Chapter 13: Go on a trip.

Japanese Angel Research Institute.

All the researchers there, dressed in white coats, were absorbed in the TV screen.

What they were watching was a video of the Korean Angel’s visit to Japan.

And then, after a long while.

Beep-

Finally, as the recorded video ended and the TV screen turned black, they one by one began to speak.

“Wow, the Korean Angel truly converges to zero aggression, doesn’t she?”

“Yes, she’s impossibly gentle, isn’t she? I was surprised too when I saw her up close.”

“And I heard there are still no warning signs about her either?”

“Oh, that’s right. I heard Korea hasn’t had a single casualty yet.”

“Th-that’s truly amazing….”

Exclamations of admiration filled the meeting room, followed by a brief silence.

Of course, someone quickly continued the conversation.

“But our Angel was also well-behaved when she was with the Korean Angel.”

“Oh, that’s right! What’s the principle behind that?”

One researcher tilted his head, and the researcher across from him stroked his chin and said.

“Hmm…, according to the care attendant, it seems it’s simply because the Korean Angel is gentle?”

“What? That doesn’t make much sense, does it? If desires were so easily controlled, why would everyone struggle so much?”

“That’s…, true….”

A sharp rebuttal that left them speechless.

Silence returned to the meeting room briefly.

However, someone quickly spoke again this time.

“Hmm… Anyway, it’s a shame. It would have been good if the Korean Angel had stayed longer….”

“Indeed. We saw some new possibilities, didn’t we?”

“Well, let’s take this opportunity to request research cooperation from the Korean side? We actually provided great help this time, didn’t we?”

“Oh, that’s a good idea.”

“Yes, that’s good.”

Everyone nodded, seemingly in agreement.

Meanwhile, someone added.

“… But, will Korea send the Angel? I heard there was strong opposition this time too.”

“Well… we’ll have to make it happen, won’t we?”

The researchers of the Japanese Angel Research Institute.

They thus fell into deep thought once again.

After actively participating in various tests, I was given a few days of free time.

Thanks to that, as I lay in bed, fully enjoying my leisure, this thought naturally came to mind.

‘This is happiness….’

I curled my body with a pleasant smile and hugged a large teddy bear tightly.

For reference, this wasn’t because I liked dolls, but simply because hugging something made me feel stable.

Then, Lee Hyejin approached and asked.

“Angel~ Are you going to sleep all day during your days off?”

“… I wonder?”

If possible, I’d like to….

But what does she mean by asking?

I remained lying on the bed, staring intently with a puzzled expression, and she knelt down to lower her gaze.

“Oh~ I asked because, well, you just came back from Japan, didn’t you?”

“… Yes.”

“Regarding that, there are many opinions that since you’re the Korean Angel, we should show you and teach you about Korean culture too.”

“Aha….”

Now that I thought about it, her words seemed to mean, in short, “Would you like to go out?”

‘Hmm….’

Indeed, the only place I had been to in Korea was the zoo.

In Japan, I had been out and about almost continuously, except for a day or two, so there was a huge difference.

But… still, I just want to lie down….

If I travel, all my rest time will disappear….

I only pondered for a very brief moment, but my answer quickly leaned towards the negative.

Lee Hyejin, as if sensing it, quickly added.

“G-go and eat lots of delicious food~ and there won’t be any schedule for a while after you get back!”

“Really…?”

A condition that sounded incredibly generous.

Thanks to that, my thoughts began to lean towards the positive again, and then a question suddenly popped into my mind.

‘But why… aren’t they just setting it as a fixed schedule like usual and instead asking for my opinion…?’

Thinking about it, it felt a little strange.

Of all the schedules I’d had so far, not one had asked for my opinion.

In fact, this time too, they could have just decided it themselves and informed me.

‘Hmm… what is it…?’

So, sensing something ominous, I immediately asked.

“Huh?”

“You could just tell me to go.”

“Oh, ah~ Come on! No matter what, a trip has to be enjoyable for the person going, so of course, we have to ask you!”

Lee Hyejin replied with an awkward smile.

‘Hmm….’

It was certainly a sufficiently understandable reason.

Nevertheless, the uneasy feeling didn’t disappear for some reason, so I tilted my head and asked again.

“… Is that really all?”

Lee Hyejin flinched, then I saw her glancing at Park Gyutae, who was standing behind her.

They exchanged some unreadable glances, and when Park Gyutae nodded, Lee Hyejin sighed softly.

“A-actually… this trip… is planned to be nationwide…. Of course, we can’t go everywhere, only the major cities….”

“Huh…?”

Huh? What did she say…? Nationwide…?

Slightly flustered by the completely unexpected scale, Lee Hyejin leaned in close and whispered into my ear.

“It seems the government can’t handle the sheer number of complaints that came in because of your Japan trip…. You could say it’s to deal with that…?”

“…?”

Wh-why on earth would that be a reason for complaints…?

Is it because I went to study but ended up just playing around a lot…?

I stared at Lee Hyejin’s face, which had moved away again, without understanding the meaning of her words at all.

Then, only belatedly did I notice the dark circles under her eyes, indicating she was severely sleep-deprived. It seemed she had been quite overworked lately.

In the end, seeing her like that, I couldn’t ask any more questions and just gave a small nod.

After all, a trip was still a trip.

There was nothing bad about it for me.

‘Alright, well… if it helps the two of them….’

I looked blankly at Lee Hyejin and Park Gyutae, who were sighing in relief.

“Wow~ You truly look amazing on her!?”

“Ah~ She truly looks just like a doll…!”

“…”

Two female staff members, with bottomless sincerity.

Their constant gushing was almost like a psychic attack.

At that, my face flushed bright red like a beet, and I hung my head low.

Slide-

Then, one of them quickly pulled a mobile full-length mirror in front of me and said.

“Angel, Angel! Please take a look in the mirror too! You’ll really love it! You’re truly the prettiest and cutest ever!”

Ugh… P-please stop saying such things…!

I’m really going to die of embarrassment…!

I squeezed my eyes shut in shame.

Perhaps it was the influence of my past life’s memories, but no matter how much time passed, I just couldn’t get used to such compliments or people’s stares.

For that reason, I took a deep breath for a long time, composed myself, and then slowly raised my head to look in the mirror.

“…”

There, a cute girl was visible, with her bobbed hair tied back halfway using a hairpin with a noticeable butterfly ornament….

She was wearing a white jeogori (upper garment) and a light pink hanbok skirt.

‘Oh…?’

For a moment, the overwhelming aura and face made me forget all embarrassment.

Honestly, as soon as I saw it, the thought “cute” was the first thing that filled my mind.

Because of that, as I stared blankly at the mirror, I heard my care attendant’s whisper from behind.

“Senior, it seems the Angel likes it. Wow, but seriously… she looks amazing.”

“Yeah, she really looks incredibly good. The internet is going to go wild again.”

Well… this time too, I was startled by a completely unexpected remark.

“Th-the internet…?”

My eyes wide, I immediately looked at Park Gyutae and asked.

At that, Park Gyutae tilted his head, then flinched and asked Lee Hyejin.

“Huh? … H-Hyejin, you didn’t tell her…?”

This time, Lee Hyejin was visibly startled, her mouth agape.

Judging by her subtly trying to gauge the mood, she seemed to have done something wrong.

“You’re driving me crazy, you….”

At that, Park Gyutae sighed deeply, then looked at me again and said.

“Well… our trip is going to be broadcast live on the internet….”

“Oh…? Y-yes…!?”

Huh? What does that mean…?

D-does that mean people all over the world will see me wearing a skirt on TV and computers…?

‘W-well, at least it’s a hanbok, which has less exposed skin than a dress, so I guess that’s a relief…?’

I left the store with such mixed feelings.

Outside the building, countless vehicles and an enormous number of people were already waiting.

They were carrying large cameras I had never seen before and long, microphone-like objects.

“Wh-what is all this…?”

My eyes lost their focus and began to tremble.

Lee Hyejin replied.

“Oh, they’re the film crew who will be filming Angel during the trip.”

“Y-yes…?”

An overwhelming scale beyond my imagination.

I had wondered why they were being so cautious about the trip, but now the secret was revealed.

My heart pounded as if it would burst, and I fidgeted with the norigae attached to my hanbok, trying to compose myself.

Then, a middle-aged man, with an extremely flushed face, hurried over and bowed respectfully.

“A-A-Angel! It’s an honor to meet you! I-I’m the director in charge of this filming, Y-Yang Ihun!”

Yang Ihun introduced himself, trembling for some reason.

He was even sweating coldly, and he was shaking so severely that it made my own trembling stop.

“Oh, hello….”

So, as I bowed my head with complex emotions.

“Y-you accepted my greeting! Th-this is an honor for my family!!!”

He dramatically bowed his head again, almost touching the floor.

“…”

No, this person is also a bit strange….

At a glance, he doesn’t seem to be in his right mind, does he…?

I immediately sensed an ominous aura, and just like that, my nationwide travel documentary inadvertently began.