Prologue Story

I might have been thinking a bit too naively.

I thought that if I apologized, In-ha would eventually forgive me.

Because we were close friends, because we were important to each other, I thought it would be natural.

However, even as one day, two days, three days passed, In-ha wouldn’t even make eye contact with me.

She wouldn’t listen to me, and her cold gaze never softened. Time just kept passing. Auntie Suna and my parents began to worry about the distance between us.

“I’m sorry. It looks like In-ha is really upset. She’s not usually like this—what’s going on?”

I’d been complacent. I hadn’t realized that In-ha was so hurt.

Even the issue with the uniform was something that happened more than six months ago. It was on the day of the entrance ceremony.

So, does that mean In-ha had been silently harboring resentment since then?

Even as I felt the sting of guilt, I waved it off, reassuring my parents.

“It’s my fault. Don’t worry. In-ha will calm down once enough time has passed.”

The truth was, I was getting worn out too. I had never clung to a relationship this much before.

Well, maybe just once. It was in my previous life.

“You must have felt this way too…”

That guy was dense beyond belief. Even when he confessed that he liked me, he didn’t realize my feelings were changing.

And I wasn’t honest. But in the end, I swallowed my pride.

“Do you really not know why I forgave you?”

“What…?”

“If you meant nothing to me, I wouldn’t have forgiven you, you idiot!”

He really didn’t understand a thing about girls’ hearts.

I sighed, recalling his face.

A week had passed, and In-ha was still closed off from me.

It seemed I really was getting exhausted. The fact that I found myself sighing over memories of him was proof enough.

I knew nothing of deep relationships except those that felt naturally permanent, which was why I was so tired now.

Despite all my apologies, In-ha gave no response. I was anxious.

I wondered if my words were reaching her at all… In-ha was too precious a friend to give up on just because I was tired.

So, I decided to write a letter, feeling that words alone wouldn’t get through to her.

Judging from what she’d said, In-ha must have been deeply hurt.

Continuing to apologize and push her for a conversation might only backfire.

So, I bought a stack of cute stationery and decided to write In-ha a letter each day.

When he heard this, Han-soo gave me a shocked look.

“You’re going that far…? That girl is stubborn as a mule! She could just forgive you if she doesn’t want to lose a friend!”

“In-ha probably thought about this a lot, too. So, it’s okay.”

I said, glancing briefly at In-ha, who was still staring out the window.

Han-soo let out a deep sigh.

“Why is she so stubborn?”

Stubborn… Could it be stubbornness? Maybe.

If it was, I was one of the people who understood that feeling well.

I had been stubborn with him in my previous life.

I’d gone so far as to hope he’d understand my feelings without me saying a word.

Oh, maybe that’s why his face popped into my mind in this situation.

If it’s just stubbornness, that’s fine. If I keep writing letters and apologizing, it’ll eventually wear down her resolve.

And that would also prove that In-ha was a truly precious friend to me.

Honestly, what worried me most was whether In-ha had already shut me out completely.

One day, with my head full of such thoughts, I sat alone on a bench in the school park.

I had my stationery and envelope on my lap as I pondered over what to write in my letter.

While lost in thought, I suddenly found myself face-to-face with Teacher Joon-hwi and Teacher Min.

“I heard you two have been fighting lately.”

They were together, just like they always were during class. They walked along, smiling gently at each other, and stopped when they saw me.

As I gave them only a quick greeting and returned to my daze, Teacher Joon-hwi asked the question.

I brushed my hair behind my ear with an awkward expression.

“Oh, yes… You heard?”

“Yeah, I heard.”

“How could we not? It’s obvious even in class. What happened to make you fight like that? You used to be inseparable.”

They hadn’t mentioned anything during class, but it seemed they had been concerned in their own way.

“I can be a bit thoughtless, and I think that upset her.”

I smiled bitterly. These days, I felt In-ha’s absence every day.

When did I feel it most? During magic practice.

We had always practiced magic together every day without missing a single time.

Even now, despite our fallout, I was still practicing magic every day.

Focusing on something, even if only for a moment, allowed me to forget my anxiety and frustration.

Sitting around worrying would only make things worse. That’s why.

“Well, don’t feel too down.”

“Yes…”

“Friends always fight like that. It’s nothing to worry about. Joon-hwi and I have had plenty of arguments, too.”

“…Thank you.”

Teacher Min gently patted my head. I forced a weak smile.

“Don’t stay out here alone too long.”

I watched their figures retreat, staring blankly.

For the first time, I felt envious of Teacher Joon-hwi and Teacher Min.

The steadfast bond they shared, unwavering, was something I envied.

But instead of going home immediately, I continued sitting there with the letter on my lap.

The sun went down, and the streetlights came on.

Rubbing my increasingly cold hands, I drifted into my thoughts.

☆

In the cold of winter, as we continued our fight and I struggled with how to bridge the gap, the school was already filled with a festive atmosphere.

The banners posted around the school, the magic items and accessories, and the festival notices on student boards—all of it set a festive mood.

I looked up at the sky from a bench in the park, feeling lonely and lost in my thoughts.

In the past, In-ha and I had talked about exploring the festival together, but now, with less than three days left until the event, I was unsure.

‘Maybe I should try visiting her in a dream?’

Since dreams come from the subconscious, wouldn’t we be able to face each other more openly there?

But what if In-ha really has rejected me completely?

I wrapped my arms around my knees and buried my head.

As I sat, wallowing in these thoughts, a familiar voice reached me.

“Hey there, young lady? It’s getting late, so you’d better get going, or a bad guy might come and snatch you away!”

Lifting my head at the playful voice, I saw Eun-hee unnie waving at me.

When I only raised my head without responding, she looked puzzled and asked.

“What’s wrong?”

Eun-hee unnie came closer and gently patted my head.

“You look really down. Ah, I heard from Min-hee that you and In-ha had a fight. Is that why?”

Ha… I guess word had spread everywhere by now.

I let out a hollow laugh and nodded slightly.

Hmm. Eun-hee unnie thought for a moment and then plopped down beside me.

“I was the one feeling down last time, but now it’s our Eun-ha who’s feeling blue. So, what should this unnie do to help?”

“Um… It’s okay. It’s something between me and In-ha.”

“You’re such a low-maintenance junior. It’s a little disappointing, but also admirable… Alright then, should I tell you a story about my friend?”

“…Your friend, unnie?”

“Yep.”

I felt a bit of curiosity.

Noticing my interest, she smiled at me, her bright voice cutting through my gloomy mood.

“So, you know I’ve been here since middle school, right? This is a continuation of that story… It happened when I first came here. Back then, I was pretty guarded and prickly.

The first friend I made here was a girl named Kim Juyeon. Do you know her?”

“…Oh, yes. The senior with the rare magic, right?”

I’d seen her at the recent sports event, too. It would be stranger to think they weren’t friends after seeing them smiling and walking together.

“Yes, that’s right. She’s my closest friend.”

Hearing her call someone her “closest friend” intrigued me.

Curiosity brightened my mood a little as I looked at Eun-hee unnie.

“Back in middle school, she was already pretty skilled at this school, but unlike me, she had been attending here from the very beginning. We were in the same class, but we first noticed each other during the leveled classes. I ended up in the highest class even when I joined here. There were five others in the same advanced class as me, but she was the only other girl there.”

The story started to take shape. I listened to her in silence.

“At that time, I honestly didn’t have many expectations for this school yet. I came here because of the Confidentiality Policy, but I had experienced so much before… I was on guard and didn’t get close to anyone.”

“……”

“I met Juyeon around then. It was after I’d been here a while. Middle school’s leveled classes start in the second semester of the first year.”

I stared ahead quietly. Beyond the glow of the streetlight near the bench, I could see the trees turned black.

“In middle school, there are a lot of sparring sessions in the leveled classes. That’s where I saw the magic skills of the other advanced students for the first time… they were at my level. I won all the sparring matches, but it was the first time I’d seen people with skills similar to mine, so I was genuinely happy. You must’ve felt that way too, right?”

I lowered my head slightly at her words. I couldn’t deny it.

In-ha was the closest in skill among the kids my age that I had ever met. We both knew that what might be called our “talent” was unusual compared to our peers. We thought we wouldn’t see anyone else like us for a long time.

When I met Han-soo, Min-hee, Hyun-ho, In-ho oppa, and Yoo-jung unnie, I was actually happy. I’m not sure about In-ha, but I was glad. I think she was actually delighted, even if she didn’t show it.

Otherwise, there was no way In-ha could have looked so at ease around them.

I gave a small nod.

“Well, after that, it was simple. We met in the leveled classes, found out we had similar skills, and were among the few girls. Naturally, I became interested. Juyeon was the one who approached me first. Even though I acted prickly, I was secretly happy about it. That girl probably put up with a lot because of me. Oh, by the way, Seonghu was also in that advanced class.”

“The Vice President Senior?”

“Yep. Oh? You’re still not close to Seonghu yet? Hmm~ He may seem like that, but he loves people. Despite his looks, he’s actually got a cute personality, so try calling him oppa sometime. He’ll probably love it.”

“……”

Him? While thinking that it seemed unlike his image, I suddenly remembered the sports day. He had given us free tasting tickets from Café Granche, telling us to share them with our friends.

…Ah.

“Later on, I met Ji-hyun too… That guy was arrogant from the start. The teacher in charge of the leveled classes at that time brought two kids over and asked if the middle school leveled classes could accommodate them because they were way ahead of the elementary school level… Turns out that kid’s skill had already caused trouble since elementary school. Anyway, we sparred, and well, he was an even match for me. I was shocked to see someone fight me equally, so I stubbornly kept fighting, but in the end, I lost! My pride was so hurt then…”

She smiled and continued talking about her acquaintances: her best friend, Kim Juyeon, and her younger brother, Kim Juhan; the Vice President, Han Seonghu; her rival, Joo Ji-hyun, who was also Min-hee’s older brother; and his friend and her cute junior, Yoo Chunho.

“The charm on this bracelet, it’s made from a magic crystal stone. The school crafted it as an accessory at some point, and I traded it with Juyeon back then.”

“Oh! I know about those!”

While listening to her story, my mood had noticeably improved. She was speaking with such joy and nostalgia. I smiled as I looked at Eun-hee unnie’s bracelet. So, that accessory was also made from a magic crystal stone?

“I made one of those too, and I gave it to In-ha. It was about a year ago, right around the time I met you, unnie.”

“Heh, really? How did you give it to her? Was it just a plain crystal stone?”

“No. I fused it with magic and made it into a necklace. I remember because In-ha was so happy.”

That was the first gift I ever gave to In-ha. I remembered how she had squinted her eyes and smiled radiantly back then. When such a beautiful girl smiled that brightly, it felt as if the world around her was lighting up.

Eun-hee unnie grinned at me playfully.

“Oh dear, should you be sharing that? Magic crystal stones are actually pretty hard to make, you know?”

“…It’s okay. For Eun-hee unnie, just a little…”

“Oh… you’re such a sweet kid!”

She suddenly hugged me tightly. She patted my head, and the warmth of it made me smile bashfully.

For a while after, she continued telling stories about her friends. Fights with friends, funny incidents, stories about Senior Seonghu and Senior Ji-hyun—because of her, I learned that Eun-hee unnie was really close with a lot of people.

“Come to think of it, does In-ha know?”

“Know what?”

“That the necklace you gave her is made from a crystal stone.”

Wouldn’t that be obvious? But as I thought back, I realized it might not be.

“Hmm… Maybe she doesn’t. I only told her I made it.”

“Really?”

Eun-hee unnie looked at me for a moment and then gave a sly smile.

“Got it.”

I soon parted ways with Eun-hee unnie and went home. After getting scolded for coming back late, I lay on my bed, feeling lonely.

Lying in bed, I turned to look at the empty space beside me. We used to lie here together, practicing magic side by side.

I spread an illusion across the entire room. In an instant, the scenery in my room transformed. The bed I was lying on became a green meadow from my dreams, and I could see stars in the distant sky. A river of stars flowed endlessly.

‘Come to think of it, why did Eun-hee unnie ask me that…?’

That thought lasted only a moment. Soon, I closed my eyes and fell asleep.