Prologue Story

“Then, it happened around the time we were in third grade, didn’t it? It was something that occurred back then.”

If it was third grade, it would have been when they were a year older than us. Just a single year of difference…

I bit my lip. Chunho oppa gave a relaxed smile, unlike us, who were stiffening our expressions.

“Actually, that guy, Ji-hyun, wasn’t the type to hide his abilities. If his friends asked him for tips on using magic, he’d answer simply. Even during practice, he didn’t avoid or conceal his magic.

It’s just that he was lazy. And because he had such a curt personality, only a few people knew about his skills.”

The story began smoothly.

“Now, he’s surrounded by people, but back then, he only had a few friends. At most, it was just me and Seo-jun. Ah, Seo-jun and I are still close now.”

“You’ve been friends with Seo-jun oppa since then?”

Judging by their age and the name Seo-jun, it seemed to refer to that senior who currently ranked sixth in the school. Min-hee urged Chunho oppa to continue.

“So? What happened next?”

“Well, it’s really not much. Don’t get your hopes up too high…”

Chunho oppa chuckled wryly, cleared his throat, and continued.

“And there was one more, a guy named Kim Hoon.”

“That’s a name I’ve never heard before.”

“Well, after that incident, our friendship ended. He transferred schools.”

I instinctively understood. No, anyone here would have noticed. That person must have been the ‘cause’ of the commotion surrounding Ji-hyun oppa.

“They were friends since first grade… At that age, we really didn’t know anything. No sense of tact, no deep thoughts, just focused on our own fun…”

As he spoke, Chunho oppa lowered his gaze.

“Actually, whether it’s Ji-hyun, Seo-jun, or me, we were all more talented than most. At that age, certain talents begin to emerge more prominently, or for those without exceptional abilities, they start to recognize where their limits lie.”

“……”

“For us, it was clear from a young age that we had extraordinary talent. But him… he was just an average kid.

You know how people tend to gather in groups with those similar to them? Sure, opposites can sometimes become close. But generally, you need to be on equal footing to become friends or partners.

The three of us—Ji-hyun, Seo-jun, and I—shared a common trait: we were all exceptionally talented magicians.”

I pressed my lips tightly together. That, I understood well. I thought I knew more than most, having often been without friends.

Being timid and lacking confidence, I had grown used to ignoring it when people made dismissive comments about me.

At that time, the only thing I took pride in was writing novels.

When I said I understood, I meant the feeling of being left out. That sensation of someone speaking to you as if you’re insignificant. Perhaps that’s why I clung so desperately to my stories, my one unique skill. It saved me.

Even now, I love writing and can’t imagine my life without it. It’s just that magic has taken precedence for now.

To feel left out among talented peers, knowing you were the only one falling behind… I could vaguely imagine what he must have felt.

Anyone could guess the sense of inferiority he experienced. Especially as a child, it would have been more intense. Resentment mixed with admiration for his skilled peers, while he diminished his own worth, must have left him frustrated.

I calmed my expression.

I know better than anyone that I’m not particularly outstanding. My one pride is the skill I honed—writing novels or crafting stories. But because I know I’m not remarkable, I’ve long expected that one day, I’d fall behind everyone around me.

This was the first precious friendship I’d ever formed. I didn’t want to lose it. I wanted to walk alongside them for a long time.

But one day, a gap would grow between us. Between me and perhaps even Shia.

What would happen to us then? Could we still stand as equals, as friends? Maybe.

But I might also find myself looking up at them from behind. The sense of alienation, deprivation, and loneliness…

I’ve felt those emotions many times.

It felt like something inside me silently sank. I had been avoiding these thoughts, but as children grow, they change. Relationships never stay the same forever. There comes a moment when starting early or being mature for your age no longer matters.

Listening to Chunho oppa’s words felt like hearing a verdict on this inevitability.

I bit my lip and lowered my gaze.

“He probably felt jealous of us because he knew our talent better than anyone else. He must have felt inferior. Then one day, he just exploded.

I don’t even remember the exact reason for the fight anymore…

‘Sure, you guys are amazing! I can’t even compare to you!’ or something along those lines. I think he said something like that. We, who were talented, will probably never truly understand the feelings of those without talent.”

Chunho oppa’s gaze faltered, sinking into melancholy. The loneliness, pain, and bitterness in his eyes made my chest feel heavy with discomfort.

I clenched my lips tightly.

“Our relationship drifted apart after that. And then, one day, he spread rumors about Ji-hyun’s skills at school. Out of jealousy, inferiority… He wanted to suppress those feelings somehow.

Among us, Ji-hyun was the most likely to be misunderstood as being arrogant. So he spread the rumors…”

The rest was easy to guess. Kim Hoon, the boy who spread the rumors, was suspended, and Ji-hyun oppa’s abilities became widely known among the students.

“But hey, what were Ji-hyun’s abilities like back then?”

“Well, since it’s Ji-hyun… He had already developed his main magic.”

“What about his sub-magic?”

“His sub-magic… not yet, back then.”

“Hmm…”

With Han-soo’s remark, the others turned their gazes toward me. My fingers twitched.

Yes, I had developed my sub-magic early.

But if you don’t seize the opportunity when you can, you’ll regret it in the future.

Pretending not to notice their stares, I fiddled with the ends of my hair.

“But I don’t get it. Why be jealous of your friend for being better? They’re your friend. Why get angry and go around telling people about their skills just to upset them?”

“Hmm…”

Chunho oppa gave a bitter smile at her words and patted Min-hee’s head.

“You’ll understand when you’re older.”

“But I really don’t understand.”

Even as I felt an emptiness growing in my chest, I pretended it was nothing and gripped the ends of my hair tightly.

Yes, relationships where people aren’t equals don’t usually last. Once the disparity becomes apparent…

They start to crumble.

As I stared quietly at the floor, I suddenly lifted my head and looked at Shia.

Shia met my gaze, tilting his round eyes in confusion.

I smiled, as if to say it was nothing.

“Then, what’s the moral of the story?”

At Hyun-ho’s question, Chunho oppa gave a slightly bitter smile.

“‘Think carefully about who you choose as friends.’

If possible, it’s better to be friends with those on equal footing.

That doesn’t mean you should discriminate or choose friends by ranking, okay?

I just hope the friends you make moving forward will be good ones who truly connect with your hearts.”

That was truly the best piece of advice.

I smiled warmly.

Ah! But just as the story seemed to be wrapping up on a positive note, Chunho oppa suddenly remembered something.

“But the real problem happened after that.

Other kids began looking at Ji-hyun with admiration…

That part wasn’t a big deal.

Although Ji-hyun found it extremely annoying.

But eventually, the rumors spread outside the school.

‘There’s an incredibly talented boy at Daehyun Elementary School.’

Because of that, Ji-hyun almost got kidnapped.”

“What?!”

“What?!”

We were startled again.

Shia muttered with a troubled expression.

“This is just like the current incident…”

“Huh? Is it? But what happened next was different, right?

In Ji-hyun’s case, they underestimated him, thinking, ‘He’s just a kid, after all,’ and sent low-level agents.

So Ji-hyun took advantage of their carelessness and defeated them!

Wow, can you believe it?

A 10-year-old kid took down an adult magician.

That’s Ji-hyun for you.”

“Gasp…!”

“Wow!”

We all listened to the end of the story, each with a different expression.

Wow, up until the middle, it was just like the incident that happened to our grade, but the outcomes were so different.

The kids who couldn’t resist and collapsed from the drugs, versus Ji-hyun oppa, who defeated his opponent—completely opposite outcomes.

As I inadvertently sympathized with the kids involved in the recent incident, Chunho oppa raised a finger and gave us advice.

“The ultimate takeaway is, ‘Our school’s rules aren’t there for no reason.’ Got it?

You guys should never talk about your abilities unnecessarily.

Don’t use magic outside, either.

You really could end up getting kidnapped.”

This time, we nodded seriously.

Until I heard Chunho oppa’s story, I had thought what happened recently was an unusual case.

But after hearing his story, I realized something again.

The kids who were targeted this time weren’t especially unique.

These were things that could happen to any of us before we became adults.

‘I’ll have to be careful.’

Still, it was an incident that could have been prevented with enough caution.

By avoiding wearing our uniforms outside school, teleporting directly from school to home, and thoroughly hiding our abilities while remaining vigilant…

That must be why the teachers advised us not to leave the school grounds through the main gate.

It wasn’t until now that I understood what they meant.

“Wow… there really is so much to consider.”

Min-hee suddenly muttered.

Truly, there is.

I closed my mouth, watching Min-hee’s eyes glimmer with an oddly mature light.

The next day, we visited the hospitalized kids who had almost been kidnapped.

By the time we arrived, they were already awake.

According to their guardians, the drug’s effects had worn off completely, but because they were young, there might still be lingering aftereffects, so they were to stay hospitalized until today.

However, the kids’ expressions were still dark, as if the fear hadn’t fully subsided.

I didn’t say anything to the kids.

I couldn’t.

Until my friends brought it up, I hadn’t even thought about visiting them in the hospital.

We weren’t close, and I didn’t even know them well.

But seeing the kids cry as they were comforted by Min-hee, Hyun-ho, and Shia made me feel an unbearable pang of sympathy.

After that, our grade was abuzz with the incident for a while.

The girl named Son Min-ju was expelled as notified.

The hospitalized kids didn’t return to school for some time.

Amid the commotion, I resolved myself anew.

For me, too, this was an incident that firmly etched the dangers of this world into my mind.

Even my parents expressed their worries frequently for a while.

However, this also became an opportunity for us to strengthen our friendships.

“No matter how upset we get, let’s promise never to do anything like that!”

“We’ll be friends forever, right?”

“Tsk, with this guy?”

“Hmph…”

“Park Han-soo!”

“Alright, alright!”

Watching Min-hee and Hyun-ho extend their pinkies, In-ha and Han-soo glared at each other.

Shia awkwardly mediated between the two with a smile in the background.

In a way, it was just like usual.

I gave a bitter smile, watching the children’s innocent antics.

We will change.

But imagining a day when I might grow distant from the friends by my side now was truly difficult.

There are no unchanging relationships.

I know that.

I’ve experienced the fickleness of friendships many times before.

And the one eternal thing I’ve ever believed in is only one thing.

I grasped In-ha’s hand tightly beside me.

Even if our talents aren’t equal, I want to be someone who can stand beside you until the very end, equal in heart.