat, but today, I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. After walking in silence to the station and parting ways with Jung Ha-Yeon, Seo-Eun, who had been biting her lip for a while, finally asked, "I’ve been curious since yesterday. You’ve been acting weird ever since you came back with Ha-Yeon yesterday. Did something happen?"

"...No, nothing happened."

"Really? Hmm, it doesn’t seem like nothing. You stayed up all night, didn’t you?"

"How do you know I stayed up?"

Unlike me, Seo-Eun slept soundly.

"I woke up briefly in the middle of the night and saw you weren’t sleeping. I figured you just couldn’t fall asleep."

Oh, she had woken up for a moment.

Normally, I’d notice such a small change, but I must’ve been too distressed to pay attention.

And honestly, I’m still not in the best mood.

"Come on, tell me. What’s bothering you? I’m worried."

"...Next time. I don’t feel like talking about it right now."

"...Okay, fine."

Seeing that I didn’t want to talk, Seo-Eun didn’t press further.

This is a deeply personal dilemma, not something I can easily share with others. If I told Seo-Eun that I was losing my mind because Jung Ha-Yeon likes someone other than who I thought, she’d probably think I was being ridiculous.

Who cares who someone else likes, right? That’s what most people would think.

The problem is that the plot I knew from the original story has completely derailed, and I have no idea what will happen next.

My stocks are crashing, and my investments are at the risk of going bankrupt!

But maybe the other heroines still like Shin Chul-Min?

The plot hasn’t completely gone off the rails yet. Alice and Baek Shin-Hwa were also among the heroines. Surely those two still like Shin Chul-Min.

The protagonist and the heroine need a bond for everyone to grow. If the other heroines don’t like Shin Chul-Min either...

"Should I just jump into the Han River?"

"Huh? Hye-Rim, what are you talking about?"

It’s like watching my entire investment disintegrate into thin air.

"So, Ms. Ha-Yeon, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Baek Shin-Hwa asked, sipping her coffee.

Jung Ha-Yeon had approached her with such a serious face, saying she needed advice, so Baek Shin-Hwa agreed to listen.

"Well, this is my first time seeking advice like this, so I’m not really sure how to start... but you seem like you’d be good with this kind of thing, so I came to you."

"This kind of thing? What’s troubling you?"

"It’s... about romance."

"Pfft!"

Baek Shin-Hwa spat out her coffee.

"Cough, cough!"

"Oh no! Are you okay?"

"Yeah... cough! I’m fine. But romance advice? Ms. Ha-Yeon, do you have someone you like?"

"...Yes, I do."

Jung Ha-Yeon answered, blushing slightly, and Shin-Hwa was surprised. At least from her perspective, Jung Ha-Yeon didn’t seem interested in romance.

She was beautiful and popular, but romance always seemed the furthest thing from her mind.

"Well, I get it. You need some romance advice. But... why me?"

"I thought you’d have a lot of experience in love."

"Me?"

"Isn’t that right?"

Jung Ha-Yeon had picked Baek Shin-Hwa as her advisor for a simple reason. Of all the people she knew, Baek Shin-Hwa was beautiful and confident, so Jung Ha-Yeon assumed she had plenty of experience in romance.

"Oh, no, no. I’m practically a love master! Plenty of men have fallen for me!"

But Jung Ha-Yeon didn’t know one crucial fact.

Baek Shin-Hwa—she too, in her 23 years of life, had never been in a romantic relationship. In other words, she was exactly the same as Jung Ha-Yeon.

But there was also something Jung Ha-Yeon didn’t quite realize: Baek Shin-Hwa had more pride than she thought.

After all, Jung Ha-Yeon had chosen her for love advice, so there was no way she could admit that she, too, was a complete novice in romance. That was simply impossible.

"You’ve made a very wise choice in coming to me. With my advice, your love life will surely succeed."

"Really? You’re certain?"

"......Well, maybe not certain, but I can definitely be of some help."

Baek Shin-Hwa, sweating nervously, barely managed to respond.

While Jung Ha-Yeon’s face lit up with a bright smile, inside, Baek Shin-Hwa was falling apart.

"But, anyway, who’s the person you like? He must be quite special to have captured your heart."

"Ah, well... It’s not a man."

"What?"

"The person I like... is a woman."

"......"

Once again, Baek Shin-Hwa was at a loss for words.

The person she liked wasn’t a man, but a woman? This was her first time giving love advice, and now she had to deal with something this complicated? Oh heavens, why are you giving me such trials?

Baek Shin-Hwa suppressed the urge to run away right then and there and spoke.

"I-I see. So, Ha-Yeon, you’re in love with a woman?"

"......Is that strange?"

"No! Not at all! Whoever you like is entirely your choice. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with same-sex love."

Baek Shin-Hwa cleared her throat and asked the question she was most curious about.

"So, who’s the person you have feelings for? Do I know them?"

"Yes. It’s Ms. Hye-Rim."

".........What?"

And at that moment, she nearly choked again.

"Ms. Hye-Rim? Do you mean Shin Hye-Rim from the Department of Special Operations, Team 5 Leader?"

"Yes. I’m in love with her."

"......"

Baek Shin-Hwa, an A-rank hero, was now certain that this was the hardest moment of her entire hero career.

'Maybe I should just confess everything and run away right now.'

T/N: let the romance begin