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While delivering food to Ga-eun, Ha-yeon hears something in the hallway...
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Dialogue Choices[]
Note: Changing choices when replaying will cost 5
You: I...
- Would do my best
- Story continues
- Would reject them
- Obtain Ending: The Magpie Leaves
Transcript[]
Expand for script.
- I cook a bowl of steaming hot noodles for the lady, with side servings of kimchi and pickled cucumber.
- She slurps up the soup... She seems very hungry. Within minutes, she cleans the bowl.
- Stuttering Lady: Thank... thank you...
- You: You're welcome. Satisfied diners are a source of joy for the chef.
- Stuttering Lady: I... was... too focused... on... on eating.
- Stuttering Lady: My name is An, An... Mi-ok.
- You: My name is Yoon Ha-yeon, but the people around me call me Ha-yeon.
- An Mi-ok: A name that sounds... joy, joyful... and warm.
- An Mi-ok: Ha-yeon, your cooking... is really good.
- You: My father is very good at cooking. I learned a lot from him, and can make a wide variety of dishes.
- An Mi-ok: Can you make a special dish for me?
- You: Special dish?
- An Mi-ok: Oyster...oyster...tofu pot.
- You: Isn't that an ordinary home-cooked dish?
- An Mi-ok: There is a long...story behind it...that is diff, difficult to tell.
- An Mi-ok: If...I get the chance, I, I will...tell it to you.
- Lee Ha-jun: Ha-yeon.
- You: Hmm?
- I turn to look at Ha-jun.
- Lee Ha-jun: Excuse me for being presumptuous. This is a fried chicken restaurant.
- Lee Ha-jun: If every diner comes in with a special request, are you going to make special dishes for everyone?
- The magpie that has been hanging about the restaurant suddenly flies in through a crack in the doorway.
- Kka-chi: Chak~
- It lands on the sideboard, tilts its head and looks at me curiously.
- Kka-chi: Chak?
- You: I...
Would do my best
- You: Ha-jun, what is the second rule of the employee code of conduct?
- Lee Ha-jun: Treat every customer with care.
- You: Mi-ok, if you're willing, I'll prepare oyster and tofu pot for you after closing time tomorrow.
- An Mi-ok: Th-thank you, Ha-yeon.
- Ha-jun does not protest further. He bows slightly to Mi-ok and sees her off.
- Lee Ha-jun: Ha-yeon, do you think you have a lot of empathy?
- Lee Ha-jun: You empathized with my metal hypersensitivity, and Mi-ok's stutter...
- You: I guess I can kind of put myself in your shoes.
- You: I too, have a strange trait that makes me different from most people...
- Lee Ha-jun: I've not noticed anything like that.
- You: I am abnormally strong, far stronger than you can imagine. It surpasses that of several men...
- Lee Ha-jun: Isn't that a good thing?
- You: Well, there's a long story behind it, just like Mi-ok's oyster and tofu pot.
- You: See you tomorrow~ Sweet dreams.
- Student A: Yoon Ha-yeon, why did you break So-mi's bones when you hugged her?
- You: I'm sorry, I didn't mean to.
- Student B: Do you know how many people you've hurt and how many class items you've damaged?
- You: I'm sorry, I'm really very sorry...
- Student A: I'm going to have to ask everyone to keep a distance away from you. The entire school is at risk because of you!
- You: (Not again... even though it's been so many years since I graduated...)
- You: (But I still revisit my elementary and middle schools in my dreams, and how isolated I was...)
- I sigh and sit up on the bed.
- You: Today, I am delivering takeout to Ga-eun and cooking oyster tofu pot for Mi-ok.
- You: It's time to go to the market to buy ingredients.
- After purchasing ingredients from the market, I take the bus back.
- After getting off the bus, I spot a familiar figure rushing towards the Central Hospital.
- His face is pale and his expression is dull, as if he is burdened with a hundred worries.
- You: Seon-woo? What is he doing at the hospital?
- As he approaches the hospital entrance, I can't help taking a few anxious steps in his direction.
- You: Yesterday, I asked him why he has his hand to his chest. He said he pulled a muscle while dancing, and would recover after a two-day rest.
- A deafening car horn stuns me.
- Lee Ha-jun: Watch out!
- A warm embrace envelopes me before I can react.
- A car whooshes past.
- I look around in confusion. Ha-jun is frowning at me.
- Lee Ha-jun: How could you space out while walking on the street?
- He releases me, and I get up, my cheeks burning.
- You: Thank you...
- Lee Ha-jun: I'll take that.
- He takes my shopping bag from me.
- It's heavier than he imagined. The bag drags heavily on his arm, pulling his shoulder down.
- You: I'll carry it. It's really quite heavy.
- Lee Ha-jun: How can I let a lady do the heavy lifting? I'd be embarrassing myself.
- Lee Ha-jun: Let's get going. We need to prepare the restaurant.
- Ha-jun walks towards the restaurant with the shopping bag in his hand.
- Because of my strength, I've been ordered by teachers and classmates to do all the physical chores since I was a child.
- Nobody has ever offered to do such things for me before. A warm feeling courses through me...
- Just like yesterday, with Ha-jun's help, the preparation work is completed ahead of time.
- During the short break, Ha-jun browses the news on his phone. As for me—
- You: (I get more spare time to read comics.)
- I immerse myself in the comic book, sometimes laughing out loud, sometimes clenching my fists and worrying for the protagonist.
- Lee Ha-jun: What are you reading?
- Ha-jun has been calmly browsing the news next to me. Finally, curiosity has gotten the better of him.
- You: I'm reading Magpie Song.
- Lee Ha-jun: Is it... a book about the evolution of Magpies?
- You: It's about a woman who is used to being a loner. She saved a magpie when she was a child.
- You: Later on, the magpie achieves powers and transforms into a handsome young man to protect her.
- You: The magpie spirit's companionship slowly opens up her heart, and the two eventually fall in love...
- Lee Ha-jun: So...
- Ha-jun thinks carefully for a moment after my brief summary.
- Lee Ha-jun: The female protagonist is dating a bird man?
- I'm stunned for a moment, then I burst out laughing.
- You: I'm satisfied now.
- Lee Ha-jun: Why?
- You: You're a capable man, highly intelligent and efficient at work. However, you lack a sense of humor. Yes, the world is fair after all.
- Lee Ha-jun: I lack a sense of humor? Are you saying I'm a boring person?
- You: You said that yourself.
- Lee Ha-jun: Let me tell you a story about magpies.
- Lee Ha-jun: Long, long ago, deep in a white cherry blossom forest, there existed a tower called Magpie Tower.
- You: Magpie Tower?
- Lee Ha-jun: According to legend, there was a woman named Jin who built a small wooden tower for magpies, which provided the birds with shelter from wind and rain.
- Lee Ha-jun: During the war, Jin shared her scarce food with the magpies, and talked to them. She firmly believed that the magpies would bring her news of her lover.
- I can't help but associate it with Magpie Song.
- You: Does the Jin in your story encounter a magpie spirit like the female protagonist in Magpie Song?
- Lee Ha-jun: My story isn't that romantic.
- Lee Ha-jun: Jin was an orphan girl who had been a loner all her life. She rarely spoke to people, but often talked to animals.
- Lee Ha-jun: The villagers regarded her as an eccentric person. Some said she was a priestess, while others believed she suffered from delusions.
- Lee Ha-jun: Only a young carpenter named Jun appreciated her kindness, and helped her build a small wooden shelter for the magpies.
- Lee Ha-jun: Later on, war broke out, and Jun had to serve at the front line.
- Lee Ha-jun: Before leaving, Jun reminded Jin to take good care of herself and told her that the magpies would bring back news of him.
- You: War? Did Jun... ever come back?
- Lee Ha-jun: His ashes returned... Fellow villagers brought them back.
- Lee Ha-jun: Afllicted by sorrow, Jin became ill and bedridden.
- You: And then?
- Lee Ha-jun: The magpies would fly to Jin's home and talk to her every day at her window.
- Lee Ha-jun: Eventually, Jin grew to understand what they were saying.
- Fascinated, I put down the comic book and look at Ha-jun.
- Lee Ha-jun: The magpies comforted Jin, and brought stories about other people from far away.
- Lee Ha-jun: A war leaves no one unscathed. Many people can only continue their lives with broken hearts.
- Lee Ha-jun: Thinking about the people who have suffered similar misfortunes, Jin created a post-war aid group.
- Lee Ha-jun: The magpies became their messengers, and the birds also helped the group discover those who needed help.
- Lee Ha-jun: In the process of helping others, Jin found new meaning in life, and as time passed, her hair turned white with age.
- You: And then?
- Lee Ha-jun: And then... I forgot.
- You: What? Are you teasing me? You can't just abandon a story when you're halfway through.
- Lee Ha-jun: I will tell you later when I remember the rest.
- I'm still intrigued by Ha-jun's story, but it's time to deliver food to Ga-eun.
- Considering that Ga-eun is a customer with high expectations, I decide to leave Yummy Fried Chicken in Ha-jun's care, and deliver the food myself.
- But I didn't expect that while walking up the stairs, I would overhear something...
- Colleague A: Oh my, the boss is driving me crazy! How many times does she want me to revise the plan?
- Colleague A: She might be all alone, but I want time to see my brother.
- Colleague B: She's just trying to impress higher management, isn't she?
- Colleague B: Song Ga-eun is great at packaging herself, right Eun-jeong? You joined the company at the same time.
- You: (Are they talking about Ga-eun?)
- Seo Eun-jeong: Oh, speaking of Song Ga-eun, I'm still so upset about it all.
- Seo Eun-jeong: I worked overtime for two weeks on the spring cleaning campaign two years ago.
- Seo Eun-jeong: When she reviewed it, she simply made a few changes to the campaign, and suddenly, all the credit was hers!
- Colleague A: Oh my, she's such an unscrupulous villain!
- Colleague B: Perhaps karma is the reason why she's all alone in the world.
- Seo Eun-jeong: And that obsession with cleanliness of hers... She vomits the minute she sees dirt.
- Ga-eun's colleagues cackle horribly.
- The nasty laughter grates on my ears. It's the kind of mocking laughter I heard all the time when I was growing up.
- You: (If you have the guts, talk to Ga-eun face to face instead of gossiping behind her back!)
- I grind my teeth and subconsciously clench my hands while carrying the food.
- Seo Eun-jeong: Do you know there was a day when Ga-eun...
- You: Excuse me, let me through!
- Loudly, I shove past the three women and interrupt their conversation.
- You: If you like talking about people behind their backs, be careful not to bite your tongue!
- Seo Eun-jeong: Oh my, the delivery workers nowadays are so rude!
- You: (You're the ones being rude!)
- I suppress my anger, and head towards Ga-eun's office.
- With the receptionist leading the way, I reach Ga-eun's office on time.
- She is wearing a pair of black-framed glasses, and poring over a pile of documents.
- Receptionist: Your food delivery is here, manager.
- Ga-eun takes off her glasses and looks up at me.
- Song Ga-eun: Oh, you're here already, Ha-yeon?
- You: You ordered a delivery for 8pm, so here I am.
- Song Ga-eun: Please take the fried chicken and distribute it to everyone, Lulu.
- Song Ga-eun: Everyone is working hard and doing overtime, so let them take a break and recover some energy.
- Receptionist: Understood, manager.
- The receptionist leaves Ga-eun a portion of fried chicken and takes the rest of the fried chicken to the pantry to share with the colleagues working overtime.
- Ga-eun takes out her phone and taps on it for a while, then shows the screen to me.
- Song Ga-eun: I've transferred the money directly to your bank account, remember to check it later.
- You: You should eat too. You are also working overtime.
- Song Ga-eun: The faster I review these documents, the earlier my colleagues can get off work.
- Song Ga-eun: Just go. I need to continue working.
- Ga-eun puts her glasses back on, and returns to the thick stack of documents in front of her.
- I don't want to disturb Ga-eun any further, so I quietly walk out of the office and close the door.
- The three women who were gossiping about Ga-eun are eating fried chicken in the pantry.
- You: (They complain about Ga-eun, but do they know that Ga-eun ordered supper for them a day in advance and works even harder than them...)
- I walk out of the building feeling sentimental and hurry back to the restaurant.
- Mi-ok is waiting for my food. Will she be satisfied with the clam and tofu pot I'm about to prepare for her?
Would reject them
- You: If that were to happen, I would have to refuse.
- Kka-chi: Chak!
- An Mi-ok: You're not wrong. You're already doing...better than most people...
- An Mi-ok: Goodbye miss... Sorry for bothering you.
- Mi-ok nods politely at me and leaves the restaurant.
- You: Did I say something wrong, Ha-jun?
- Lee Ha-jun: Not at all, you're just lacking a bit more...to qualify...
- You: To qualify for what?
- Lee Ha-jun: Work's over. Let's go home and rest.
- Ha-jun opens the door and walks out.
- Kka-chi: Chak!
- The magpie flies off into the sky.
- I don't see that particular magpie ever again.
- And Ha-jun never returns.
- Ha-jun said I lack something... What do I lack?
Providing excellent service to customers is what makes one a good chef.
It's not wrong to refuse, but the other person will feel sad.
Ending [The Magpie Leaves]
It's not wrong to refuse, but the other person will feel sad.
Ending [The Magpie Leaves]
Stories
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Chapter 1
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Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
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Main Stories
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Queen Marie • Magic Lamp • Gotham Memoirs • Swan Lake • Helen of Sparta • Romy and Julius • Shadows of London • Little Women • Phantom of the Opera • Taishō Adventures • Saga of Viera • Tang Dynasty Hunter • Si-woo's Sight • Princess Sissi • White Snake • Dancing On Ice • Have You Seen Claudia? • Whispers of the Rain • Cleopatra • The Sacred Beast • Ancient Dreams • Ghost Manor • Kingdom of Beasts • House of Horrors • Spring Sonata • Trendy Times • Gourmet's Journey • Miss Kitty's Antiques • Hela's Compass • Golden Age • The Perfect Storm • Code: Whalefall • Moving Mountains • Sisters of the Sea • The Apothecary • Lunar Legend • The Moravia Express • Dominic's Disappearance • Heartwood Mysteries • Mysteries of Zentico • Showdown in Glitter Rise • Magpie Tower • Infinite Shimmer • The Underground City: Stirring Shadows • Twilight's Crown • A Cat and Dog Affair
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Traveler's Notes
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