Prologue Story

In the end, I reluctantly went along with them, forcing myself to ignore the awkwardness.

I found myself holding hands and walking with Senior Yeon Yoon, who was a friend of Seonghu oppa.

The place was crowded with people, and as a young elementary school student, I felt small and fragile.

During the festival, it wasn’t just students entering the school—there were also outsiders.

My and In-ha’s parents seemed to want to come as well, but they likely decided against it, considering that In-ha and I were currently in a cold war.

Daehyun Magic School was the most prestigious magic school in our country.

As a result, many people bought tickets just to visit the school festival.

It was probably natural for them to worry about me, a young elementary student wandering alone in the crowd.

Honestly, even middle school hadn’t been this packed.

Despite cautiously looking around and moving carefully, people constantly bumped into me because they weren’t looking down.

Just as I was trying to dodge another passerby, Seonghu oppa suddenly stopped.

“……?”

I looked up at him, curious as he walked slightly ahead of me, when he turned, bent down, and lifted me up.

Then, before I knew it, he placed me on his shoulder.

“……!”

Startled, I soon realized what he had done and felt my face heat up in embarrassment.

What on earth was he doing…! A shoulder ride…!

I mean, I’m eight years old now! My mental age is actually an adult!

The ride was smooth enough, but… no, that wasn’t the point!

All eyes around me, now below my level, turned toward me.

I was genuinely flustered and embarrassed.

If it had been just an ordinary high school student giving me a shoulder ride, it might not have been as bad.

But he was the Vice President of the high school student council and ranked second among our school’s magicians.

In other words, he was one of the most well-known students at this school!

“Whoa, what’s this all of a sudden?!”

Even Senior Yoon, who was standing next to us, looked taken aback.

If it had been an ordinary student doing it, people might have looked a few times and then moved on.

Feeling utterly overwhelmed by all the stares from the students around us, I whispered with my head lowered, unable to bring myself to lift my face.

“Um, please… put me down…!”

Then, as his steps caused me to sway, I instinctively wrapped my arms around his head.

It was a reflexive action out of fear.

I was terrified of heights and unstable places.

Noticing my reaction, Seonghu oppa slowed his pace and asked gently.

“But… I noticed earlier that you seemed to have gotten hurt. Are you alright?”

“Huh? Where?”

“You got stepped on earlier. Your uniform is a bit disheveled, and your cheek looks red from getting hit by a bag.”

“Really?”

I instinctively raised my hand to my cheek at his words.

Come to think of it, my cheek did feel unusually warm… Ah, he was right.

Senior Yoon looked at me and whispered.

Momentarily flustered by the realization, I still blushed as I whispered to Seonghu oppa.

“Um, still, it must be uncomfortable… Could you please put me down now?”

“It’s fine. It’s better than you getting hurt.”

“No, it’s not just that… it’s embarrassing…”

I whispered, my voice as small as a mosquito’s, my head hung low.

For heaven’s sake, my mental age isn’t that of a child anymore!

Most of all, having everyone’s eyes on me like this was overwhelmingly embarrassing!

But there was Senior Yoon, laughing heartily as he watched us.

“Wow… Haha! Thanks to our little junior here, I’m seeing quite an amusing sight.”

Couldn’t he help out a bit?

I looked up at him, almost ready to cry.

What would my friends say if they saw this?

After hesitating, I finally went for a compromise.

“Um… maybe it’d be better if you just gave me a piggyback ride…? The shoulder ride is a bit… too embarrassing…”

“Really?”

Yes! I nodded vigorously.

I was soon settled on Seonghu oppa’s back.

The embarrassment remained, but it was a bit better than being on his shoulders.

I buried my face against his back, hoping no one could see my expression.

I let out a sigh and thought to myself.

‘So what Eun-hee unnie said was true.’

Despite his cold face and image, he really liked kids.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be doing this for me.

But still, it was so embarrassing.

This was beyond any sense of dignity.

Well, honestly, the piggyback and shoulder ride didn’t feel too bad…

I mean, it was nice to feel like a kid again for once.

But to do this in front of so many people, especially where people I knew might see… that was really…

“You must be pretty close with Seonghu. No matter how nice he is to younger kids, I’ve never seen him go this far before… How do you know Seonghu?”

Senior Yoon, who was walking beside us, asked.

After hesitating a moment, I answered.

“Through Eun-hee unnie…”

“Ah, I see! So you’re the one the President talked about!”

Senior Yoon looked at me with a bright expression.

I widened my eyes in surprise.

What? What did Eun-hee unnie say about me?

Seeing my curious look, he patted my head kindly.

“You’re the one who brightened up the President’s mood, aren’t you? We’re really grateful for that.”

“Huh? I cheered up Eun-hee unnie…? How?”

“Hmm, maybe you don’t know. She didn’t tell us why, but Eun-hee was downcast for a while… Then one day, she suddenly came back cheerful, talking happily about a cute little junior in elementary school. We thought that must be the one who cheered her up. Turns out that cute girl wasn’t just cute, but also a real blessing. Thank you, really.”

His hand on my head patted me even more enthusiastically.

My bangs brushed against my eyelids, and I blinked.

Something sparked in my memory.

Ah, that day.

There was a time when Eun-hee unnie had asked me to comfort her.

She had shown a playful face, but her eyes had seemed sad.

Could what I’d said to her back then have actually helped her?

If it did, that makes me happy.

I smiled shyly.

“If you’ve cheered up our President, we ought to return the favor! So, Eun-ha, is there anything you want to eat? This oppa will buy it for you; just name it.”

“Oh, um, no, it’s okay…”

I waved my hands awkwardly at his overly generous offer.

Just the fact that he was helping me find In-ha was already enough.

“Just helping me find my friend is plenty, thank you.”

“Finding your friend is a given, but I want to treat you! Ah, right. Even if we can’t spot her with the camera, we might run into her nearby, so could you describe her appearance? And just in case, tell me your student ID number so we can contact each other if needed.”

Wanting his cooperation on that, I answered immediately.

“Yes. So, my friend’s name is Kang In-ha… She’s really pretty.”

“A really pretty girl?”

“Yes, she usually wears a lovely dress, has hair down to her waist, and her eyes are dark with a bluish tint.”

“Hmm…”

“Yes. And she’s incredibly pretty.”

I emphasized her beauty with a serious expression.

Senior Yoon grew serious as well.

“Really? She’s that pretty?”

“Yes, dazzlingly so. When you see her, you’ll know right away, ‘Oh, that’s Kang In-ha.’ You won’t be able to forget her.”

“Hmm…”

“Come to think of it, you may have seen her before. Remember how you said you saw me during the sports festival? She was one of the girls next to me then…”

Although Seonghu oppa recognized In-ha’s face, it would be easier to find her if Senior Yoon knew it too.

Thinking this, I eagerly explained, recalling the sports festival.

But Senior Yoon scratched his head, looking uncertain.

“Hmm… I’m not sure. There were several other kids around you, right? I only remember you well because Seonghu made such a big deal about it. I think there was a pretty girl beside you, like you said, but I don’t remember her face well. Anyway, so, a really pretty girl, right?”

“Yes.”

Good. Knowing she’s a beautiful girl covers about 70% of In-ha’s features.

Senior Yoon then touched his student ID.

“Got it. And your student ID number?”

“‘0030425368’… that’s it.”

“Alright, so it’s 003…042…”

Senior Yeon Yoon entered the number on his student ID.

But I heard another ‘beep, beep, beep’ sound nearby, and when I looked down, I saw that Seonghu oppa, who was carrying me, was also entering my student ID number.

“Okay, entry complete. Huh? Seonghu, did you not know her number either?”

“She’s closer to Eun-hee.”

Senior Yeon Yoon nodded and then looked back at me.

“Is that so? Ah, Eun-ha, do you like sweets?”

“Huh? No… not really…”

“Oh, really? Then, how about savory food?”

“I guess I like it… Um, but why…?”

“Is that so?”

I answered, but a sense of dread crept over me, and I looked at Senior Yeon Yoon with an uneasy expression.

My hunch was right. From that point on, every time something tasty caught his eye, Senior Yeon Yoon bought it and handed it to me before I could even speak.

In the end, just because I had answered his questions about my taste, I had to accept a pile of snacks from him all the way to the CCTV control room.

☆

Even as they were introduced to the high school, the kids mostly wore sullen expressions.

Joo Min-hee would look amazed for a moment and then suddenly scowl, while Yoon Shia and Kim Hyun-ho kept their eyes on their surroundings but clearly looked dejected.

Park Han-soo walked straight ahead without any interest in sightseeing, occasionally frowning and muttering something to himself.

And they all kept glancing at their student IDs.

Yoo Chunho looked at them with an awkward expression.

“Hey, guys… did something happen to you all…?”

He had spent a lot of time with these kids, but it was the first time he had seen them so downhearted.

Especially Joo Min-hee, who, unlike her brother, was usually quite lively.

But now she looked up at Yoo Chunho with a face that was about to burst into tears.

“I wonder if Eun-ha is still wandering around.”

“Eun-ha? Who is that?”

Joo Ji-hyun, who had been watching his sister’s disheartened look with concern, raised his eyebrows.

“…Is that the girl? The quiet, mature one?”

“Yeah, Eun-ha and In-ha got into a fight… Lately, she’s been so down every day… Yesterday she even threw up… When I thought she was finally feeling better, now she’s just avoiding me altogether… I’m so upset…”

“Kids these days fight like that?”

Yoo Chunho looked surprised. Joo Min-hee’s voice wavered, and once she started talking, the words spilled out like a flood.

“I think the problem is In-ha. When someone humbles themselves and sincerely apologizes, they should at least say something back, right?”

“I’m worried. Will they be okay…?”

“I never knew In-ha could be so stubborn.”

“It’s probably just with Eun-ha…”

Park Han-soo grumbled in frustration, while Yoon Shia looked cautious, and Kim Hyun-ho muttered with a downcast look.

Finally, the four kids sighed at the same time.

Joo Ji-hyun watched them quietly for a moment before asking.

“So, what’s this Eun-ha doing right now?”

“Um… She’s looking for In-ha. She went into hiding…”

“Want me to help find her?”

Joo Ji-hyun responded simply.

The four kids lifted their heads in surprise.

“Right! Oppa, can you do it?”

“Detecting magic is basic stuff. Ah, but I don’t really know the girl we’re looking for, so it might be a bit difficult.”

Joo Ji-hyun scratched his head, looking unsure.

Just then, Yoo Chunho snapped his fingers as if he had an idea.

“Oh! Isn’t there someone with a magic that can find people just by their name? You know, that senior from the second year who’s a descendant of a shaman!”

“I can’t find that person with my powers. Well then… Ah, I know where to go.”

After a moment of thought, Joo Ji-hyun snapped his fingers as if something had come to him.

“The CCTV control room.”

“Oh, right! There’s that place!”

“We can look for her there. Alright, let’s go.”

The two of them led the children with satisfied expressions.

Park Han-soo looked delighted but also a bit anxious.

“Wait, are we even allowed to go in there?”

Joo Ji-hyun grinned broadly.

“Normally, no, but I’m the next student council president, so it’s fine.”

With a confident smile, Joo Ji-hyun said that and gave Park Han-soo a light pat on the head before striding forward.

The children followed him eagerly.

Park Han-soo touched the spot where Joo Ji-hyun had patted his hair, his face reddening.

“…He only acts cool at times like this.”

Shortly after, Park Han-soo followed behind Joo Ji-hyun.