I Became a Magical Girl In a Harem Manga

"Ha-Yeon, what's wrong?"

Jung Ha-Yeon had called me over to her house.

She lives right next door, but now that I think about it, she’s been to my house plenty of times, whereas I’ve never been to hers.

As I asked her, I looked around the house. Everything was neatly organized, with only the necessary furniture arranged efficiently. It reflected Ha-Yeon’s meticulous personality.

"Actually, it’s nothing serious. I just wanted to see you, Ms. Hye-Rim."

"...You're really straightforward, huh?"

"That’s how I decided to be. And... I just had a feeling that I absolutely had to call you right now."

Ha-Yeon turned her head for a moment, her expression suddenly turning cold.

"What?"

"Ahem. Nothing. More importantly, do you not like that I called you over like this? I didn’t interrupt you while you were busy, did I?"

"It’s not that."

"Really? Then..."

Ha-Yeon took my hand and stepped behind me.

"Does that mean you’re okay with it?"

She held one of my hands while wrapping her other arm around my waist. When she pressed her face against the nape of my neck, it tickled, making goosebumps on my skin.

"That kind of black-and-white logic is unfair."

"But I just really wanted to hear you say you’re okay with it."

"......"

She has been so aggressive since she confessed her feelings to me.

Not that I dislike it. Of course, I like it. My most beloved person in the world is telling me she likes me—how could I hate that?

But right now, I just want to set aside thoughts of romance for a bit, so I have no choice but to push back.

"Ha-Yeon, if you keep coming at me like this, my heart’s gonna feel unsettled—Whoa?!"

"Heh."

Ha-Yeon pulled me onto the couch with her. As a result, I ended up sitting on her lap, with her arms wrapped tightly around my waist as if she had no intention of letting me go.

"Do you hate it?"

She whispered right into my ear, her deep voice sending a shiver through me.

"I told you, I don’t hate it..."

"Then, do you like it?"

Smooch.

She lightly kissed my earlobe before asking again. Her intentions were painfully obvious.

I had no choice but to give her the answer she wanted.

"Y-yeah, I like it."

Barely managing to force out a tiny, trembling voice, I kept my head down in embarrassment.

My face felt like it was burning. If I looked in a mirror right now, I was sure I’d see my face as red as a tomato.

I squeezed my eyes shut in shame as Ha-Yeon gently stroked my hair.

"I like it too."

"...Was this really why you called me over?"

"Of course. I missed you, Ms. Hye-Rim."

She casually explained that we didn’t get much time together during the weekdays, so she wanted to make up for it over the weekend.

The way she said it so confidently left me unable to argue back. I just let myself relax and accepted her affectionate touch.

...From the outside, it totally looks like I’m her personal comfort doll, doesn’t it?

"By the way, when I called you earlier, it sounded like you were outside. Where were you?"

"I went to a café for a bit. I had a meeting about a shoot."

"A shoot?"

Ha-Yeon’s voice filled with curiosity.

"Are you going on a broadcast, Hye-Rim?"

"Yeah, it’s a reality-style show. They want to film what my division does, with me as the focal point."

"Hmm? Really? Well, I guess that makes sense. The public doesn’t really see much of your division. Firefighters and police officers appear on TV sometimes, but not you guys."

"Yeah, the producers just want to use my popularity to boost ratings. You’re a hero too, so you know how TV stations thrive on dopamine."

"Pfft. That’s true."

Since Ha-Yeon is a hero, she’s probably gotten plenty of interview and filming requests. She must know that their interest in me is purely for ratings.

When I explained my team’s work earlier, I could see how the producer and writer’s eyes lit up—it was obvious.

"But usually, when they put non-celebrities on TV, don’t they pair them with entertainers?"

"Yeah. So I agreed to that too."

"Oh? Who are you filming with?"

"You know her well. It’s Alice."

"...What did you just say?"

Why does it feel like the temperature just dropped?

And why do I feel her arms tighten around me all of a sudden?

"Alice is going to be filming with you?"

"Yeah. She’s already famous, which guarantees ratings. Plus, she’s my friend and has worked with my division before. She was the perfect choice."

"Hmm~? I see. So, were you with Alice just before you came here?"

"Yeah. We were just talking about going out for drinks until you called."

"Nice."

"...Huh?"

"Nothing. More importantly, aren’t you nervous about the shoot?"

I answered as I had to Alice earlier: not really.

My only concern was whether my teammates would be too self-conscious around the cameras.

"That’s a good mindset. You’re at your best when you’re just being yourself, so you should show that."

"That’s the plan, but... Ha-Yeon? When are you going to let go of me?"

"Hmm? Can’t we just stay like this all day?"

"...Until nighttime?"

"Until nighttime."

"Even when we sleep?"

"Even when we sleep."

Oh, come on, this girl.

"You still have to go home to sleep. I want a quiet weekend."

"...I see. That’s disappointing, but if that’s what you want, I’ll respect it."

I knew it. The look in her eyes tells me she’s up to something.

If I’m not careful, I might not be able to recover my energy for tomorrow. And I have to start filming right away on Monday.

"Alright then, how about you let me go now?"

"...Just a little longer."

Ha-Yeon leaned her chin on my shoulder, pouting like a child.

It was annoying, but also kind of adorable, so I couldn’t bring myself to refuse her.

I can’t help it. What am I supposed to do when I’m her biggest fan?

***

Monday.

As soon as I got to work, I casually glanced at the cameras set up in the office.

Yesterday, I met with the writer, Oh Hamin, again to discuss the filming details.

I thought a reality show would just capture us naturally, but nope. There was a rough script, and we had to work within that framework.

I took my seat and observed my team.

As usual, Park Oh-Jin was calmly drinking his iced Americano.

On the other hand, Shin Yu-Sung, who never did the paperwork, was suddenly organizing files—he even put on a bit of makeup, clearly wanting to look good on camera.

Lee So-Young was grinning, looking way too excited—probably just happy to be on TV.

And lastly, Yoo Seo-Eun looked stiff and nervous. She kept glancing at the cameras, clearly conscious of them.

I’ll have to reassure her later.

"Hey guys, everyone’s here? Nothing much going on today, right?"

I started casually, setting up for the scripted conversation.

"Yes, Team Leader. Nothing has happened yet."

"Good. It would be nice if nothing ever happened."

"Haha, I agree."

After a brief joke, I got straight to the point.

"A new recruit is joining our team starting today."

"A recruit? Really?"

Shin Yu-Sung, who had already heard everything, feigned ignorance and asked with interest.

"It's pretty quick for a new recruit to join after Seo-Eun came in."

"Yeah. And it looks like they've just arrived outside. Come in."

At my signal, Alice, who had been waiting outside, walked into the office with a bright smile.

"Hello, everyone~!"

With a dazzling smile polished from years of broadcasting experience, Alice greeted us. Just looking at her adorable voice and beautiful face made it impossible not to smile.

"I'm Alice, and I'll be joining Team 5 for a while! I may be lacking, but please take care of me!"

"Oh, what an incredibly cute recruit! Is our office finally going to have a brighter atmosphere?"

Shin Yu-Sung said cheerfully. That wasn’t in the script. He must have said it purely from the heart.

"Yu-Sung, what do you mean by that? Are you saying our team’s atmosphere wasn’t bright before?"

"A-ah, no, Team Leader! That’s not what I meant."

"I see, I see. I must not have been taking good care of you all. From now on, I’ll make sure to do better. Feel free to invite me out on weekends, too."

"I'm sorry. That won’t be necessary."

"Yu-Sung, don’t drag me into this mess."

Lee So-Young scolded Shin Yu-Sung, clearly alarmed.

As lighthearted jokes were exchanged, I moved next to Alice and spoke.

"Alice will be working hard with our team for a short time. It’s not long, but let’s take good care of her. Got it? Now, Alice, go ahead and introduce yourself to everyone."

"Yes!"

Alice answered brightly and began shaking hands with the team members.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Park Oh-Jin, the deputy team leader of Team 5."

"Yes, Deputy Team Leader! Please take care of me!"

"I'm Shin Yu-Sung. If there's anything you don't know, feel free to ask me."

"Got it! I still have a lot to learn, so I'll be asking many questions!"

"I'm Lee So-Young! When you call me, make sure to say ‘sunbae’!"

"Yes, So-Young-sunbae!"

"Wow, such a cute girl just called me ‘sunbae’! I'm so happy!"

Taking advantage of the broadcast to indulge in her own interests, Lee So-Young exchanged greetings with Alice. Finally, Alice approached Yoo Seo-Eun.

With a stiff expression, Yoo Seo-Eun extended her hand.

"I'm Yoo Seo-Eun. Nice to meet you."

Yoo Seo-Eun spoke curtly. In response, Alice gave her an even brighter smile and took her hand.

"Nice to meet you too, unnie."

"...Unnie?"

T/L note: one more chapter after this