Under the name of reform, while the working environment for monsters was improving.
The magical girls too were facing new changes in accordance with the times.
On the day the new minister, who was like their leader, took office.
A letter flew into the magical girls’ homes like a utility bill.
Two people, flustered by the program they were using for the first time, were sitting in front of the computer, awkwardly moving the mouse while staring at the monitor screen.
“What the heck, what am I supposed to do?”
“Isn’t this the button?”
The program Siyeon and I were struggling with was a video conferencing tool.
To commemorate the new minister’s inauguration and to foster camaraderie, they decided to hold a meeting since it was impractical for everyone to gather from distant locations during this ongoing plague era.
It was a program that could be easily downloaded from a site roughly translated into Korean.
Even after downloading, there were account settings and camera setups and language settings to adjust.
If I stayed calm, I could surely handle it, but being my first time using the program and feeling anxious, the mouse was all over the place.
Finally managing to follow the instructions on the paper, a video conference room with dozens of people appeared.
Since our computer didn’t have a separate camera or microphone, only a blank screen showed up.
[This is Incheon.]
Fortunately, there was a space for typing chat messages, so we could relatively quickly mark our attendance.
Faces of people moving awkwardly were visible here and there, amid them was a woman sitting in what looked like a luxurious room.
Looking at the part of the screen that showed the host, it seemed that person was the new minister.
The new minister was staring straight at the camera, seemingly observing it closely.
Then, a calm voice came through the speakers a beat later.
“If you’re the magical girls from Incheon… it’s Sun and Moon.”
It seemed she confirmed our chat too late, as she bowed her head after staring fixedly at the screen.
Thinking everyone who was supposed to gather had arrived, she covered the paper she had been doodling on and looked at the screen.
“Yes, hello. I’m Bae Eun-hye, the new Minister for National Safety. It’s nice to meet you all.”
A polite introduction and a suitable greeting.
Many people on the video conference screen clapped, but only the new minister’s voice was audible, as she was the only one with the sound turned on, meaning we didn’t hear the applause.
Her first impression wasn’t bad, so I thought that maybe life as a magical girl would become somewhat easier.
…Until her next words came out.
“The reason I’ve gathered you late at night today, coinciding with my inauguration, is to survey public opinion and gain consent on a new project we’re undertaking….”
“?”
What the heck is this all of a sudden? Did I hear it wrong? I squinted one eye and rubbed my ear with my pinky finger.
What was this new project they were pushing for? Did they open a video conference at this hour to get our consent?
The good impression I had quickly crumbled with a few mundane sentences.
Look, even Siyeon next to me looks weird.
With the mere thought making my brain ache, I tilted my head in confusion and tapped my forehead with the tips of my five fingers.
What should I do? The person sitting there as the new minister already looks like a scammer to me.
Regardless of our confusion, she continued speaking.
“We’re planning to create merchandise based on the appearances of the magical girls who have transformed this time, so I think it’s necessary to get your consent on this part….”
Should I call this diligent? Or is it more like they’re already preparing to profit from it?
Anyway, the new minister was busy right after taking office.
As if it were some kind of business presentation, her words continued to stretch on, and instead of congratulating her on her takeover, everyone on camera wore a visibly bewildered expression at this sudden business proposal.
It seems the magical girl merchandise from across the island was doing well, and she probably wanted to try touching that market.
Naturally, she explained the potential profits and distributions to garner approval for her undertaking.
No matter what she said, people suspicious of it only heard a snake oil salesman spewing nonsense.
‘Merchandise isn’t that lucrative of a product….’
While half-heartedly pondering this, I propped my chin up with my hand, dismissing the futile expectations flooding my mind.
Siyeon, who had always collected merchandise from foreign magical girls or animated male characters, might be mildly yearning for this business.
But the entity pushing it is utterly unconvincing.
Hoping for a success story from a government merchandise venture is more unlikely than requesting a private merchandise company for direct orders.
With those thoughts in mind, a few weeks later.
As the chilly early winter weather began to shift towards a cold wave…
While waiting for the signal at the crosswalk on our way to school, Siyeon tugged at the ends of her long sleeves and pointed towards a bus with her other hand.
“Maria, look at that…”
‘Huh?’
A bus plastered with an advertisement.
With a gaudy color scheme, it looked like something a middle schooler hastily pieced together in two hours for a school project.
Seeing that monstrosity sprawled on the side of the bus, an involuntary gasp of astonishment slipped from my lips.
With such a horrendous quality of advertising, I briefly doubted whether it could do any marketing at all.
If the ad looked like that, I could only imagine the product’s quality would be just as dreadful.
‘Would be better if they made just a little bit….’
Now it was undeniably a situation where I had no expectations for profit.
If that were the case, I hoped they’d make less merchandise to minimize losses, a pityful wish crossed my mind.
This wasn’t an order made through personal commission, but the first officially released magical girl merchandise coming out of Korea.
As it was the glorious first button, despite the cheap advertisement, there were quite a few people who were anticipating it.
I had a fleeting hope that things would go well, but it remained a wishful thinking.
Beyond being cheap and low-quality, the advertisement even looked shabby.
Yet, Dongha, who would be the most sensitive to news like this in school, was burning with empty expectations.
“I’ve pulled from my allowance for next year.”
“You’re such a weirdo.”
Still, since it was a product made in her likeness, I was curious about how the merchandise would turn out, so I made sure to visit the website on the day sales commenced.
Wondering what kind of confidence led them to think they could make a profit.
Starting with the laggy homepage, it took forever to load the next page.
After five minutes of waiting, I finally faced the prices of the merchandise listed on the government website.
[Jupiter Figure – 2,500,000 won]
‘Are you out of your mind?’
The entire figure sold for 2.5 million won.
Cushions sold for 100,000 won, and each acrylic stand for 40,000 won.
How they believed they could turn a profit was instantly clarified upon seeing those numbers.
I clicked my tongue at the ridiculous photo cards and realized that they were essentially selling at delusional prices.
Suggesting a ‘reasonable price,’ they seemed to have thrown that notion out the window to make profits.
It also seemed that people had lost their minds over the phrase “limited quantity,” as by the time I reached the detailed explanation page of the products, everything was already sold out.
‘Why the heck is it sold out?’
That day, the new minister earned herself a nickname among us.
Money-crazy, nothing more, nothing less.
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