Let Me Tell You What Magic Is!
After receiving their thanks, I could tell they wanted to keep the conversation going, but I had no desire to stick around any longer. Following the natural order of kids crashing the adults' party, I decided to head somewhere else. Sure, I wasn't actually a kid, but my appearance was childlike enough, and honestly, I had zero interest in lingering in that heavy atmosphere. It was a welcome excuse.
As I turned to leave, the two who'd been standing awkwardly earlier shot up from their seats like they'd been waiting for this moment, offering to show me to an empty room and trailing after me. It was obvious they were using me as a way to escape my sister, which annoyed me a bit, but I let it slide—just this once. And I wasn't the only one who noticed; I could feel my sister's blatant "I'll kill you next time I see you" glare boring into them.
Once they'd finished guiding me to the empty room and muttered their goodbyes before vanishing, I let out a sigh.
"Haa..."
Finally free from that stifling place. I glanced around. An empty room with no one in it... or so I thought.
As I'd mentioned, when adults gather, kids' fates are sealed. I turned to the side.
"Hee hee."
The girl called Suyeon was looking at me with a grin. Hmm... somehow, it had ended up just the two of us. How did this happen?
We'd definitely met for the first time yesterday at the hospital. Back then, figuring we'd never cross paths again, I'd revealed my identity and even shown her some magic. Of course, it was hard to tell a kid we'd never meet again, so I'd vaguely said we might run into each other someday—but who could've predicted it'd be less than a day later, not even a week?
Truth be told, I'd hoped we'd never meet again. It wasn't that I disliked her, but the fact that she was still in the hospital made me assume my potion hadn't worked. My thinking had been too shallow, apparently.
Still, hearing she'd been able to get out of bed thanks to me was a relief. Honestly, when I handed it over, I hadn't even believed it would help, so I was shocked. I'd even scribbled a tiny note on the back: No guarantee this will cure you. But when I met her dad, it seemed like he hadn't seen it. Better that way, I suppose. Especially since just moments ago, he'd been bowing and thanking me right in front of my face, leaving no room for those kinds of thoughts.
"What're you thinking about?"
While I was lost in thought, Suyeon approached and asked.
Uh... um... Just a minute ago, I'd been desperate to escape that room, but now I suddenly wished her dad or my sister were here. Being completely alone with her like this made everything feel awkward—I had no idea where to even start a conversation. She was just a kid, so it wasn't as bad as with adults, but still...
"U-um... Suyeon, right?"
"Yep! Witchy!"
Before I could even get the words out, she beamed at me, pumping her arm in excitement. And she even called me Witchy.
Hmm. So she did remember. I muttered, half-embarrassed.
"You're the witch who worked that miracle back then!"
"Uh-huh..."
Being called Witchy gave me chills. It wasn't wrong—I was a witch—but considering who I used to be, it felt off.
"Um... could you not call me Witchy? Maybe... oppa instead?"
"Oppa? Why? Aren't you a girl, Witchy?"
"Eek..."
She was right, I was a girl now... Well, even a kid would know the difference between oppa and unnie. But still, anything was better than Witchy.
"Then... how about unnie?"
"Hmm~ Oh! Since you're a witch, you must be older than me!"
Uh... is that how it works? It wasn't wrong, but her reasoning felt a little weird. Was I overthinking it? Anyway, it beat Witchy by a mile, so I nodded reluctantly.
"Unnie! Unnie!"
"Uh, yeah?"
Are all kids this chatty and energetic? She'd been lively last time too, but this was on another level.
"Show me some magic?!"
"Magic...?"
"Yeah!"
She called that magic...? Sure, showing her was easy. My mana reserves were overflowing, and even if I used it all up, there was nothing dangerous here. I was just too lazy. Yeah, purely lazy.
I looked at Suyeon. Her face was full of expectation. The spells I'd shown her before were all practical, everyday stuff—nothing flashy or beautiful. Yet here she was, asking for more. It was intriguing. And seeing her eyes sparkle like that, I couldn't bring myself to refuse.
No helping it... time to pull out my secret weapon.
I extinguished the room's lights with magic.
"Wh-what?!"
Suyeon jumped, glancing around anxiously in the sudden darkness.
"Okay... now for the magic."
Even trembling, she turned to me bravely. Impressive. Time to give her the best show ever.
I gathered my mana.
"Check this out!"
"...!"
Light appeared in the dark void. Lines traced out, forming a picture.
"Glow-in-the-dark dinosaur!"
Glow-in-the-dark! The perfect kid-pleaser! Even I thought it was flawless.
"..."
Uh... the reaction was colder than expected. Not a hit?
"Something like that? Don't you have anything... more real?"
More real? Demanding much? I restored the lights, dispersed my mana, and pondered.
I should've been chilling with my phone right now. How'd I end up here?
Then my eyes fell on the book in her hands.
"That's..."
A fairy tale book...?
"Oh, I found it earlier and grabbed it to read. There's a witch in here too..."
It was Cinderella. Cinderella, huh.
"Hoo..."
If I was showing magic, I couldn't do it halfway. Time to show off properly.
I stood up.
"Wanna come with me for a sec?"
For real magic, the room was too small. The building was huge, so the rooftop should have plenty of space.
"Huh?"
Oblivious to what was coming, Suyeon just tilted her head. But as a discharge celebration, I'd make it the best day ever.
I smiled.
"It must've been that kid who saved our daughter."
Brain God Kang Ji-seok smiled. He hadn't expected a girl about his daughter's age—her delicate voice had given him a hint even through her robes, but she looked just like a doll. Though unlike her doll-like appearance, she seemed wary of people.
"Did you bring the potion bottle?"
"Yeah."
Kang Ji-seok pulled it from his pocket. Han Chae-rin took it with a sigh.
"I'll return this to Seol-i first and talk to her separately."
"Not jumping straight into research?"
At his question, Han Chae-rin shot him a stern look, like what are you even saying?
"Even if she's a kid, we have to do things properly. I'm a cop, you know?"
"R-right, sure..."
She was a cop, as she'd said. She'd only taken the bottle to return it; thoughts of researching it for profit... well, it was hard to say they hadn't crossed her mind, but she had no real intention of it.
"More than that, I don't want to do anything shady to that poor kid. And we're not even sure she's actually a child..."
"Huh...? What do you mean?"
"Ah... explaining this'll take a while. You okay with that?"
Kang Ji-seok nodded. This was the kid who'd saved his everything—his daughter. She was precious to him too. If something bad had happened to her, he'd help no matter what.
"It's just speculation. Though I'm about halfway convinced."
"Speculation...?"
Was that even plausible? Seeing his incredulous face, Han Chae-rin shook her head in a fluster.
"Of course it's based on asking Seol-i! It's not just some wild brainfart!"
"R-right...?"
"Totally!"
Silence fell for a moment. Kang Ji-seok was guessing at what she'd say; Han Chae-rin pondered where to start. It was all her observations and questions to Seol-i—no hard proof—so it was tricky to explain.
Once she'd sorted her thoughts, Han Chae-rin nodded and called to him.
"Wanna hear it?"
Kang Ji-seok nodded. He had no clue what was coming, but if he could help the girl who'd saved his daughter, he wanted to.
With his agreement, Han Chae-rin took a deep breath and began what would likely be a long story.