Seia the Magician
As Jungwoo began preparing the meal, Yuhyeon and Seia stepped outside the restaurant.
“Wait.”
Yuhyeon stopped Seia just as she was about to drop into a chair, then swept away the rainwater left from yesterday with a flicker of mana.
“Why?”
“The seat was damp. You may sit now.”
“Okay!”
Her bright reply clashed charmingly with his blunt tone as Seia settled onto the chair. She then looked up at him with wide, expectant eyes, clearly waiting for him to join her.
Yuhyeon cleared the moisture from his own seat in the same manner and sat down. Yesterday’s rain had left the air chilly despite the clear skies today.
“Are you cold?”
“Um… a little?”
“I see.”
With a single wave of his hand, he conjured a barrier of mana. He warmed the air inside it to just the right temperature, and the chill vanished instantly, replaced by gentle warmth.
“Still cold?”
“Wow, I’m not cold anymore! How did you do that? Is that magic too?”
“Something like that.”
“Then can you control fire too, Uncle?”
“Fire, you say.”
He had never attempted it before. Manipulating fire usually meant a hunter’s innate ability was tied to flames. Without that connection, it should have been impossible.
But Yuhyeon was an S-class Hunter. His mastery of mana manipulation stood on an entirely different level. With only a slight adjustment to his technique, creating fire was hardly difficult.
“Is this what you wanted?”
A tiny spark bloomed at the tip of his finger.
“Yes! Did you perform in a circus too, Uncle?”
“A circus…”
The word stirred a memory of a show that used fire and ice. She had not seemed particularly curious about hunters before, but it appeared she had seen a circus performance.
“It is not a circus, but many people can do this.”
“Then! Can Seia do it too?!”
Her eyes sparkled so brightly that he felt he had no choice but to say yes.
Did I have any fire-related stones among my collection?
The magic stone he had given Jungwoo felt like an item long tucked away in storage. After a moment’s thought, Yuhyeon reached into the air. Just as before, a magic stone appeared in his palm.
“Watch closely.”
Using an engraved magic stone was simple: infuse it with mana. As Yuhyeon’s power flowed into the crystal, the stone that had only glowed softly suddenly erupted with flames.
The user, of course, remained completely unharmed.
“Is it similar to what you saw at the circus?”
“Yes! It’s so cool!”
“Then it is your turn.”
Yuhyeon handed her another magic stone.
“How do I do it?”
“Close your eyes.”
Seia obediently squeezed her eyes shut. She could have simply lowered her lids, but whether from nerves or excitement, she scrunched them so tightly the skin around her eyes wrinkled.
The magic stone rested in her small palm. Yuhyeon placed his hand over hers.
“When I give the signal, pour your strength into it.”
“…Yes!”
A brief silence passed.
“Now!”
“Haaat!”
Pour her strength in? There was only one way Seia knew how. She shouted with all her might and clenched her fist tight. At the same moment, Yuhyeon’s mana poured into the stone.
“Open your eyes.”
She slowly lifted her lids. Before her floated countless specks of mana, drifting like snowflakes in every color.
“Wow…”
Purple, white, blue, red, and more. The air brimmed with vibrant mana. It was a festival of light.
They did not simply float. The particles began to fall gently like real snow, and whenever they touched something they burst with soft pops, creating tiny fireworks.
“What do you think?”
“It’s so pretty…”
“You did that.”
“Seia… did it?”
“Yes. You gave a very spirited shout.”
“Seia is… a magician…!”
Magician. Just hearing the word made her heart flutter. To think she had become the hero of such a thrilling title! It was her first time feeling her pulse race like this.
A magician…!
The scene that had unfolded moments ago was unforgettable. The circus had been beautiful, but this was in front of Seona’s Restaurant, the most precious place in the world. Seeing something so lovely here felt even more breathtaking than she could have imagined.
“I want to show Daddy.”
“Little one. A magician must not use their power recklessly. If you do, you may lose the ability when you grow up.”
“Gasp…!”
“Instead, I will give you a magic tool only you can use.”
“A magic tool?”
“One that only you may wield.”
Such a thing did not truly exist, of course. Yet Yuhyeon’s mana control was unmatched among even the highest-ranking hunters. By engraving a circuit into one stone and carefully setting cause and effect, he could allow Seia to recreate today’s spectacle on her own.
He would first store his own mana in one stone, then tune the second to react only to Seia’s warmth. When the two interacted, they would produce an effect much like what she had just witnessed.
“But you must use it with care.”
“Yes! I’ll only show Daddy!”
“Good.”
What was it about her father that brought her such joy? Perhaps it was not the magic itself that delighted her, but the chance to show her father something wonderful.
“Uncle.”
“Yes.”
“Is there more?”
“Would you like to see more?”
“Yes!”
“This time, try it yourself. Just as I showed you.”
At the instruction to do it alone, Seia’s face grew serious. Her hands were so small she could not hold both stones in one palm and had to grasp them separately.
“What did I say to do first?”
“You said to break the yellow one first.”
“Correct.”
She squeezed the hand holding the yellow stone. With a crisp crunch, it shattered easily. Yuhyeon had infused it so that the moment it broke, the fragments would soften and evaporate to prevent any injury.
“Ah!”
As the yellow stone broke, yellow mana swirled around her before flowing into the second stone in her other hand. That stone shattered as well, and bright yellow flowers bloomed brilliantly in the air.
The color suited the chilly autumn perfectly, carrying a sense of gentle warmth. It reminded her of staring absently out the window on a rainy day, the kind of view that made one lose track of time.
“I will give you a few. Use them sparingly.”
Yuhyeon reached into empty air, yet when he opened his hand, several magic stones dropped into Seia’s palms with soft thuds. Just three filled her small hands; the rest tumbled to the ground.
“No!”
So small.
Short height, short arms, short legs, small face. Naturally, her hands were small too. He picked up the fallen stones and carefully placed them back.
Even with both hands full, any slight movement threatened to send them spilling again.
“One more thing. You must never show these to strangers.”
“Why?”
How could he explain? The truth was that every magic stone he had given her, and the one he had given Jungwoo, held value beyond imagination. They were not worth mere thousands of won, but tens or even hundreds of millions. He had handed over dozens of them.
If she displayed them outside, people would surely target her. There was no question about it.
“The only child magician I know is you. If something goes wrong, you might be separated from your father.”
“Gasp…!”
Her reaction made it clear that, if nothing else, being apart from her father was utterly unacceptable. Though no separation had occurred, her face looked on the verge of tears.
“I will! I promise! I’ll only show Daddy!”
“The grandfather and… that noona are fine.”
Yuhyeon scratched his cheek awkwardly at the word “noona.”
“Which grandfather?”
“The one who came with the noona.”
“Oh, the small grandfather!”
“Yes. Those two are all right.”
“Okay. I’ll show noona and grandfather too.”
“Good. This is a promise between us.”
How had they sealed promises before? With pinkies? He awkwardly extended his little finger, and Seia smiled as she hooked hers around it.
At that moment, a familiar “meow” announced the arrival of a cat. It had not come yesterday because of the rain, so it seemed to have arrived rather early today.
But its usual seat was occupied by a stranger. And if that were not enough, Yuhyeon’s gaze pierced straight through the cat. A glow revealed that mana was being channeled.
“What an interesting cat.”
The cat, which had appeared with a languid and haughty expression, immediately bared its teeth and hissed.
“C-Cat…”
It was the first time Seia had seen the cat angry. Thinking she must have done something wrong, she called out in a voice heavy with guilt.
Surprisingly, the cat approached as if apologetic and rubbed itself against Seia’s leg.
“Do you know this cat?”
“Yes. It comes to play a lot. Didn’t your friend come today?”
At her gentle question, the cat meowed as if confirming.
“I see.”
After that, a comfortable silence settled between them, broken only by occasional soft meows.
Ding-a-ling.
The bell that usually announced arriving customers rang this time to signal that food was ready.
“The meal is served.”
“Understood. Let us go inside, little one.”
“Okay!”
Whatever they had talked about or done, Seia’s face now brimmed with mischief. What was the little rascal plotting? This adorable troublemaker always had something unexpected up her sleeve.
“It smells wonderful.”
“Today’s menu was the same as yesterday’s for the second day, so I put in extra care. Haha.”
The day’s special was tteokbaegi bulgogi, one of Jungwoo’s signature dishes. Tender meat simmered in a perfectly balanced sweet-and-savory soy sauce base. The aroma that greeted them as they re-entered the restaurant was strong enough to awaken any appetite.
“Then I will enjoy it with gratitude.”
“Please eat well.”
Another voice cut through Jungwoo’s confident tone.
“Daddy! Daddy!”
“Yes, Seia?”
That mischievous expression had not faded, nor had the playful tone in her voice. What exactly had she learned out there to make her this excited?
“Should Seia tell you a secret?”
“What? Our Seia has a secret?”
“Yes!”
She tugged at his pant leg, urging him to lower himself to her eye level.
“Seia… is a magician!”
It seemed she had accomplished quite a lot in that short time outside. The pride shining on her face said everything.
“Wow, really? Then can you show Daddy?”
“Yes! I’ll show you later!”
“You promise?”
“Yes! I promise!”