Invitation
“Woooah!”
“How, with only a year left...!”
“No redos! It’s our turn now!”
“Seo Yu-na, finish her! Finish, finish!”
“You’re definitely gonna mess up! Drop the stones!”
“Interfere all you want—it won’t make a difference!”
Ever since I taught them gonggin, Class 2-A had turned lunchtime and breaks into a full-blown gonggin craze. Kids picked it up fast, just like you’d expect. In no time, they were playing at a level that could’ve earned them the title of pros without any complaints.
I hung back a step from the group, watching them at play. Yu-na had somehow piled up a mountain of trust from the kids and was right in the thick of it, doing her part. Their laughter was the kind that always lifted your spirits, no matter when you heard it.
“Not playing?”
Haru, fresh from brushing her teeth, plopped down next to me and asked.
“It’s a bit childish, like you said, right?”
“You’re the one who made it up.”
“I did it to death back in the day. When I was alone, gonggin was pretty much the only thing worth doing. Couldn’t exactly juggle or anything.”
“You’re so weird.”
Haru’s blunt assessment landed, and I nodded like, yeah, maybe.
It was always like this. You couldn’t tell if I was watching the kids play gonggin or just staring off into space. Whenever my eyes went unfocused like that, Haru said I reminded her of her great-grandma sitting in the massage chair, gazing at distant mountains and the Han River drifting by.
“What’re you thinking about?”
“Just... old memories.”
“You remember stuff from way back?”
“Yeah, even from when I was a baby.”
Haru started to call bullshit but held back, figuring if anyone could, it’d be me. Smart kid.
“Why’d I suddenly spill my whole family drama to you? I hadn’t even told Nuri, my bestie...”
“Sounds like you just needed to tell someone, whether it was me or not.”
“No... how could I say something like that...? Even last year, the kids teased Yu-na mercilessly about it. But somehow, I figured you wouldn’t.”
I’d already earned a rep as the most grown-up kid in class. Even Haru, who used to own that role, had officially handed it over.
Haru suddenly remembered the time I’d treated her before and brought it up. “How’d you do that, anyway...?”
“Do what?”
“That time I collapsed on the street—you hugged me, and suddenly my head didn’t hurt at all.”
“Oh, right. I used a bit of aura. Thought about magic, but I didn’t know your condition well enough.”
“Aura...? Isn’t that the mana you use to strengthen muscles?”
“Uses are endless. Physical enhancement’s the most common, but it can sub in for antipsychotics like that too.”
“Ugh, I don’t get any of it...”
Mana could wreck your body’s balance in a split second if mishandled, but aura coexisted right at the edge of what your body could handle—no side effects. Especially for psychological trauma; benzos or antidepressants weren’t recommended anyway. So back then, I’d just aimed to ease the symptoms, not cure them.
“So, what exactly are the symptoms? Just a throbbing headache?”
“No... weird noises. Like a piercing ring that makes my head hurt.”
Haru was describing one of the most common auditory hallucination symptoms. Without knowing the source, even I couldn’t fix it. After some thought, I proposed one idea.
“Wanna try making up with Yu-na first?”
“Eek, now!?”
Her face twisted in shock at the curveball. If it was acute stress disorder, starting by filling that unconscious emotional gap felt like the right move.
While Haru hemmed and hawed, I scooted closer. “You said you wanted to apologize to her.”
She fiddled with her long hair, twirling strands around her finger—a perfect mirror of her tangled feelings.
“It’s embarrassing... She might not even want my apology...”
After agonizing forever, she finally spat it out, laced with deep distrust. She couldn’t imagine rebuilding a normal friendship after declaring they were done.
“I don’t get it. Why do people hate each other like it’s forever and keep doing things they’ll regret?”
“...? No clue what you mean.”
“That day you hit Yu-na—what’d you hope would happen to her?”
“Can I be honest...?”
“Go ahead.”
I fixed her with a steady gaze, waiting. She squirmed.
“I wished she’d transfer to another class... Not anymore, promise—don’t get me wrong...!”
It was the raw truth she hadn’t wanted to admit, even to me. Panic hit her that I’d be disappointed.
“Did you ever think you wanted her to just drop dead right then?”
Her brows twitched. My tone was flat, but the words were extreme.
“Never!”
“Then why put off apologizing? What if she dies today and never hears it? That okay?”
“That’s...”
“Death comes without warning. For you, me, Yu-na. No guarantee we’ll get another day to face each other like this.”
To me, people who fought with lovers, parents, or kids were the hardest to understand.
“I just don’t want you regretting it.”
* * *
I’d given Haru the big speech, but... how the hell was I supposed to get two kids to make up? In my past life or the one before, relationships were always single digits. Textbook extreme loner—sad but true.
But Haru looked so fragile; fixing whatever was eating at her ASAP felt urgent. This was the best I could come up with.
“Pajama party?”
Yu-na’s eyes went wide as saucers.
“Yeah. This weekend work?”
“Uh. Oh. Um... Sounds good, but when do we study...?”
“We can at my place. If you’re worried, I’ll help with the next performance eval too.”
“Whoa, really!? First time staying up all night at a friend’s—just us—super exciting...!”
“Not just us. Haru too.”
“Why her...?”
Yu-na’s tone iced over, her dislike plain as day.
“More the merrier.”
“You don’t wanna just hang with me? Am I boring? You’re my only friend... That’s why I only wrote your name on the survey...”
She grabbed my collar, voice wobbling. I stretched her cheeks wide in response—affirmative enough.
Greedy kid...!
“Ehehe.”
But pure, so I let it slide.
“What should I bring? Pajamas?”
“Clothes for the next day, toothbrush, toiletries.”
“Got it. I’ll ask Mom and pack! Pillows?”
“We’ve got plenty of pillows and blankets.”
“Stuffed animals?”
“...If you really want.”
“Hehe, nah. Even without Mr. Dolphin, hugging you should keep the nightmares away...!”
I never signed up for that. If her sleeping habits got too wild, I’d bolt to my own bed pronto. She’d wake up 100% sulky, but I’d cross that bridge later.
Haru’s family approving was the real hurdle, but she said not to worry—she’d be over Saturday for sure.
I’d have to ask Professor Cheon for some tasty cooking ahead of time. Menu was his call, but dessert? Non-negotiable: crepes.
Now to figure out how to get Yu-na and Haru bonding. Step by step.
Oh, and the unavoidable: streaming. From what I recalled, the terms banned monetization for four weeks without donations. Might skip games, but I’d have to show my face soon enough.