Chapter 13

A refreshing day before the full heat of summer has arrived. A woman wearing a hoodie walks down the street where the streetlights are just beginning to turn on, humming a sweet melody.

The sweet hum possesses a power compelling anyone walking along the street to turn their heads.

Though all the passersby turned to look at the figure in the hoodie, none could guess the identity of the person humming such a melodious tune.

That the person humming was H, a solo idol.

And it wasn’t due to prosopagnosia or any such condition that they failed to recognize one of the most popular current idols even though she was wearing a hoodie. The reason was due to her supernatural ability.

The power to distort others’ vision by having them hear the sound emanating from her own throat, interfering with their synesthesia.

Though, in a world where even the most potent and versatile supernatural powers held little significance, it was still a fact little known that she, Kim Ye-seul of H, was one of the strongest users of supernatural ability.

In some sense, Kim Ye-seul could be considered a person who’d been born into the wrong world, yet she was progressing forward, utilizing her supernatural abilities to the fullest. There was no way ordinary people could discern the hooded figure as Kim Ye-seul.

Still, while others affected by Kim Ye-seul’s power wouldn’t easily notice, there was a girl, who had trained her supernatural abilities strongly enough not to be swayed, walking alongside her. Grumbling with growing irritation, the girl finally spoke.

“So, why did you drag me out here again?”

Of course, for Inna, the idea of going out with Kim Ye-seul was neither appealing nor something she had any desire to do.

Even if their homeroom teacher had promised them cards in exchange for going outside—while the girl who spent her days cooking for her beloved at their home would hardly leave her favorite girl’s side just because there was an opportunity to eat for free.

But due to Ye-seul’s subtle threat—if Inna didn’t go along with her now, she’d interfere every single day—it left her no choice but to come along.

“Hmm… Honestly, I came out to check who was beside my friend and what that person felt toward her, while also handling some other business over here. But, I’ve kinda got an idea about what their feelings are… Now, I’m just slowly making my way back.”

Homosexual relationships are often stigmatized because women cannot produce children, and without the birth of children, the world would inevitably decline.

Perhaps the contempt and hatred toward same-s*x couples stem from humanity’s drive to continue the species.

The idol’s statement about understanding Inna’s feelings should have sounded threatening.

However, Inna only felt a mild annoyance about Erica not bringing her phone that day, which made contacting her impossible, and she wondered why her time with Erica was being interrupted.

—She had never concealed her feelings from anyone from the beginning after all.

Some say Inna is too compassionate; others claim that she’s too accommodating. Some even call her foolish.

All those opinions stem from what people have observed regarding her actions toward Erica. Her loving acts are interpreted differently by different people.

“Empathy,” is the name of this supernatural ability. It’s a power that makes people lose their usual judgment and perceive Inna favorably.

Ye-seul’s ability, which wins people’s goodwill through her voice, is similar but distinct from Inna’s.

Though the woman lacks precise knowledge of Inna’s ability due to their similar nature, she still feels something familiar.

“Our kind… the world is too accommodating for us, so we can’t help but be drawn to those immune to our powers.”

Hearing that, Inna immediately thought of Erica, but something else came to Ye-seul’s mind as she spoke.

The boy who had helped solve her stalker problem.

His reasoning skills in identifying the perpetrator based on threats letters and his courage in subduing the attacker armed with a kitchen kn*fe.

“Sorry, but I promised myself I will only love one person in this world.”

And with his devotion to only one woman, despite possessing abilities that could enchant anyone, he was already a perfect man in her eyes.

Had Erica appeared first, it might have been different. However, to Inna, who was already drawn to the prince-like boy, Erica existed as “the other.”

Not out of affection, but more a hopeful expectation of becoming an equal friend.

“Honestly, if it were fine by Erica, then I wouldn’t have a problem, but… it just feels like the person’s feelings are getting too deep, almost disturbing.”

Of course, out of goodwill toward the girl who could be a potential friend, the existence that could manipulate minds had to be kept at bay.

Not out of love but out of goodwill toward that future friend.

As the sun faded and darkness gradually enveloped everything, when the renowned woman turned around, she found a girl whose eyes gleamed eerily in the dark shadows.

“Sorry, but there’s no room for you between us, so don’t get involved.”

“What if I say no?”

The street was rarely traveled. With every word, a trace of color vanished from Han Ye-seul’s voice, leaving it firm, but Inna’s response carried a hint of a smile instead.

“Guess what? If you think that just because you’re popular, you can control everything, you’re mistaken. —I know a way to counteract supernatural abilities.”

“There’s no way such a method exists…”

“I’ve been searching for ways to break the strongest supernatural abilities since I was a child. …Fighting you would definitely be a hassle, so I don’t want to fight. That’s why I’m saying this while she, who might get involved, can’t hear us. Stay out of it—or you’ll lose all your glory and honor and tumble down.”

The eerie statement spoken with a smile creates a stark contrast.

Strangely, the image of the girl who seemed to fit the darkness well made Han Ye-seul pause for a moment, but before she could find words, the girl moved past her.

“Let’s just go home now since the grocery shopping is done. He’s probably waiting for me to cook his food.”

“…Let me ask you one thing. Why don’t you call that person by name despite treating her like someone close?”

That person.

If she was so close, one would expect her name to be used, yet her persistent refusal to call the individual anything but “that person” prompted Ye-seul’s curiosity. Inna responded with a faintly bitter tone while glancing at the night sky.

“Because she told me not to call her name affectionately.”

An episode now solely remembered by Inna since Erica lost her memories.

It’s not something she’s keen on sharing explicitly with anyone, especially not someone interested in Erica.

“Consultation should be wrapping up soon by now.”