A Splash of Color in a Gray World
For Han Seol-ah, the magical girl known as Marchen, every day was painted in shades of gray. Her days began at dawn with a newspaper delivery route, and the moment school ended, she rushed off to hand out flyers.
Even on weekends, there was no rest—only a relentless cycle of earning money, then earning more money.
"Phew..." Leaving the flyer distribution office after a grueling shift, Seol-ah's steps were heavy, weighed down by bone-deep exhaustion.
Yet, she wasn't heading home. Instead, she made her way to Maria Hospital, which towered over the heart of Gangnam. She had to visit her grandparents, both of whom were battling terminal illnesses.
"Oh, Seol-ah! You're here again today? How was work?" As she dragged her creaking body into the hospital lobby, the receptionist—a familiar face she saw almost every day—greeted her warmly.
"It was manageable today..." Seol-ah replied, forcing the corners of her mouth upward. In truth, she felt like collapsing onto the floor and passing out right then and there, but she swallowed the urge, not wanting to worry the hospital staff.
"That's good. Here, I have a few candies left. Want one? You've gotten so thin lately."
"Thank you..." Seol-ah popped the strawberry-flavored hard candy into her mouth. The burst of artificial sweetness on her tongue gave her a tiny jolt of energy.
Still, it was nowhere near enough to wash away the fatigue that had settled deep into her bones over the months. Dragging her feet, she stepped into the elevator.
Just a little more. Let's hold on just a little longer. I'll see their faces, and then I can finally sleep.
Her reflection in the elevator mirror looked like a stranger. Not long ago, her eyes had sparkled with the pride of being a magical girl.
Now, the mirror showed only a hollow, gaunt face that resembled the exhausted salarymen she passed on the streets.
Ding. "I'm coming in." The elevator arrived at the 15th floor. Clutching a carton of cheap health juice she had bought at a convenience store, Seol-ah pushed open the door to the hospital room.
"Oh, my sweet Seol-ah. You're finally here!" Her grandmother waved warmly the moment she stepped inside.
"Grandmother!" Seol-ah smiled brightly and walked over to her side.
"Wait..." Something was wrong. The bed next to her grandmother's—the one where her grandfather should have been resting—was completely empty.
"Grandmother, where's Grandfather? Did he go to the restroom?"
"Oh? Where did that old man wander off to? He was right here just a moment ago..."
What? Seol-ah's heart sank. If even her grandmother didn't know, it meant he hadn't left with a nurse or an orderly.
"Grandmother, do you really not know? Where did he go...?"
"Well, I must have dozed off for a second. He must have slipped out then."
Her mind went completely blank. Her grandfather's dementia had been worsening lately. Before anything bad could happen— I have to find him, fast! Seol-ah tossed the juice carton onto the bedside table and bolted out into the hallway.
"Grandfather!" Fortunately, he hadn't gone far. He was sitting on a sofa in the lounge just down the hall, clutching his cane tightly.
"Grandfather!"
"Oh? Ah, Seol-ah!" Seeing him smile so casually as he welcomed her, a wave of sorrow hit Seol-ah before relief could even set in.
"Grandfather! You can't just wander off without saying anything! Do you have any idea how scared I was? Your dementia has been acting up, and if you walk around alone and trip somewhere... it could have been really dangerous!"
Seol-ah squeezed his hand, her voice cracking with emotion. At his granddaughter's fierce scolding, the old man chuckled sheepishly and adjusted his grip on his cane.
"Now, now, don't worry so much. You saved me just a moment ago anyway, didn't you? You picked up my cane and brought me all the way here."
"Huh...?" Seol-ah's eyes widened. Saved him? "Grandfather, what are you talking about? When did I save you? I literally just got here..."
"What do you mean? You were with me just a second ago..." Her grandfather started to say, looking puzzled, but then he blinked, staring over Seol-ah's shoulder.
"Oh my. There are two Seol-ahs... Has my eyesight gotten so bad that I'm seeing double?"
Following her grandfather's bewildered gaze, Seol-ah slowly turned around. Standing there was an incredibly young-looking girl. A girl with clear, bright eyes was staring blankly back at her.
She's beautiful. The thought slipped into Seol-ah's mind automatically. The girl had porcelain skin, eyes that tilted up ever so slightly at the corners, and delicate, doll-like features.
Her long, snow-white hair seemed to catch and hold the sunlight streaming through the window. From head to toe, she was absolutely flawless.
"Hmm." Finding herself under the blank stares of both Seol-ah and the grandfather, the girl blinked, looking back and forth between them.
"Hmph." She slowly raised her hand and made a peace sign.
"..."
"..."
"Pfft, haha!" Despite her cold, beautiful appearance, there was something delightfully goofy about her, as if she had a screw loose. Seol-ah couldn't help but burst out laughing at the girl's bizarre pose.
Inside the hospital room.
"So, your dream is to become a doctor, and you came to the hospital for a field trip..."
"Yeah."
"And then you saw my grandfather almost fall and saved him?"
"That's right."
Seol-ah sat on a plastic visitor's chair, while Mir sat on an auxiliary stool next to the bed. The two of them chatted amiably.
"That suits you so well! If you become a doctor, Mir, whatever hospital you work at is going to be incredibly successful!"
"I am pretty amazing."
True to her cold first impression, Mir spoke in short, blunt sentences. Her face remained expressionless, showing little emotion. At a glance, she exuded the unapproachable aura of an icy princess, but Seol-ah could tell.
She knew there was a warm, caring side hidden behind that blank face. That gap only made Mir feel more charming and approachable.
"Did you say your name was Mir?" Leaning against his pillows, her grandfather sipped the health juice Seol-ah had brought, a gentle smile on his face. "Hoho, our Seol-ah is so lucky. To have such a pretty and kind-hearted friend."
"...!" In an instant, Seol-ah's face flushed as red as a ripe apple. "F-Friend...!"
Friend. Between studying from dawn until late at night and juggling a killer part-time work schedule, she had never had the luxury of building relationships.
The word felt incredibly foreign, something she hadn't heard in a very long time. Unaccustomed to the term, Seol-ah bit her lip and stole a glance at Mir, worried the girl might find it uncomfortable.
"Yeah. We're friends." Fortunately, Mir simply gave a brief nod, showing no signs of discomfort. *Phew.*
"G-Grandfather, you're embarrassing me...!" Letting out a silent sigh of relief, Seol-ah looked down, fidgeting with the plastic straw wrapper of the juice carton to hide her blooming smile and burning cheeks.
"Oh, right!" She had been so caught up in the conversation that she forgot to properly thank her! Seol-ah immediately stood up and bowed deeply to Mir.
"Mir, thank you so much. My grandfather's mind has been wandering lately... If it weren't for you, something terrible could have happened. Thank you so much for looking after him and bringing his cane."
"No need to thank me." Mir nodded nonchalantly. Her face was still as blank as an icy princess's, but Seol-ah could feel the warmth radiating from within her.
"Ah, look at the time." Perhaps she had somewhere else to be. Mir stood up and brushed off her clothes. "I should get going."
"Y-You're leaving already?" The plea to stay rose to the tip of her tongue, but Seol-ah barely managed to swallow it down. She couldn't just hold someone back for no reason, especially since they had only met today.
Yet, a sudden wave of anxiety washed over her, whispering that if she let her walk away now, she might never see her again. Taking a deep breath, Seol-ah clenched her fists and summoned every ounce of her courage.
"U-Um...! If it's okay with you, c-could we... exchange numbers?" As Seol-ah held out her phone, her face flushed so red it looked ready to burst, a brief silence fell over the hospital room. The quiet was shattered by a teasing voice from behind her.
"Oh my, look at our little pup. Ah, youth, sweet youth~" At her grandmother's playful teasing, her grandfather joined in, waving his juice carton. "Hoho, I had days like that once too."
"Oh, seriously! Both of you, please be quiet...!" While Seol-ah shrieked and covered her face in embarrassment, Mir took the phone without a single change in her expression. *Beep, beep-beep-beep.* She smoothly tapped in her number.
"Here."
"...Ah." Seol-ah felt her hands tremble as she stared at the phone being handed back to her. Wow. She had actually exchanged numbers. And with her very first friend? This wasn't a dream, was it?
"I'm off."
"Y-Yeah. Bye!" Watching Mir walk out of the room, Seol-ah bit her lip. It hurt, so it definitely wasn't a dream. Thank goodness. Thank goodness!
I'm going to remember today forever! A friend! A real friend! Just thinking about that word made the crushing fatigue that had weighed her down all day vanish like a lie. Ah, today was definitely going to be the happiest day of her life!