Chapter 51

During the short time on the bus, Yuna and I became quite close.

A somewhat unfortunate aspect was that Seoyuna was a child without any particular hobbies.

Even when I tried to kick off a conversation, there was nothing we could consider a common interest besides magic.

So, our topics naturally shifted to the Academy and magic.

“You were the one who used magic when I collapsed?!”

“Didn’t you know? Who did you think it was?”

“I thought it was Teacher Jackie… How did you even do it? Everything was sparkling, and my throat didn’t hurt at all.”

“Can you tell me again? If you want that, why don’t you open your mouth once more?”

As I wiggled my finger, Yuna seemed to understand the situation back then and shook her head, feeling embarrassed.

Trying to cool her flushed face, she opened the window to let in the outside breeze.

“I’m just kidding. Actually, it’s magic that can be used anywhere on human skin or mucous membranes.”

“Didn’t it hurt your finger? I didn’t bite too hard, did I?”

“It doesn’t hurt at all when a little kid with no teeth bites you!”

Yuna covered her mouth with both hands.

“Then, Na-Mae, how many teeth do you have…? Why do you keep calling me a kid?”

Huh? Right?

Why haven’t my new teeth grown in yet?

At this age, at least four should have fallen out already; I momentarily misunderstood whether I was mistaken.

I didn’t know if this was a side effect of an illness or a side effect of medication, but my body’s development was clearly lagging behind that of other kids.

It wasn’t a huge problem, but the saddest fact was that I wasn’t growing up as quickly.

How long will I have to look up at them?

“It’s a secret.”

“Aaaah! Why are you hiding things from me?”

Yuna seemed to take pride in having caught some weakness of mine and started to interrogate me, but I certainly wouldn’t back down easily.

“If you ask more, I’ll tell Si-Hoo that you have bad breath.”

“Ugh.”

Our trivial chatter continued even after we got off the bus.

I thought talking to an elementary school student would be childish, but Yuna was more fun to react to than I expected.

Was this how an uncle teasing his niece felt?

As soon as the “princess” concept at school broke, Yuna showed raw emotions without holding back.

But it wasn’t long before we hit a major hurdle.

“Do we have to go up here? Isn’t there another way?”

“Yep. Once we get over this stairway to heaven, we’ll be at my house.”

I couldn’t count the number of stairs. Even estimating with Pythagorean theorem, there were at least 500.

In a capitalist society that operates solely on the principle of economy, it chose to install stairs over hills rather than drilling tunnels or creating detours.

The stairway to heaven, which felt like it could reach the sky, had such a steep slope that I wondered if climbing it would lead to ascension.

Let’s just try it.

If it doesn’t work, I’ll just circle back through Aura and force myself to walk.

“Did you fall here?”

“Yeah. Be careful going up.”

“If you slip, it’s definitely heaven or hell.”

Or reincarnation.

What a terrible thought; hell would be better.

—

“Ugh… Haaa…”

“Are you okay, Na-Mae? Should we rest a bit?”

“Yeah… just a little, I’m sorry.”

I felt like I was going to die.

Every muscle in my body that wasn’t used was sending tingling signals everywhere.

If Yuna poked my calf from beside me, I felt like I would cramp up right away.

“Haa… Haa…”

“I’m sorry, we could’ve just switched buses and gone back. I messed up again…”

“No, you said this way was faster. Let’s go, I’ll push through to the end without resting.”

“Yeah! Just a little bit more!”

Feeling pathetic for scolding myself, I felt shy about resting.

I was the one who insisted on coming along with Yuna, so there was no way I could complain.

I had to stand up soon.

Yuna had such good stamina that despite passing hundreds of stairs, she hopped up one step and then sprang down two like a mountain goat.

Unable to contain her overflowing energy, the exuberant golden retriever soon came around behind me and placed her hands on my back.

“We’re almost there!”

“Don’t push me…! It’s dangerous!”

“Hehe.”

Yuna only responded with her innocent smile, despite my request.

Indeed, Yuna resembled the Arin from back then in several ways.

On her side, she seemed too underestimated, while on mine, I seemed too prickly; but both showed a commonality in desiring affection without filters from those they were close to.

“I’ll play today, and starting from tomorrow, I’ll study hard.”

If she were another kid, I would laugh and say, “Sure.” But there was a resolute intensity behind her determination.

“But there’s nothing at my house to play with.”

“Didn’t you say your mother is there?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“She would love to see the magic I learned at the Academy.”

“But the teacher said we shouldn’t use magic outside!”

“Until the 2nd Circle, it’s okay.”

If Yuna used something like “organ regeneration” healing magic since her mother was quite ill, I was sure her mother would be proud of her.

I planned to silently supervise her to see if she did a good job.

“Here’s our house. It’s pretty old, but…! If you say anything bad about it in front of Mom, I won’t let it slide! I might even cut ties with you!”

“Does that mean we’re already friends? Thank you for thinking of me that way.”

“Ah, anyhow! Hoo, haha. How do I introduce Na-Mae to Mom? It’s the first time I’m bringing a friend home… What if she gets mad for not telling her ahead of time?”

“If you worry about such trivial things, you won’t live long.”

Knock, knock.

Since Yuna was standing in front of the door, holding her head in distress, I knocked on the door instead.

There was no sound emitting from inside.

Yuna mentioned her little brother had passed by but probably left again for another delivery.

Then, she pressed the numbers on the cylindrical button-type digital door lock, which wasn’t iris or genetic recognition.

“Mom, I’m home!”

She murmured the name of the person she cherished the most.

“Mom, I said I’m home! Are you sleeping?”

The house was dark.

Even if it was a home of someone who couldn’t see well, the energy emanating from inside was eerie.

“Mom…?”

Yuna groped along the wall to find the room’s switch.

A single fluorescent light illuminating the living room, bedroom, and kitchen flickered to life.

In the cramped space, we couldn’t find any trace of a person.

“No way…?”

Yuna’s pupils expanded.

Before she could even set down her backpack, she pulled back the blanket, but there was no edge of a person, nor any warmth left.

“It can’t be…”

Yuna shook her head vigorously.

The innocent expression had vanished, replaced by an inorganic moan.

A yellow note that had been stuck on the inside of the entrance door couldn’t withstand gravity and fluttered down to cling to my foot.

“Seoyuna. Here.”

[Come straight to Sevranse Hospital after school – Seonoel]

—

“Hello, Professor Cheon. Yes. I think I’ll be late because I’ll stop by a friend’s house. Yes. Please don’t wait for me and have dinner without me.”

The delicious Chateaubriand steak that Professor Cheon would make would have to wait for a distant time.

“Mom will be okay…? Ugh… ugh.”

“If you’re really worried, should I call your brother?”

“Seon-Eul oppa left his phone at home… Why did he forget it? Mom… I miss you so much…”

As soon as we confirmed the note, Yuna dashed out of the house without even properly putting on her shoes.

Yuna, who had been full of vigor, turned as pale as a corpse, losing her balance, repeatedly stumbling and getting back up.

Opposite to when she helped me on the stairs, it was now my turn to drag her along.

“Thank you, really… If it weren’t for Na-Mae, I…”

We stopped Yuna and called a taxi heading toward Gangnam Sevranse Hospital.

It would have taken over an hour and a half to walk, but thankfully, it only took 15 minutes by taxi.

Was she really going to walk that long?

Let alone walking, she would’ve probably run if it were Seoyuna.

[She seems to be in pretty bad shape, so I’ll take the fastest route that isn’t blocked as much.]

The taxi driver, having overheard our conversation, encouraged Yuna as if it were his own matter.

He was a kind person.

“Seoyuna, look at me.”

Where does all that water come from in her tiny face?

Today was a day filled with tears for Yuna.

At school, on the bus, at home, and even in the taxi.

“Your eyes are practically swollen.”

I had once gone through a time like that.

When someone who once was my mother callously abandoned me, and on top of that left an enormous debt behind, my life couldn’t possibly be more miserable.

I had vowed never to cry again, but when the lovely Niobe died in my past life, when my sister and brothers were consumed by darkness, when my mentor disappeared, and when my companions and students fell before inevitable nightmares, I was always a weak being.

If just once, if even one person…

The hope that someone would help me was only finally fulfilled by Hiasen at the very end of life.

Life best fits the definition of the butterfly effect.

If that woman hadn’t abandoned me,

If, even when I was bullied, there had been one friend to reach out,

If I…

Even knowing the absurdity of such hypotheticals, as human beings, we can’t help but entertain them.

When life feels like there’s no answer, we always look for errors in the past, particularly as the present and future become increasingly miserable.

My deep involvement in Yuna’s life,

Even now, as I wipe away Yuna’s tears, carefully tapping to avoid scratching her skin, if someone were to criticize me as acting purely for personal and selfish reasons due to my traumas, I could not argue against it.

But what of it?

Have you ever helped in my life at all?

I was a lamb so thirsty for salvation, I knew better than anyone that the word “salvation” doesn’t need to be overly grand.

A diligent child who greeted everyone each morning with “hello” at school could sometimes serve as a reason for someone to live on when the absurdity of attending school felt like hell.