I Became a Magical Girl In a Harem Manga

"Uh, how can I win Ms. Hye-Rim\'s heart?"

Looking into the eyes of this desperate woman, I swallow those words deep into my throat.

So, Ms. Ha-Yeon likes Ms. Hye-Rim...

Of course, I could tell that Ms. Ha-Yeon trusted and relied on Ms. Hye-Rim, but I always saw it as the admiration of a junior for a senior, nothing more. But to think those feelings were romantic?

I feel dizzy. It\'s not that I have an issue with her liking a woman. Sure, same-sex relationships aren\'t common, but I don\'t think they\'re weird. The problem is that the person she likes is Ms. Hye-Rim.

How to win Ms. Hye-Rim\'s heart? I wish I knew. Maybe then, I could feel more at ease around her.

"Ms. Baek Shin-Hwa, how did you appeal to your partners when you were in a relationship?"

"W-What?! Oh, well... I never confessed first. The other person always confessed to me."

"Oh, I see. That makes sense."

"..."

My heart aches. Lying to this pure-hearted woman comes so easily, and the fact that I\'m lying to boost my own self-esteem? I even amaze myself.

I racked my brain, trying to find a way out of this situation. I feel like I could spin any story I want, seeing those pleading eyes.

"Ms. Ha-Yeon, I think Ms. Hye-Rim is strong on the outside but soft on the inside... you know, like a person who is tough but gentle at heart."

"Ms. Hye-Rim? Tough but gentle at heart?"

"Yes. No one can always be strong, not even Ms. Hye-Rim. She\'s still a woman, after all. There must be times when she feels troubled, even if no one sees it."

What am I even saying right now? Even I have no idea.

Ms. Hye-Rim? Showing weakness? Haha, I can’t even imagine it. How could someone who can keep a blank face while beating someone to a pulp be soft-hearted? She\'s just tough inside and out.

"When she does show that vulnerable side, that\'s when you should step in. Be the person who\'s always there when Ms. Hye-Rim feels lonely. Someone like her would want a partner like that."

"I see. Someone who stays by her side when she\'s struggling..."

"Exactly, like a married couple, right?"

"A-A married couple? I wasn’t thinking that far ahead!"

Ms. Ha-Yeon blushed and looked down at the mention of the word "marriage."

Is she imagining being married to Ms. Hye-Rim just from hearing the word? How can someone be so innocent?

It feels like I’m watching a school romance unfold. That’s how pure this magical girl appears.

I really want to help especially if she loves Ms. Hye-Rim this sincerely, but all I can offer are lies and advice based on nothing.

I\'ve become a terrible adult.

"Ahem! Anyway, there’s no special trick to it. Just be there for her, and slowly, over time, let your presence become a part of her life. Eventually, she’ll start seeing you differently."

"Got it. Then I guess what I’m doing now is on the right track."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, well..."

Ms. Ha-Yeon smiled brightly as she continued, having regained her composure.

"I thought the same thing: that being close to Ms. Hye-Rim as much as possible is the key. So, I moved in next door to her."

"...What?"

"I found her address by sending her a gift and used it to move into the apartment next to hers. Right now, Ms. Seo-Eun is living with her, but Ms. Seo-Eun will be moving out soon, and then I’ll be the only one by Ms. Hye-Rim\'s side."

"...What?"

What am I even hearing right now?

"With your advice, I’ll get even closer to Ms. Hye-Rim."

"...Sure, go ahead."

I watched blankly as Ms. Ha-Yeon walked away. Too much information, combined with an eerie fear from her smiling face, left me at a loss for how to react.

Is this what a crazed look from a seemingly innocent person is like? What does love even do to people?

"I wish I knew."

It felt like the perfect time for a drink, not coffee.

"So, what is it you wanted to talk about?"

At Lunchtime, I called Shin Yu-Sung to a café. I needed to ask him something personal.

"Yu-Sung, before we start, let me ask you one thing."

"What is it?"

"How many girlfriends have you had so far?"

"About ten... Wait, why are you asking this all of a sudden?"

"Wow, over ten by your age? Were you dating multiple people at once?"

"No, that’s just counting from when I was young."

"Even so, I remember you not dating anyone for very long. You’ve had four different girlfriends in the time I’ve worked with you. You break up and then have a new girlfriend within a week! Wow, our Yu-Sung is quite the catch."

"...So, what do you want to talk about?"

Yu-Sung sulked as he sipped his coffee. I hesitated, unsure of how to bring up the topic.

"Well... it’s about someone I know."

"...Someone you know?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm, I see. Go on."

"I don’t really understand love or relationships, but don’t most people end up falling for someone they’ve spent a lot of time with?"

"Not always, but it happens often, yes."

I was talking about Jung Ha-Yeon.

I had assumed she liked Shin Chul-Min, but I was wrong.

This means all the events from the original storyline, where she and Chul-Min start caring for each other while working as heroes, have been erased.

This also means that before she could develop feelings for Chul-Min, she was already interested in someone else.

Who could that be?

There aren’t any other men close to her besides Chul-Min. So, who could it be?

"...But why bring this up?"

"I know someone who’s got a crush."

"Pfft...!"

Yu-Sung suddenly spat out his coffee.

What the heck is wrong with this guy?

"Cough! Cough! A crush?"

"Yeah. Seems like they’ve got someone they like a lot."

"Hmm, I see. So?"

"But the problem is, I can’t understand why they like that person."

Jung Ms. Ha-Yeon tends to be drawn to strong individuals. That’s why she was first attracted to Shin Chul-Min’s protagonist-like strength.

But from what I’ve seen, there’s no hero stronger than Chul-Min in the association, except for the S-rank heroes. Ms. Ha-Yeon doesn’t spend much time with them, so it’s unlikely she’s fallen for a hero.

"So, what I want to ask you is this: What do you think women usually fall for in men?"

"...Shouldn’t you know that better as a woman yourself?"

"Like I said, I’m clueless when it comes to love. That’s why I’m asking a casanova like you."

"Thanks for the confidence, I guess."

Though he spoke sarcastically, Yu-Sung gave his opinion.

"Well, in general, people like someone they can rely on, right? Most of the time, that’s the case."

"A person they can rely on..."

Who could Jung Ha-Yeon be relying on? Who does she trust?

I, Shin Yu-Sung, today, amid my boring routine, heard some groundbreaking news.

"So, this is a story about someone I know."

As soon as the team leader started with that, I sensed it immediately.

Ah, this is about her.

People always start with “This isn’t about me, but someone I know” when they’re about to share an embarrassing problem.

So, what was she going to say?

"Someone I know has a crush."

Our team leader has a crush.

It was such shocking news that I ended up spitting out my coffee.

Our team leader, of all people, having a crush? I never would have guessed. But if it were really about someone else, she wouldn’t be asking for advice this seriously.

She doesn’t seem to know why she’s attracted to that person, likely because she’s never been in love before and is flustered.

I responded to her questions halfheartedly. I wasn’t focused.

The only thing I wanted to do right now was spread the news. I had to let everyone know that our team leader might be falling in love.

With that in mind, I returned to the Association and immediately ran into someone.

"Hmm-hmm~."

Walking down the hall while humming happily was the Team Leader 1.

She’s close with our team leader, so maybe she knows who she has a crush on.

Our team leader never told me who it was, but maybe I can find out through her.

T/N: here comes the misunderstanding trope