Baron Samedi's Dice
I fiddled with the dice Baron Samedi had given me, rolling it this way and that. It looked exactly like the one I'd thrown back at the Crossroads when I made the contract with the lion. Numbers from 0 to 5 engraved on it, the markings a deep red like they'd been painted with blood.
Looking at the dice brought back memories of the Crossroads, and for some reason, it put my mind at ease.
[Roll it whenever you hit a problem you don't know.]
Baron Samedi pointed at the dice with his index finger. His finger was long and thin, like a withered tree branch at first glance.
"So I just pick the answer matching the number it lands on?"
[That's right. Roll the dice and mark whatever number comes up.]
"Then the dice finds the right answer for me."
Whenever I hit a question I didn't know, I'd roll the dice and pick the answer corresponding to the number. This lucky dice from Baron Samedi would tell me the correct choice, letting me ace even the ones I had no clue about. With this, beating Seong Ha-yeon in our bet was a given—I could even aim for top of the entire school. Hell, maybe perfect scores across the board.
That's when Baron Samedi spoke up, his face bored and indifferent.
[Sorry to disappoint, but it doesn't find answers. It's not some lucky charm. Just a plain old dice.]
"Ah. So what can> this dice do?"
[It's way more fun than blind guessing! If you finish early, you can kill time rolling it around.]
"Totally useless."
Betrayal hit me like a truck, my body trembling with it. Baron Samedi ignored my feelings and kept going.
[Oh, and if it lands on '0', just go with your gut.]
"Might as well guess on everything then."
[Eh, whatever works. It's your test, your score. Not my problem.]
"Wow. Can I just plant one right in that smug jaw of yours?"
I clenched my fist lightly and glared at him. But Baron Samedi was already gone. Where he'd stood, purple mist and cigar smoke swirled lazily. The mist and smoke shot up into the sky, scattering in the wind until nothing remained.
My clothes had picked up a faint whiff of his cigar.
"Ha... sigh."
I let out a heavy sigh to melt away the frustration, then shoved the dice into my pocket. It wouldn't help much, but no harm in keeping it. Like he said, if I finished the test early, I could fiddle with it to pass the time.
I headed back up to the classroom. No sooner had I sat down than the bell rang for lunch.
The kids gathered in groups and shuffled off to the cafeteria. I glanced at Jeong In-ah. She was still fast asleep.
"..."
I hesitated to wake her. The vibe had felt off and awkward since morning. Maybe because Gu Jun-hyeok was gone. If that guy were here, he'd have broken the ice without a second thought, no matter how stiff things got.
Feeling this awkward just because one guy vanished? Made me feel pathetic.
I walked over to Jeong In-ah's desk. She was out cold, head buried in her arms. Had she lost weight since I last saw her properly? She looked slimmer overall.
Snap!
"Ack!"
I flicked her forehead to wake her. She shot up with a sharp yelp, rubbing her head and glaring at me with sleepy, half-lidded eyes.
"Time for lunch."
She blinked at me for a long moment without responding, like she hadn't fully shaken off the dream. Then light returned to her eyes as she stared at my face. She swept back her messy hair and stood.
"...Already lunch?"
A small smile tugged at her lips. I nodded.
"You looked beat."
"Yeah... Lately, I've just been sleeping weird..."
"Not getting enough?"
"Studying's messed up my schedule. Ow, my head hurts."
She wobbled down the stairs. I followed. From behind, I could tell she'd definitely thinned out. Her steps even looked weaker.
Suddenly, she whipped her head around to look at me.
"Hey, why'd you hit me? Just call my name next time."
"Figured you wouldn't wake up."
"I wasn't sleeping that> deep. Just a quick nap."
"Really? You were out the whole morning."
She pouted and looked away, muttering loud enough for me to hear.
"Can't say one nice thing, huh... Just apologize already..."
"Sorry."
"Too late, dummy."
She shot back and kept walking. Talking to her like this, it wasn't as awkward as I'd thought. The weird vibe from morning was probably just in my head.
I considered bringing up Gu Jun-hyeok but dropped it. Bad idea. She had no memory of the black magic incident—didn't even know he was a Satanist. To her, he was just missing. Dragging it up would just sour the mood.
We had plenty to talk about without dredging that up. What she'd done during the break, how studying was going, if she was fully recovered. Conversation lulled as we crossed the field outside.
"...Cigar smell."
Jeong In-ah murmured under her breath. She sniffed around, then leaned toward my clothes and wrinkled her nose. Disappointment flooded her eyes as she looked up at me.
"You... smoked, didn't you?"
"No?"
"Don't lie! You reek of it."
She narrowed her eyes accusingly. I sniffed my own shirt, just in case. Nothing.
Of course not—I'd never smoked.
"No... there's no smell."
"Duh. Smokers never notice their own stink."
"I'm not a smoker. This is a misunderstanding."
"Lying to the end? I'm disappointed. You thug."
She glared and stepped away, putting distance between us. I'd close the gap, she'd match it. No dice.
"Come on, hear me out."
"Shut up, you nicotine fiend."
"Hey, don't yell."
"No way. Gonna yell louder."
She wouldn't listen to my defense. I felt other kids heading to lunch staring at me. Never touched a cigarette in my life, and now this? Infuriating and unfair.
Their eyes were on us—well, mostly me. My stomach started churning...
"Fine, think what you want. Smoke or not."
No point explaining if she wouldn't listen, and I hadn't done anything wrong. Honestly, I was getting pissed. It came out harsher than intended, and Jeong In-ah's teasing grin faltered into surprise.
She sidled closer.
"...You mad?"
"Nope."
"Whoa, you're totally sulking. What now."
She bumped me playfully. I kept my eyes forward, ignoring her. She beamed and kept talking.
"So you didn't smoke?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, I'll believe you this once."
"Not just this once, for real—"
"I said I believe you~ Why get mad?"
She giggled. With an innocent smile, she continued.
"Good."
"What's good all of a sudden?"
"This morning, I thought you weren't you. Like, how do I put it..."
She hesitated, lips twitching. The smile faded from her face. She looked lost in thought, expression blank. That emptiness stuck with me.
"...Never mind. Let's eat! What's on the menu?"
We'd reached the cafeteria without noticing. We got our trays and ate. It tasted like crap.
*
Morning and afternoon classes were mostly self-study. By the time I snapped out of studying or zoning out, school was over.
I was about to walk home with Jeong In-ah like always, but then I remembered—starting today, dorm life.
"Ah... dorm."
She looked bummed but nodded.
"Right, you said you applied... Which building?"
"C Dorm. Room number, I'll find out when I get there."
"Ah, C Dorm..."
She nodded slowly, smiling oddly. Mouth smiling, eyes not. She stared at the ground, nodding for ages, then suddenly looked up. The weird smile was gone, replaced by a bright one.
"C Dorm's single rooms, right? Gonna be lonely."
"...Doubt it."
Friends like Legba and Baron Samedi. No way I'd be lonely.
"Don't play tough. If you're lonely, call your big sis... me. Don't cry alone."
"Who's crying? You don't get lonely going home alone."
"Who worries about who? I got more friends than you. Grab anyone."
No arguing that. She waved goodbye, backing away before linking up with other friends to head home.
She really was popular. No rough edges, super friendly.
[Total opposite of you.]
Legba teased. I ignored him and headed straight to C Dorm.
As I loitered out front, a woman in her forties approached—the dorm supervisor. She briefed me on the rules and handed over the key. I entered my room.
Florence dorms were way bigger than my old place. Furniture, bedding, dishes—all set up. No need to bring much.
Dusty from being empty, but leagues better than the underground chapel. No mold, windows—thank god. A bit dim and gloomy, sure, but still better than the chapel.
[Hang a picture or something?]
Legba piped up as I looked around. I snorted.
"What, you into art now?"
[Walls look too bare. Chapel at least didn't feel empty.]
"Obviously. The chapel walls had mold graffiti."
[That was mold? Thought it was art.]
Legba chuckled. Knock knock.
In the middle of chatting with him, a knock echoed. Legba went dead silent.
(To be continued next time)