An Exorcist Magical Girl! Chapter 111

It looks like I have one more question to ask my aunt.

 

Did I have a hidden sister?

 

“Now, wait a minute!”

 

The person on the other end of the line was about to hang up, so I held on.

 

If she hangs up now, I’ll be left in the dark, and I’ll only feel bad.

 

“Hey, if you’re really my sister, can you at least tell me your name?”

 

I don’t even want her contact information. She’s the one who called me with a caller ID in the first place.

 

If she doesn’t even give me her name, I’m going to assume it’s just a voicemail and erase it from my memory.

 

—My name?

 

A million things went through my mind in those few seconds waiting for an answer. 

 

I was tempted to ignore it as a prank call, but something about it made me hesitate.

 

“You said you’d see me soon. You sound like you really know me.”

 

In my 18 years of life, I’ve never been told I had a sister.

 

My parents deliberately hid it from me, so why bother? 

 

Besides, even the worst family doesn’t go 18 years without knowing their sister exists, it’s not like it’s some kind of drama.

 

I was tempted to dismiss it as unlikely, but at the same time, I thought that in a family of my size, we could hide the existence of a first-born sibling.

 

I grew up not knowing when my parents’ wedding anniversary was, or how they met, or who had my fetal dreams, or any of those little things.

 

Isn’t it possible that I don’t even know if I have a sister?

 

As my mind raced to the point of wondering if I should get a family tree, I realized another possibility.

This person clearly only mentioned “Father” in the call, so maybe she’s an illegitimate child from my dad’s side of the family, unrelated to my mom. 

 

If it was a half-sister, it was more likely that my aunt didn’t know her.

 

—Well, it’s not fair that I’m the only one who knows your name.

 

“Yeah, well, yeah, it’s not fair.”

 

Actually, it’s freaking creepy and unfair that my number was stolen, so just clear your name. Please.

 

I mentally urged this mysterious woman.

 

In retrospect, I should have hung up right then and there.

 

—My sister is two years younger than me, and you’re so annoying.

 

Huh, annoying? Who would say that? I don’t know if you expect to be treated like a senior citizen, something you haven’t gotten in 18 years. I don’t think I appreciate her constant respectful comments.

 

—Hmm, I don’t want to put words in your mouth, but… Oh yeah. It’s probably breaking news by now. That’s fair enough, right? I get to know your name and contact information, and you get to know my name and face.

 

“What?”

 

─See you later, little sister, but I won’t touch you for Father’s sake.

 

With these words, full of life, the call ended.

 

She stood strangely stiff throughout the call, and at the end she seemed to have stopped trying to hide her negative emotions in her tone.

 

“Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!”

 

I deliberately cursed, even though I knew it would mean nothing but scatter into the air. 

 

I had to scream to calm my heart, which had suddenly gone into overdrive.

 

A woman two years older than me, whose face and name are on the news right now.

 

There was only one person in the news right now, Choi Hee-young.

 

“Haha, crazy. This freakin’ family of…”

 

Who am I going to ask about this? My aunt, who knows nothing 99% of the time? 

 

My father, who is responsible for Choi Hee-young’s existence? 

 

My mom, who can’t do anything about it? 

 

Or my paternal grandmother who passed away three years ago?

 

“Wait, if it’s my dad’s daughter, it should be Baek Hee-young, so why is it Choi? Is this new way to trick me?”

 

But as soon as I said that, I got depressed again when I realized that Hee-young Choi might have taken her mother’s last name.

 

I, who had used the Mirror of Truth skill to find out if Seo Jun was related to a serial killer, was actually related to Choi Hee-young. I couldn’t question Seo Jun.

 

“I’ll check… Damn.”

 

After a long pause, I grabbed my transportation card and got up from my seat.

 

Then I stood in front of the door for another long moment.

 

“Oh no. Maybe I should call the police first.”

 

But what should I say?

 

I think I’ll go see Hee-young Choi right now because she’s my half-sister.

 

I just found out! Oh, did you make an appointment to meet her? No, it’s just a hunch. I told her I’d see her soon, so maybe she’ll show up where I’m going?

 

Ha, shit. If I were a cop, I wouldn’t answer a call like that.

 

I’ll just have to give them the call logs to trace the number.

 

If I told them the truth about the conversation, they wouldn’t take it seriously. 

 

To avoid being treated as a prank call, I decided it would be better to make up a story about Choi Hee-young trying to contact someone and dialing the wrong number.

 

But what’s the point of reporting it? It’s not her phone, so it can’t be traced. It’s probably stolen, a pay phone, or…

 

Yeah, I’d rather confirm its existence with my own eyes and then file a sighting report.

 

I tied the laces of my half-finished shoes.

 

Haha! Seo Jun, Yin Charang, I’m sorry. I called you crazy, and now I’m the one doing the crazy.

 

Better the subway than the bus, I guess.

 

I heard the door lock, thought about waiting for the elevator, and then just walked down the stairs.

 

I don’t even know what I was thinking as I walked to the subway station.

 

***

 

While waiting for the train, I looked up my father’s number in my address book. 

 

My finger hesitated, unable to press the call button.

 

…Close, close, close the door.

 

The screen door was half closed when I heard the announcement and looked up. 

 

Everyone else had boarded, and I was the only one left on the platform.

 

“Ha… Next train, station 4? I’ll only have to wait 10 minutes.”

 

With the forced pause, my rational mind, temporarily paralyzed by the tumultuous situation, returned. 

 

My head began to roll again and I realized how ridiculous I was being.

 

“I’m not going to touch you,” she said, obviously just before hanging up.

 

It was a way of saying that my presence was so unpleasant and intrusive, but that she couldn’t help it because of my father.

 

She said it with a hint of murderous intent, as if she wanted to kill me right now but couldn’t.

 

I should have seen it coming.

 

“My father doesn’t care about me.”

 

If he cared enough about his daughter to make him think he shouldn’t touch me, I wouldn’t be living alone at this age.

 

 Also, if I remember correctly,…

 

I searched the Internet and found every article that mentioned anything about Choi’s family.

 

Her brother died at the gate of City Hall Station last year, and her adoptive parents died in a fire the year before. 

 

Hee-young is 20 years old this year, so her parents died when she was a sophomore in high school. 

 

Yes, that’s right, both her parents died two years ago.

 

Apparently, there was a big fuss when it turned out that Choi Hee-young’s first murder victim was a high school classmate who had stayed with her when her parents died, and she was the forbidden kid who repaid favor with animosity.

 

She lost her parents at a young age, and her only remaining family member, her brother, died at the gate…

 

Was the death of a family member the cause? Hee-young Choi is a psychopath born to an ordinary couple. 

 

She was found to have shown her cruel side since elementary school…

 

Acquaintances of the Choi family, who died two years ago, were horrified to hear that their biological daughter had become a killer…

 

Both of her biological parents died in a fire when she was a junior in high school.

 

That meant she couldn’t be related to me.

 

I was relieved, but my head began to hurt again.

 

“Then what the heck was the “sisters” all about?”

 

I texted the police and made my way up the steps of the station to go home. 

 

I wasn’t sure if the police would take it seriously, but I had done my minimum civilian duty.

 

After all, it’s crazy to go to that apartment complex right now – oh, right. What the hell is she doing, is she already there?

 

Anxiety set in. The gate was just around the corner and I couldn’t wait to get out. 

 

Am I sure I can go home?

 

‘I think you should make some friends,’ Choi Hee-young said.

 

Choi Hee-young’s words echoed in my ears.

 

It was like she was watching me.

 

The list of “friends” was easily narrowed down to three.

 

The magical girl who couldn’t even protect Choi’s brother at the gates of City Hall Station, and the wannabe exorcists who happened to be working at the apartment complex where Choi was arrested.

 

Has she been checking up on me lately, who I’m seeing, who I’m friends with?

 

I wasn’t sure if she meant Narea, whom I had met today, or Seo Jun or Yin Charang, but one thing was for sure: none of them were safe.

 

Who is Choi Hee-young’s arrow aimed at?

 

And this series of thoughts was followed by a constant stream of questions: Why Why me? Why my friends?

 

I changed the line and dialed Seo Jun’s number.

 

“Hello, Seo Jun?”

 

─Hello?

 

“You’re home, right?”

 

─Yes, I’m home.

 

“Are you sure?”

 

─What, you don’t believe me? Do you want me to video call you?

 

“No, thank you. If you have a moment, can you tell Yin Charang to stay home and behave?”

 

─…Yin Charang?

 

“Uh, he’ll only listen if you tell him.”

 

─Yin Charang? My words?

 

“It’s better than me talking to him. He doesn’t listen to me, he just hangs up. If you talk to him, at least he’ll listen.”

 

─Yes. I’ll call him.

 

“Please.”

 

─Ah, back off. You should be careful too.

 

“…Yes.” 

 

I cringed at her gentle concern for my safety because I hadn’t told Seo Jun about Choi Hee-young.

 

I couldn’t tell her that Choi Hee-young had gotten to me first, that she wouldn’t touch me because her “father” cared for me, that I might get into trouble but I wasn’t in danger of losing my life, that it was you who really had to be careful.

 

Because I didn’t know how to tell this story that even I couldn’t believe.

 

Not long ago, I was no different from Seo Jun than I am now.

 

When I’m more or less organized, yes, when I’m organized enough to explain it without rambling, then I’ll tell you, when I’m organized, I’m organized…

 

I had no intention of letting this confused mess sit in my head for days. 

 

This statement had to get to the people in danger as soon as possible.

 

Please, I hope they catch Choi Hee-young before something happens. Please.

 

Choi Hee-young’s voice kept playing in my head.

 

It was the same unpleasant voice I’d heard on the phone, the one that seemed to wrap madness in a false coyness.