Yeonseo's Awakening and Our First Separation
It was during summer vacation. While Ma Yeonseo had gone to the US to spend time with her family, I started constantly exchanging messages with her on the cellphone she'd gifted me.
Naturally, my mom ended up asking about the phone one day….
"Your girlfriend bought you a phone?!"
Once she heard the whole story, Mom reacted just as I'd expected.
"No… why?" "I just mentioned my phone was glitchy…." "No, I mean! What makes you so special that she'd do that?!" "…Is that something you say to your own son?"
Mom seemed pretty shocked, but thankfully, she didn't make a big fuss.
"I see…. My boy's already…."
She just gazed at me with a face full of emotion and asked one question.
"So…. Do you like her a lot?"
Do I love Ma Yeonseo?
I answered without hesitation, pouring my heart into it.
"I don't think I could live without her anymore."
Mom nodded quietly, her face a little surprised, then wrapped it up with some final advice.
"Love her without regrets."
There was a faint wistfulness in her expression as she said it.
I'd already suspected it from the phone gift, but surprisingly, Ma Yeonseo was the type to shower the person she loved with gifts without holding back. Honestly, it was a bit overwhelming.
"What's that?" "A gift for you." "…Huh?"
It was right before the break ended, when I met up with her at a café after she returned from the US. She suddenly handed me a small shopping bag, calling it a gift. It was from a brand with a striking bright orange color.
"Out of the blue?" "I was shopping and thought of you, so I grabbed it." "You already gave me a birthday present before." "…You don't want it?"
A faint glint of madness flickered in Ma Yeonseo's eyes as she glanced at me. Sensing the danger instinctively, I waved my hands and snatched up the gift.
"No, it's not that I don't want it…. Anyway, thanks." "Open it already."
I pulled out a small box decorated with an elegant ribbon from the bag.
It looks like a jewelry case.
Amazed by the high-quality case, I carefully opened it to reveal the gift inside: a leather wallet.
Whoa. This looks insanely expensive…?
The wallet I'd been using was pretty nice too. It was a high-end handmade item from leather my mom's ex-boyfriend 'Uncle' had gotten from a tower long ago, meant for me to use when I grew up. But this one from Ma Yeonseo looked several times pricier.
"This…. It seems really expensive…?" "Who knows."
She dodged the question with a vague reply.
Her…? Maybe I can look up the brand.
Not knowing much about brands, I scratched my head and decided to just accept it quietly. Ignorance is bliss, right? I didn't want to search it up and feel even more burdened.
"…So. What do you think?"
In the meantime, Ma Yeonseo stirred her drink with the straw, hiding her anxiety, and casually asked for my thoughts.
Since I'd accepted the gift, time to give a proper reaction.
"I love it! The design's so sleek, and it looks super luxurious. Honestly, I feel like I don't deserve something this nice." "…Good. It's made from leather from the tower, so it'll last a long time."
She seemed satisfied, flashing a faint smile.
"Wow. Made from tower leather…. Guess I won't have to worry about getting stabbed while carrying this. Right?" "Then don't do anything stab-worthy."
"Heh. True."
I ignored the stares around us and stuck close to her, lavishing her with affection.
"What am I gonna do if I keep just receiving like this?" "It's fine. I gave it because I wanted to." "Ugh. Stop saying it so sweetly. Give me a break."
Ma Yeonseo looked pleased with my cuteness, her face softening happily. Worth the effort.
Someday, I gotta pay her back properly.
With that resolve, the new semester began. It was our final middle school semester, but not much different from the first.
Days were normal: classes during the day, then heading to Ma Yeonseo's place after school.
"Oh. You used up all the stuff we bought before?" "Didn't order any today since we don't need it." "Huh? Why?" "I have some pills left from before. I'm good today." "Hey. Last time you said that, things went crazy." "So you're not gonna do it?" "…N-no, that's not…." "Then shut up and strip."
"Okay…."
By evening, I'd head home drained of energy and crash into bed.
…Didn't even do much, but I'm exhausted….
Occasional dates with Ma Yeonseo too.
"(Dude. Isn't this place too pricey…? One menu item's….)" "Tastes good though." "(Of course it does…!)" "Oh. You don't like it? Should I call the manager? Ask why it's so expensive?" "N-no, let's just eat. Yeah. There's gotta be a reason."
Gifts from her now and then.
"You got couple rings made? Not suggesting we get them—you already did?" "Yeah." "Wait…. When did you measure my ring size?" "While you were sleeping before." "What."
We picked a high school based on our grades to attend together.
"Ah! I saw this school's uniform is pretty." "No places with pretty uniforms." "Why? I wanna see you in it." "Other girls would wear it too." "Whoa…. That's a jealousy point I never saw coming." "So no." "Hmm, then…."
As days passed and life with Ma Yeonseo became routine, December arrived. A biting winter chill hung in the air.
I was waiting for a rare message from the absent Ma Yeonseo.
No contact yet.
By luck, Ma Yeonseo and I both got into our dream high school. It was infamous for ugly uniforms, but rumors said they'd change to cute ones next year, and the facilities were great, so I was looking forward to it.
…High school, huh.
Ahead of enrollment, I'd been mulling over some worries lately. Concerns about my future, which I'd ignored until now, suddenly hit me.
Three years until I'm thrown into society as an adult.
Time to think about career paths.
College is the safest bet.
With no clear dream right now, maintaining grades for university seemed most realistic. The issue? It costs a ton.
Or just jump into work right after graduation.
Not bad either. I could study while working if needed. Though it'd all be on me.
Either way's tough.
Lost in those thoughts, my phone buzzed briefly.
"?"
Glancing at the screen, there was the name I'd been waiting for: Ma Yeonseo.
What took her so long? What's up?
I quickly unlocked it and checked her message.
And.
"Huh…?"
I rubbed my eyes and stared closer.
She'd awakened.
What is awakening?
After the towers appeared, suddenly gaining mysterious superpowers one day—that's called awakening.
Those who awaken are awakeners, and lately, they're excelling not just in tower raids but across countless industries. It's said to be like winning the lottery….
And that awakener was now sitting right in front of me.
"What do you think? Cute, right?"
At our usual café near her place, Ma Yeonseo petted a tiny fireball perched lightly on her palm.
Fwoosh. Fwoosh.
It wriggled along with her gestures, brimming with lifelike energy, like a real creature.
It was a fire spirit that had been summoned the moment she awakened.
Life really is unfair.
Meeting the news of her awakening, I finally understood what "mixed feelings" meant.
Awakening is special, like hitting the jackpot. Nothing bad about it, so of course I was happy at first….
But thinking it over later, I couldn't just celebrate.
Ma Yeonseo was already smart, beautiful, from an amazing family—and now she'd awakened too. With summoning powers, no less, among the rarest worldwide.
Me? Average brains, average looks, average everything else.
I'd already felt the huge "class gap" in so many ways, and now it had widened even more.
"It has a real name, but it's hard to say, so I decided to call it Nabi." "…Good name. Yeah…."
"Right?"
Ma Yeonseo chatted happily about her awakening and the spirit. I'd been pretty unsettled on the way over, but seeing her brighter than usual shifted my mood a bit.
Yeah…. That stuff doesn't matter between us.
Ma Yeonseo and I were together purely because we liked each other. Awakener or not, nothing changed.
She likes me. I like her.
That was it.
Or so I thought.
Until that moment came.
"Wh-what? Did I hear that wrong?" "……." "You have to go to a different school?! What does that even mean?!"
Minor awakeners must attend legally designated special education facilities.
But the school we'd chosen wasn't one of them.
In other words, she had to go somewhere else by force.
What kind of bullshit is this…!
Ridiculous, but what could I do? The law was the law, and I was just a student.
I even looked into transfers, but it was a sports high school—transfers were nearly impossible.
In the end, all I could do was accept reality and adapt.
"…Wh-what do I do…?"
But Ma Yeonseo couldn't.
Suddenly separated from me, she grew visibly anxious. The always-calm girl was even tearing up.
"I don't wanna be apart from you…. Without me…. Sob…."
Especially terrified I'd be stolen by another girl.
Shouldn't I be the one worried…?
Hard to relate, but I couldn't ignore my girlfriend's tears.
I desperately comforted her.
"Yeonseo. It's just school. I'm not going anywhere weird, okay?" "Those other girls won't leave you alone…. Yuchan, can't you just drop out?" "Wh-what?!" "Drop out and live at my place…!" "D-drop out…."
She wasn't kidding—she even looked up dropout procedures to take me in.
"I'll talk to your mom nicely. Okay?"
She even planned to come persuade my family personally.
She's lost it.
Panicking hard, I tried convincing her by appealing to trust.
"Yeonseo. Can't you trust me a little? Do I seem like some slut who'd jump at any girl throwing herself at me?" "…No." "Right. You know I quit clubs and cut contact with girls since we started dating." "…That's because I'm with you…." "Even with you around, I could if I wanted. So many ways. Right?" "……."
Ma Yeonseo's eyes sharpened.
Sh-crap, shouldn't have said that.
I gulped nervously and threw out every empty promise to reassure her.
"If it'll make you feel safe, I'll do anything." "…Anything?" "Anything. Install a location tracker app, check my phone regularly—whatever." "……."
For some reason, Ma Yeonseo suddenly went quiet and looked away.
Seemed like my persuasion was working.
"So don't worry too much. You're the only one for me forever." "…Really?" "For real. Can't date anyone else now. Where else would I find someone as pretty and lovable? Even if I did, I wouldn't be satisfied."
She softened at the compliments, her expression easing.
Almost there.
"While you're gone, I'll study hard and propose with a diamond ring later." "…Propose…." "We have to get married. You raised my standards this high—gonna leave me hanging?" "Ah…. Y-yeah. Marriage."
She gulped at the marriage talk, stuttering with rare excitement.
Confirming she was fully okay, I grinned and gave her a light kiss.
"I love you." "…Me too. I love you."
And so, we who seemed glued together forever were separated for the first time.