The Barbershop Bowl and the Mutant Prodigy
It was a haircut with bangs sliced straight across as if measured with mutant precision. Sideburns jutting out well below the ears, combined with an overall shaggy mop—it was the infamous "barbershop bowl" style.
"Whoa..."
"Back in the day, this was the trend, though."
"Trends come and go, but I don't think I've seen a hairstyle like this even recently."
"Hahaha! So what do you think of this one? Doesn't the professor look even creepier?"
"Come on, 'creepy' is a bit harsh..."
The blue jeans and blue jacket boom had flickered briefly in the early '30s, but the barbershop bowl trend had never truly arrived—not even up to now. That made Cheon Kyujin's 2007 elementary graduation photo from Seferon Academy's elementary division all the more shocking.
Look closely, and you could spot traces of his current impression here and there. Especially the prominent brow bones, unusually bold for a Korean, and those sharp eyes. The quirky hairstyle aside, factoring in the era, he had the refined looks that would've made him popular with girls. He was tall for his age, too. I'd hoped for a glimpse of a mischievous kid from his youth, but Professor Cheon must've been born destined to become one.
"No way, how full of himself was the professor back then?"
"Full of himself?"
"He knew he was handsome and strutted around showing off every time he breathed, right in front of us."
"Hard to picture. He tells me to be humble sometimes."
This is totally "rules for thee but not for me." What, some kind of self-loathing thing?
According to Principal Gu On-yu herself, Professor Cheon had ruled Seferon Academy's elementary division like a king. With top grades, he'd won over every teacher, skipping boring classes by sleeping openly at his desk or ditching for soccer with middle school seniors. And yet he was popular with friends—hence the phrase "ruler of heaven and earth, infant sovereign."
The graduation album laid out all the elementary activities in sequence: career experience days, sports festivals, academy tournaments, invention contests, field trips, and more.
"Elementary albums are kinda boring anyway. The real fun's this one—'Middle School'! What do you think, Nami? Aren't you curious?"
The principal, dead serious about dunking on Professor Cheon, slammed the elementary album shut. One more page, and we'd hit the class photo with her own group... I could guess why, so I played dumb.
I attended Seferon Academy up through middle school. But it wasn't my thing, so I left and graduated from a regular high school.
Back when Professor Cheon first recommended the academy to me, he'd mentioned completing middle school there before going to regular high school.
Seferon Academy elementary valedictorian, Cheon Byeong-ho. His face flashed by one last time on the album's final page.
Thud.
"Principal. So why didn't Professor Cheon advance to the academy's high school division?"
I looked up at her. She peered down at me in turn, our faces inverted as we met eyes. She wiped the smile from her lips and flipped open the album.
"Because he turned into an idiot."
Seferon Academy middle school student council president Gu On-yu and vice president Cheon Byeong-ho. While all eight national academies praised the '95 class as the true golden generation, Seferon topped the list thanks to those two.
They'd led the victory over Gangbuk's Alteer Academy in the inter-academy tournament, earning single-candidate nomination for president and vice as third-years—with 98.1% approval. Their mature builds and striking looks, improbable for middle schoolers, sparked cheers like a live teen romance flick whenever they appeared in a single frame. Rumors even swirled that the student council room was their secret love nest.
One spring day in April, the grade director visited the council room with grave news.
"Around 4 PM today, a transfer student's arriving. Mind giving her a school tour after classes? You two aren't busy, right?"
"A transfer? To our school?"
"Yeah... I didn't know either, but apparently. Same grade as you, middle school third-year. Don't go bullying her just 'cause she's small—she's no pushover. And you two? I hear the dating rumors. Keep it clean; these eyes are watching. Got it?"
"Teacher! We're not like that!"
"What's the transfer's name?"
"You'll recognize it. But the kid... she's a bit..."
The grade director glanced around, then leaned in close to whisper to the middle schoolers.
"The world's biggest brat."
Even in the same world, some people live in entirely different realities. Most friends described Gu On-yu and Cheon Byeong-ho that way.
Gu On-yu kept denying it, but now she had to admit it. The cute hime-cut girl decked out in dangling pink lace ribbons was proof.
No matter how many times they called her name, she gaped blankly, unresponsive. Her eyes were utterly unfocused, her mind checked out to another dimension.
"Ham Chorong."
"..."
"Ham Chorong! Ham Chorong Ham Chorong Ham Chorong Ham Chorong!"
"?"
"I called your name—why no answer...!"
"You did earlier. Gotta again?"
"When! Argh, so frustrating!"
Gu On-yu couldn't believe it. How is a kid like this a genius?
But her TV specs were superhuman. Four years ago, at just 11, Ham Chorong had dual-degreed in theoretical transmutation and philosophy from Seyeon University in a mere 16 months. Two years back, she'd developed a national-standard "B++" unique magic. Last year, she'd demolished scary seniors at the National Athletic Tournament, storming to the quarterfinals.
While they traded basic spells with Alteer middle schoolers, she'd proven herself in an official national event. In other words, among under-18s, she ranked in Korea's top four—overwhelming powerhouse. Humanity's mutant.
Drool dribbled sloppily from her lips.
"Snurrk? Slurrrp."
"This is a dream... gotta be a dream...! What the—arrrgh!"
As Gu On-yu clawed her hair denying reality, Cheon Byeong-ho approached and asked,
"What... are you looking at?"
Her eyes weren't unfocused—they tracked with small, steady movements.
"Sky, cloud shapes, sunlight."
"She's just an idiot, right?"
"Solar rights violation. That building breaks zoning laws. 5 million won fine."
"Huh?"
"Chair angles, backpack, chocolate, Polaroid photo, stockings. You like this guy? Name... Gu On-yu. You're... Cheon Byeong-ho."
Ham Chorong had gleaned their names from pencil case tags and jacket nameplates on the rack. Geniuses overthink. Too much info overloads the brain.
Not content with scanning the entire student council room, she'd exposed Gu On-yu's secret crush on Cheon Byeong-ho without filter.
"Hey! We just met—shut that mouth!"
Gu On-yu lunged to silence the nonstop chatterbox. That instant—
Cherry blossoms swirled in her vision. Tiny petals vortexed around her arm.
As her nails grazed Ham Chorong's cheek, the vortex exploded.
"Eh?"
Gu On-yu's body spun counterclockwise, hurtling across the room.
"Kyaaaaah!"
"Gu On-yu!"
"Oops?"
Cheon Byeong-ho bolted to her; Ham Chorong finally clocked her mistake, blinking.
Empty sports festival boxes cushioned the landing. Gu On-yu clutched her butt and lower back, staggering up.
"What are you? Trying to kill me?"
"Sorry, really sorry, On-yu."
"Sorry fixes everything?"
"Wanna fight then?"
"Wh-what?"
Pink aura flared on her right hand again. Gu On-yu recalled the grade director's words.
The world's biggest brat...
Her clear eyes still sparkled innocently. That was their first meeting with Ham Chorong.
"No way..."
"Definitely..."
Watching Ham Chorong spar with the grade director in the gym left them speechless.
Asked why she'd returned to the academy after a college degree, her answer was absurd.
Parents made me. This year's goal: win the National Athletic Tournament.
How greedy were her parents? They'd branded her quarterfinal exit "life's stain." Ridiculous. Many prepped years for high school entry; she'd joined with months of training and still demanded victory.
Gu On-yu and Cheon Byeong-ho couldn't shake the child abuse vibe.
"Seen that variety show with Ham Chorong?"
"Yeah."
"Parents were on it too."
"Gold necklace guy."
"Yeah. Weird leopard-print coat."
Kid her seemed just a rich kid, but grown-up eyes saw truth: nouveau riche parents, money all from her. Both non-mages, day laborers—shocking. Ham Chorong truly earned "mutant."
"I'll go spar her myself."
"What? Cheon Byeong-ho, you're crazy? You'll get hurt!"
"Curious. Where's that power from?"
Ham Chorong knew no half-measures. Told to treat practice like real fights, she went all-out berserk—rare nationwide.
Problem: Cheon Byeong-ho was that type too.
"Then... be careful. Don't get hurt."
Gu On-yu forever regretted not stopping him that day. Cheon Byeong-ho, humiliated by his first crushing defeat, kept challenging Ham Chorong.