It was something she hadn’t expected at all.
After all, that girl lived in Daejeon.
As far as Seoyeon could remember, at this time, the girl’s family had no reason to be in Seoul either.
"Unnie?"
"Huh? Oh, right."
"Why are you standing still?"
Suyeon asked, puzzled. It seemed Seoyeon had been frozen in place for a while. She shook her head and approached the girl, who was also standing stiffly.
"Hello."
"Ah, hello! Wow, you're an actress, right? You’re really an actress!"
"That's right."
"Wow, Suyeon’s unnie is an actress!"
Suyeon puffed her chest out proudly at that comment. Watching her, Seoyeon found it cute, even if she couldn’t help but notice the resemblance between them. It was only natural, since Suyeon had grown up watching her older sister.
"But, what's your name?"
"Yuna, Han Yuna."
A name that was quite similar to her own name from her previous life.
Seoyeon felt a strange sensation and a flood of mixed emotions.
It was as if the name itself tied her back to her past life.
"By any chance, do you have a brother?"
"Huh? No, I don’t."
"I see."
So, Yuna was the eldest. That meant the timing was off in an odd way.
In her previous life, Seoyeon would have been the same age as she was now.
In other words, Yuna had been born much later than her.
"When did you and Suyeon become friends?"
"Ah, I moved here, and I didn’t have any friends at kindergarten."
It seemed that the move had been recent, around the time of Dream Future's fan meeting.
Since they were in Seoul for the event, Yuna's parents must have brought her to the fan meeting because she liked Dream Future.
‘Do kids really watch dramas these days?’
The thought crossed her mind. Or maybe Dream Future had been suitable for younger audiences as well. Either way, it was a curious feeling.
"Well, let’s head back. Where’s your house?"
"It’s..."
Not wanting to leave Yuna alone, Seoyeon decided to walk her home with Suyeon.
Suyeon, feeling proud of herself, gave a double thumbs-up.
"Our Suyeon, isn’t your expression a bit outdated?"
Still, Seoyeon found it adorable and let it slide.
She didn’t ask many questions.
There were plenty she wanted to ask, but she didn't want to be intrusive, nor did she want to disrupt Suyeon’s time with her friend.
Besides, there wasn’t any need to get too involved.
Though some things weighed on her mind, she decided to leave it at that.
‘The move was just a coincidence.’
Yuna’s family moving to Seoul wasn’t anything special.
Her parents must have worked hard after Yuna’s late birth, and her father’s promotion led them to relocate to the main office in Seoul.
There was nothing particularly out of the ordinary.
Yet, something continued to bother Seoyeon—not about Yuna, but about herself.
"Unnie, unnie."
"Hm?"
"Look over there!"
Suyeon tugged at Seoyeon’s sleeve excitedly.
When she turned her head, she saw a small event happening on the street.
It seemed to be some kind of children’s animation event.
"Harara, Harara!"
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"Harara?"
The name was so odd it was hard to describe.
But it was easy to pronounce, making it memorable.
"Yeah, it’s Magical Girl Harara. That’s the cartoon Suyeon’s been watching lately."
Seoyeon glanced at the giant penguin and the blue-haired magical girl standing beside it.
‘Why a penguin, though?’
The name was unusual, but the combination was even more peculiar.
A penguin and a magical girl. Whoever came up with it certainly made it stand out.
It seemed to be quite popular among kids, given the crowd of children and parents gathered at the event, not just Suyeon.
‘They must have put a lot of effort into this event.’
There was even a stage set up.
The event was simple: kids would reenact scenes from the anime with their parents, and then hit a game console with a foam hammer to score points and win prizes.
Naturally, the kids would be the ones swinging the hammer.
If adults had been allowed, it would’ve been fathers lining up to play.
Since kids don’t have a significant strength difference between genders, it was a fair competition.
"Unnie."
"Hm?"
Lost in thought, Seoyeon suddenly noticed Suyeon tugging at her sleeve again.
She looked up to see Suyeon staring at her with pleading eyes.
It was the unmistakable look of a child asking for something.
Seoyeon immediately understood what that look meant.
‘She wants to participate?’
Seoyeon felt an overwhelming urge to turn around and leave.
After all, this event involved reenacting scenes from a children’s anime.
The roles of villain and magical girl were split between the kids and their parents.
‘I-I can’t do that.’
When she was younger, she would’ve jumped at the chance.
Back then, Seoyeon had been an utterly fearless and shameless girl, unbothered by anything. Her ability to suppress emotions had made her invincible.
But not now.
Now, she could actually feel embarrassment. Really!
‘And if I do this, people will definitely...’
She knew for sure.
With so many people around, if she went on stage with her sister to act, someone would film it, and it would end up online.
She had already gone out of her way to wear sunglasses and a hat to disguise herself, but if she started acting, she’d have to take them off.
After The Chaser, her popularity had skyrocketed, and with her roles in Dream Future and Sky Garden, her public recognition was incredibly high.
Especially since the main audience of Sky Garden was young women.
Many of the young mothers here fit that demographic perfectly.
"...You’re not going to do it?"
"..."
"The magical girl they're giving out as a prize is the one Yuna really likes."
It seemed like there was more than one transformation for Harara.
The main character alone had fifteen transformation forms, and when you included the other magical girls, there were dozens.
‘Doesn’t that mean they have a different transformation every episode?’
It reminded Seoyeon of the Pinipins she had watched as a child.
The fact that there was a transformation guidebook for Harara showed that the other magical girls had more than one transformation as well.
A whole army of magical girls designed to empty parents’ wallets.
And the prize they were giving out was a figure of Yuna’s favorite magical girl, Inana, in her transformed form.
"..."
Yuna looked at Seoyeon with hopeful eyes.
Even Suyeon was hoping to give the prize to Yuna instead of keeping it for herself.
"Alright, fine."
Seoyeon shut her eyes tightly.
There was no way she could win against her fan, Yuna, and her little sister’s request.
Jin Yeongyeon, the host for today’s children’s event, smiled as he watched the excited kids and the slightly flustered parents.
He didn’t make much money from hosting events like this.
But it didn’t matter.
He wasn’t a professional MC, after all. In fact, he was a YouTuber who reviewed children’s toys.
Because of his background as a YouTuber, he had been invited to host this event, so the money wasn’t a big concern.
He simply enjoyed seeing parents and kids having fun together.
‘Looks like the promotion is going well.’
As someone who reviewed the latest Harara magic wands and magical girl sets, he knew how to showcase them well.
Thanks to his perfect reviews, kids had begged their parents to come, and the parents had reluctantly agreed.
Modern children’s toys were expensive, but if you could win one for free by meeting a few event conditions, there was no reason not to participate.
Two hours into the event, there was just one hour left to go.
"Next up, please!"
Yeongyeon called out, and a woman in the front row raised her hand high.
Her appearance immediately caught his attention.
She was wearing sunglasses, a mask, and a hat.
If not for the two girls excitedly raising their hands beside her, and the fact that this was an event venue, she would’ve seemed very suspicious.
Her outfit drew attention, and curiosity arose.
"Alright, could the lady with the sunglasses please come up?"
At his invitation, the woman flinched but led the two girls up to the stage.
Her appearance was undeniably strange.
It wasn’t just Yeongyeon who noticed.
The crowd’s attention immediately focused on the three of them as they stepped onto the stage.
"What’s your name, little one?"
"Suyeon! Joo Suyeon!!"
Suyeon proudly puffed up her chest and spoke boldly, and for a moment, there was a stir among the audience.
Yeongyeon was a bit taken aback.
The moment Suyeon introduced herself, the crowd began murmuring.
One of the event staff rushed over to Yeongyeon’s side and whispered in his ear.
"That’s the kid from Golden Duckling! The one who appeared with actress Joo Seoyeon!"
"What?"
"Yeah! She was on the show as Joo Seoyeon’s younger sister!"
Yeongyeon didn’t watch much TV, sticking mostly to YouTube for content.
He wasn’t very familiar with variety shows, but he knew of Golden Duckling, a show that revealed the lives of young celebrities and their families.
So, that meant...
‘She’s the sister of an actress?’
Yeongyeon swallowed nervously.
Then, the woman’s identity started to click into place.
The murmuring crowd’s attention shifted entirely to the woman on stage.
"Um, have you seen the event guide? We’ll be reenacting a scene from Harara. You can choose from these options."
"Option three!"
Without hesitation, Suyeon chose the third option.
It wasn’t surprising; the third option was the easiest one.
It was a scene where Harara battles a villain.
All they had to do was recite a few lines and finish with the magical girl’s signature move.
"Great choice! Here’s the magic wand..."
As Yeongyeon handed over the Harara magic wand, Suyeon stopped him with her hand.
"Huh?"
"I want to be the villain."
"...?"
"I like the villain, Zeroro!"
Wait, what?
Yeongyeon was stunned.
Kids usually chose to be the magical girl, because they’re the hero, and they’re pretty.
Of course, Zeroro was a cute villain with black hair, red eyes, and a cat-like charm.
She was popular enough to have her own merchandise, but still... choosing the villain at an event like this?
‘Hold on, then...’
Yeongyeon turned to look at the other person on stage.
The woman in sunglasses was clearly frozen in place.
It seemed she had just realized what was about to happen.
"Since you’ll be acting, could you please take off your mask and sunglasses?"
"..."
She hesitated for a moment, but only briefly.
Slowly, she removed her sunglasses and mask, and for a moment, the murmuring crowd went silent.
Then,
"Wait, is that Joo Seoyeon?"
"It is! That’s Joo Seoyeon from Golden Duckling!"
"Mom, who is that?"
"She’s an actress, honey."
The crowd erupted.
Who would have expected an actress to show up at a children’s event like this?
Most stars would buy the toys, not participate in events.
The event organizers were beaming with joy.
‘This promotion is a hit.’
They hadn’t paid a dime, and a celebrity had walked right into their event.
Of course, some people wondered if she had been paid to appear.
‘It doesn’t matter.’
‘The prizes aren’t based on rank anyway.’
As long as the event conditions were met, everyone got a prize.
"So, you’re the older sister?"
"...Yes."
"Here’s the magic wand. Have you watched Magical Girl Harara before?"
"I just... saw it."
Seoyeon had quickly watched the event’s demo video on YouTube before coming on stage.
She gripped the wand with trembling hands.
This might have been the most embarrassed she had ever felt in her life.
She had never been shy about her acting, but right now, she could hardly bear it.
The shame!
It wasn’t an emotion she usually struggled with, but today, it hit her like a tidal wave.
"Wow!! Magical girl unnie!!"
Completely unaware of Seoyeon’s feelings, Suyeon, now dressed as the villain Zeroro, raised her arms high with a huge grin.
Yuna, standing beside her, clapped excitedly, her eyes sparkling.
‘Unnie always plays the bad guy, so it’s time for her to be the hero.’
In a way, this was Suyeon’s way of looking out for her sister.
Although, she did like Zeroro more.
"Okay, now let’s say our lines together. Harara, Harara~."
"H-Harara, Harara..."
"Louder! Harara~ Hararara~!"
"H-Harara, Harara!!"
Thanks to the presence of a celebrity, Yeongyeon’s enthusiasm was at 200%.
He went all out, fully acting out Harara’s lines and transformation moves!
As an actress, Seoyeon thought she should be giving a top-notch performance.
But in this moment, for the first time in her life, she could think of nothing at all.
She just squeezed her eyes shut and...
"M-Magical Girl Harara~!!"
Waving the shining magic wand with all her might.
Thanks to her spirited performance and Suyeon’s excellent hammer strike, they not only met the goal but exceeded it.
Yuna walked away with her beloved magical girl toy.
Thank goodness.
"Thank you, actress unnie!!"
"Y-yeah..."
Yuna, clutching the magical girl Inana toy, beamed with joy.
‘...I guess this is okay.’
No one filmed it, right?
It was awkward meeting Yuna like this, so maybe it was for the best.
"Unnie, since Yuna’s birthday was just recently, can we consider this a birthday present?"
"Huh? Yuna, when’s your birthday?"
"June 8th!"
Suyeon answered on her behalf.
June 8th.
Seoyeon furrowed her brows slightly at the date.
It was the same as her birthday in her previous life.
"This is a gift from the actress unnie, so I’ll cherish it! I’ll think of you every time I play with it!"
"Y-yeah... right."
Seoyeon hoped she wouldn’t shake it too much, but then quickly remembered something she had forgotten.
"By the way, meeting me today is a secret from your mom, okay?"
"Huh? Why?"
"Uh, well... because unnie being a magical girl is a secret."
Not wanting to admit her embarrassment, she used that excuse.
Yuna blinked, then smiled brightly.
"Okay!"
Hopefully, even if someone filmed it, Yuna wouldn’t be in the video.
As long as Yuna kept quiet, her mom wouldn’t find out.
That was what Seoyeon thought, anyway.
At least, until the short video of Seoyeon’s entire performance went viral and hit 3 million views.
Thankfully, Yuna wasn’t in it.
But Seoyeon would have to buy a new blanket for all the sleepless nights she’d spend thinking about it.