Even Stella's request was to spend the last day in Korea.
An unreasonable request to fly all the way from Japan to Korea for a date, and then part ways there.
"I want to have one last date with you in Seoul before I go back, you know? You don't have any filming scheduled anyway, right?"
Saying so, Stella looked at Lee Ji-yeon and Jo Seo-hee.
"If we date in Japan, those two might interrupt us."
Seoyeon was a bit bewildered by the sudden request.
It was because she hadn't expected Stella to make such a request.
Of course, that wasn't the only reason Seoyeon was flustered.
'Honestly, I thought she'd make a more troublesome request.'
Honestly, this much was on the mild side.
Or she might throw a bigger fit.
For example, she might say she wanted to appear in some Korean movie or variety show.
Of course, that would be a request she couldn't grant.
Compared to such imaginings, just asking to meet alone was really nothing.
'But…….'
Is there anything to do when meeting alone?
Seoyeon thought as she looked at Stella sitting across from her in the cafe, gazing at her.
She was smiling brightly at Seoyeon.
Truly, a woman hard to read.
"Why?"
Having returned to Korea like that.
Stella spoke as if she had read Seoyeon's mind.
"Are you curious why I asked to meet alone?"
"Yes."
At Seoyeon's calm reply, Stella only smiled softly.
"There are two reasons."
"Two?"
"First, I want to buy some souvenirs since I'm going back to America tomorrow."
Souvenirs.
A truly uncharacteristic word for Stella.
"We might not be able to meet for a while, right? No, perhaps this meeting in Korea could be the last."
"Well."
True, that could be the case.
She is called the fairy of the century, beyond Hollywood and America.
Would there ever be a reason for someone like her and someone like me to meet again?
If Seoyeon only works in Korea, they might never meet again, just as she said.
"So, wouldn't it be nice to have some kind of memory? Something appropriate to commemorate?"
"I suppose so."
Honestly, she couldn't fully accept it, but she thought that could be true.
Seoyeon didn't know exactly what action logic Stella operated on either.
She could only guess roughly through her personality.
"What's the second reason?"
"That's a secret."
Stella said as if she'd been waiting for it.
"I'll tell you before we part today."
Stella spoke as if today's meeting itself was the purpose.
So Seoyeon could only vaguely nod.
***
"……Are you really a girl? You don't even know how to shop properly."
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However, it wasn't long before Stella realized Seoyeon was not a good shopping partner.
Seoyeon's taste was extremely simple, giving the impression that anything at hand would do.
Same with clothes, same with daily necessities.
As long as it's cheap and cost-effective, isn't that fine? Such an expression.
"Didn't you pick that outfit?"
"Well. A friend picked it out for me last time, but……."
Seoyeon said, looking down at the dress she was wearing.
She did choose it herself, but until she chose it, there were countless rejections from Jo Seo-hee.
Jo Seo-hee was serious about dressing up Seoyeon, so whenever she brought clothes that didn't meet her eyes, she would immediately reject them.
It should probably be called fortunate that she at least didn't care about brands.
Come to think of it, Jo Seo-hee didn't really give off the vibe of carrying luxury goods for someone rich.
Honestly, should I say she doesn't seem particularly interested?
When asked about it.
"We'd just get hate if we went around carrying such things for no reason."
"Other stars seem to carry them fine."
"We're minors."
Being a minor and decking oneself out in luxury bags and clothes is a perfect way to get hated on.
Jo Seo-hee said it like an excuse, but it felt like she wasn't interested in the first place.
Honestly, from her position, luxury goods and regular street brands might be all the same.
In the sense that if she wants to buy them, she can just buy them.
'Though saying it's simply because she has a lot of money, other people at that upper-class party last time didn't seem like that.'
It must just be the person's personality.
As Seoyeon was thinking that.
"Are you thinking about another girl right now?"
Stella had drawn very close to her face.
"……Could you step back a little?"
"No, I don't want to. If you came out shopping with me, focus on me."
What a self-centered young lady-like thing to say.
Anyway, since those words weren't wrong either, Seoyeon had no choice but to help Stella with her shopping quite diligently.
Looking around ordinary clothes and food sections normally.
Following the department store, they even went to a regular mart together.
"How is it? Does it look okay?"
"It suits you well."
Seoyeon nodded at Stella's words as she held a pink dress from the mart against herself.
Of course it suits her well.
Stella's appearance is far from ordinary, so even clothes sold on the street look like luxury items.
'Everyone's staring.'
For reference, Seoyeon had covered her face one way or another, but Stella didn't bother with that at all.
It was because not many people in Korea recognized her.
Of course, there were some who recognized her.
She could hear people whispering here and there.
Occasionally, when it was a man who knew some English.
『Excuse me, are you Stella Baldwin?』
There were also people who approached subtly in English.
Before Stella could say something with a bright smile to such a person.
"I'm sorry. We have somewhere to be."
Seoyeon had no choice but to step in front and dismiss them offhandly.
"Aren't you being too cold to my fans in Korea?"
"I know you don't think so."
"Ahaha, how exactly do you see me?"
Stella, who laughed brightly, soon stopped laughing and looked at Seoyeon.
"Hmm~, true. But being helped like this isn't bad either."
"That's what bodyguards usually do anyway."
"That and this are a bit different."
What could be different?
Seoyeon just tilted her head.
'Roughly, isn't the reason she brought me out today for shopping and escorting?'
Because she was the only person who could handle both tasks properly.
Since Stella wouldn't tell her the second reason, she could only guess like that.
'Truly, there are rarely people this difficult to understand.'
She thought while casually nodding at Stella showing her various items.
Seoyeon was sensitive to others' emotions, and could easily infer most people's thoughts just by looking at their faces.
That wasn't because Seoyeon had a special talent.
She simply read the room well.
If Lee Ji-yeon heard such a thing, she would say "Liar."
"Joo Seoyeon, you read people's moods? Nonsense."
She'd probably say something like that.
But surprisingly, it's true.
Seoyeon does tend to read others' moods a lot.
This was less about her current life's personality and more about the influence of her past life.
When her emotions were different from ordinary people.
It seemed like the habits from that time had remained.
Even though she was reincarnated and lived a completely different life, those memories were clearly still there.
What remained on her soul like a scar naturally made Seoyeon act that way.
Probably, she thinks this is different from the special abilities she gained from being reborn.
Tremendous power, for instance.
Or the memory that recalls only necessary parts precisely.
Separate from that, this too never fades.
But that's more like a scar than a newly earned medal.
Still, living her new life, Seoyeon became what's commonly called a "clueless child."
Su-ah sometimes says that too.
"Seoyeon was such a perceptive child when she was young. How on earth……."
I don't know why "how on earth" is added at the end, but anyway, that's how it is.
When she was young, the influence of her past life remained more strongly.
And it faded as she grew up.
Still, it didn't disappear.
Seoyeon naturally observed others' emotions, analyzing how the other person thought of her.
With what eyes they looked at her.
What they were thinking.
'That's definitely.'
Stella must be similar too.
Seoyeon thought as she looked at Stella showing her things.
It was something she'd felt since they first met.
Stella reads the room.
Pretending not to, with acting.
Though she speaks with a smiling face wearing an elaborate mask, Seoyeon can tell.
Probably, it's highly likely because of the illness she has.
Because of that, Seoyeon also cannot know.
What face Stella has beneath the mask.
"Stella."
"Hm? Why?"
"But you're not looking at accessories?"
Seoyeon, who had been quietly observing Stella, suddenly realized one fact.
Even though Stella looked at clothes and various other items, she seemed to have no interest in accessories at all.
No, it seemed like she was intentionally avoiding them.
If you looked closely, she wasn't wearing earrings or necklaces commonly worn by women on her face either.
For Stella, who clearly liked dressing up, having no interest in accessories was quite strange.
"Hmm~, sharp? No, should I say you just noticed? I'd like to say that too, but."
Saying so, Stella wore a subtle smile.
"Of course, the reason is a secret. It's too much of a mood killer to say right now."
"I see."
"Yeah, that's right."
Seoyeon looked at Stella's smiling face and thought for a moment.
It wasn't that she couldn't roughly guess the reason.
But that reason could be a bit dark, as Stella said.
'Hmm.'
Seoyeon watched Stella choose clothes and briefly directed her gaze elsewhere.
The accessory shop Stella wasn't going to.
And souvenirs.
After thinking quietly, Seoyeon spoke to Stella.
"Can I briefly go buy something I want as well?"
"Hm? I don't mind, let me come with you."
"No."
"Hmm, why?"
Seoyeon took a step back as she saw Stella approaching subtly.
Her sense of distance felt excessively close.
Should I say compared to the emotional distance, the physical distance was too close?
It was definitely because flustered Seoyeon was amusing.
She knew Stella cared about her emotionally, but she thought it was mostly curiosity.
She couldn't clearly distinguish how much element of favor was included.
"It's a secret."
"……Using that after saying it so many times is foul play."
Who's the one who keeps saying it's a secret.
Anyway, Seoyeon briefly left Stella alone for a while.
She was someone she might never see again, as she said.
Apart from favor, giving at least one gift seemed fine.
'Well, if my guess is wrong, it could just make the atmosphere awkward.'
But, something she briefly passed by looked really nice.
At least it felt like it would suit Stella very well.
……Of course, since her own sensibilities were included, she didn't know if it would please Stella.
As she was buying the item and returning, she felt someone tug at the hem of her skirt.
"……?"
For a moment, she thought it might be a pervert, but the position of the tug was strange and the force was weak.
When she casually turned her head, there was a familiar child.
The child stared at Seoyeon's face for a moment.
"M-Magical Girl unni. You're Magical Girl unni, right?"
"……."
To think she'd remember it like that.
Seoyeon hesitated about how to respond with a troubled heart.
But the thought wasn't long.
Bending her knees, meeting her eyes, Seoyeon smiled softly.
"Hello."
"Yes, hello!!"
"Are you getting along well with Sooyeon?"
"Yes!"
Her younger sister Joo Sooyeon's friend.
Han Yuna.
Seeing a face she hadn't seen in a really long time, Seoyeon felt both glad and quite a subtle emotion.
She couldn't help but feel a strange emotion whenever she saw this child.
A child in the position where her past self would have been.
If asked, she had absolutely nothing in common with her "past self."
Gender, appearance, personality.
But the parents were the same, so it felt like a twist of fate.
"Seoyeon, how long are you going to make me wait…… oh my."
Stella appeared behind Seoyeon, grumbling.
It seemed she was sulking because Seoyeon hadn't returned for a while after leaving her.
But seeing Seoyeon caught by a small child, she made a face of curiosity.
At the same time, she thought the way Seoyeon looked at that child was quite peculiar.
'Why does she make that face at that child?'
Just as Seoyeon thought Stella was peculiar.
Stella also thought Seoyeon was quite peculiar.
Clearly, a harmonious family.
Having good friends around her.
Since she could feel that everyone liked her, Stella couldn't help but find Seoyeon even more peculiar.
For someone in such a position, she could tell she read the room a lot.
Furthermore, since Stella could see Seoyeon's face…… she thought she was someone who acted in daily life just like herself.
A strange sense of kinship.
There was such a peculiar feeling.
Actually, it was still similar now, but the more she knew about her human relationships, the more parts she couldn't understand.
And.
In the gaze looking at the girl now, Stella felt another peculiar feeling.
She didn't know the reason well.
"Wow, is that an angel?"
While thinking that, Yuna said with a surprised face looking at Stella.
Brilliant blonde hair.
The bob cut reaching around her shoulders shone like sunlight, making her look like an angel.
When the blue eyes turned toward her, the girl was startled and clung to Seoyeon.
"Magical Girl unni! T-that person is an angel……."
While thinking that, Han Yuna said loudly.
With a flustered face, Seoyeon hurriedly covered Yuna's mouth, but.
"……Magical Girl unni?"
Stella said looking at her with a rather peculiar face.
A gaze asking if she really told a child to call her that.
Seoyeon hastily shook her head.
"N-no. There was an incident related to that before."
"An incident related to a magical girl?"
"Well, if you put it that way, it's similar."
Seoyeon explained to Stella in a small voice.
The incident at the promotional event for magical girl toys at a street festival before.
And the play after that.
"Here, here, there's even a video!"
Yuna said as if she was even more excited than the person involved.
Seoyeon hurriedly tried to stop her, but she couldn't interrupt a child speaking excitedly, so she just froze.
"Ahaha, what's this. It was real. Magical Girl."
Stella laughed brightly looking at that.
Because the video contained the rarely seen sight of a truly embarrassed Seoyeon.
Seoyeon could only tremble with unwarranted shame.
'I shouldn't have bought something like this.'
Seoyeon sighed as she felt the small box fitting into her pocket.