"The Manga Monster"

"The Manga Monster"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

"Anyeong Masterpiece!" YuuA opened her weekly YuuAcam with a wide smile that revealed perfect rows of teeth and she instantly apologized with the camera angles and adjusted to reveal her very red lips and her hair tied in a neat pony tail. Her fans were now slowly flooding in the virtual room that was set up for her and giving her comments like Yeppu or Angel YuuA that filled her with so much confidence.

She usually talks about different things during these cam appearances but she did not feel like talking for today about herself so she said that she would be taking everyone on a spying mission on the different members of Oh my Dolls. And she thought of the first person who would be an easy target. Jinyo who was all alone and reading in her room.

With Silent steps OMD's main dancer opened the door slightly and focused the camera on the phone she was holding.

It was easy to sneak up on Jinyo who lay flat while reading what looked like a manga. Her pretty unpainted face reacting to what she was reading. YuuA laughed lightly at her friend who seemed so engrossed with what she was reading. She panned out to look at the stacks of manga that was on the floor of her bed and a white chocolate pocky on top of it. 

YuuA tried to remember how long it was that Jinyo read these things but could not recall when she started but she seemed to be gobbling up the series in one sitting. Jinyo reached out for the pocky and absentmindedly put on in her mouth as she sat down and fixed her long black hair to the side.

"Anyeong Jinyo!" YuuA finally said , barging into the room and eliciting a surprised yelp from Jinyo who hit her head on the upper bunk of the double decker she occupied.

"Anyeong Everyone!" Jinyo recovered and smiled sweetly. "YuuA can be so sneaky." 

Both girls laughed and YuuA got in the frame. "So what are you doing today?"

" I decided to catch up on this great manga that a friend introduced to me a while back.It is called The Dragon's Bride."

"Dragon's Bride. Seems interesting. What is it about?"

"To put it simply it follows several women who either embrace the title or run from it. What is interesting for me is that the dragon doesn't really play any part in it. He is just the end of the journey and you see the thoughts of these women who are ready to accept or change their fates."

"Wow.You make me want to read it.Can I borrow some?"

"After I finished with it unnie. It is still ongoing. Here take a look at the art. It really is something."

YuuA focused on the detailed artwork of a Dragon bride saving a child from drowning. It seemed like 3D photography with a layer of surreal backgrounds. 

"I had a hard time reading it at first so my friend translated it from Nippon to Hangul."

YuuA noticed the little notes that were sticking out of the manga stacks for the first time.

"How thoughtful of him." YuUA said suddenly thinking of who was close enough to Jinyo to do such a sweet thing. 

Jinyo smiled so brightly that she seemed to blot out the feed for a little while.An unusual amount of energy that was flowing out of her and YuuA was startled that she had to focus somewhere else and whispered to the other girl that her powers were manifesting live online. 

"I am sorry" Jinyo said and she willed whatever what was leaking to stop.

"I am sorry about that sudden glare. I think I was showing you the window. Kekekeke." YuuA said to the cam.

The comments flooded in. 

"Oh so that's what it was."

"Yeah it was the window."

"Whoa it was so bright."

"So back to this friend of yours. How long have you known him?" YuuA asked.

Jinyo looked at YuuA and smiled. Thinking of what to say but her silence already spoke volumes as the other girl already narrowed the list of people who might be able to do such a thing for her. 

Jinyo was promptly saved by Hyosin their , candy leader who went into the room and asked what the girls were doing.

"She is doing her YuuA cam and I am just reading here a bit.Candy Leader."

"Seems like a lot of reading for one day Jinyo." Hyosin toed the tall stacks of manga on the floor.

"I read fast." Jinyo beamed again.

"Well , let's leave you to it. Bee and I have something to show YuuA in the practice room."

"See you later guys!" Jinyo waved. YuuA came along but could not help feel that she was on to something and was being diverted by the others. 

Jinyo breathed a little sigh of relief as she let go of the manga with V's handwritten notes all over it. She hoped her unnie might not recognize it but she was not all sure with the way she was looking at her as she went out of her room.