Fourth Story
I headed off to school with Chii’s handmade lunch in my possession. A summer shower started to fall, but because I made it a point to be prepared, I had an umbrella to save me. Though, because it was also humid out, my clothes ended up soaked, regardless. I put my now water-covered umbrella in the back of the class and sat in my seat when I got a text from Narae.
[I didn’t bring an umbrella, and now I’m all wet.]
I had some real self-reflecting to do. How much must my brain have rotted for a single line of text to send my imagination spiraling out of control? However, I couldn’t stop a wide grin from settling on my face as I remembered the time Narae took a bath with me. And then I got a second text.
[I didn’t send you that so that you could fantasize.]
Is she a psychic?! I sent Narae a text in reply.
[I didn’t fantasize about anything.]
She couldn’t see me or hear me, but she somehow knew I was lying.
[There’s no point in playing innocent. Anyway, I have something to do after I get changed, so I’m gonna be a little late. I already called the teacher, so I’m just telling you. And say hi to Chii and Pyeii for me.]
Why’d she suddenly bring up Chii and Pyeii? Though I wondered on this point, I didn’t send Narae another text. Narae was probably just being her usual kind self.
But I was absolutely wrong. I found this out when Mr. Junghyun took out an A4-size sheet of paper and began reading something off it.
“We have two transfer students today. One of them is that idiot’s younger cousin. She did well in school, so she’ll be transferring into high school early. President Lee agreed to let her attend these supplementary classes so that she could get used to high school…is what it says on here.”
Mr. Junghyun pointed at me. I turned to look around me, but his eyes were focused straight on me as he said:
“Kang Sunghoon. Where are you looking?”
“Me?”
“Yeah, you.”
A chill went down my spine. M-m-m-my cousin? Those brats are following me here?! Wait, why would they come to my school? Did my aunt finally get fed up and send them here? No, that can’t be it. Maybe if Mom were here, but there’s no way Auntie would do that knowing she was out of the house. However, no matter how hard I tried to think of an explanation, I simply couldn’t. Which meant…yeah. I must have misheard him. I simply and bold-facedly refused to accept reality.
“And the other is the daughter of a famous European CEO who’s pen pals with that idiot’s cousin. When she learned that her close friend was going to be attending school, she became fascinated by the idea of a Korean education, and decided she might as well take supplementary classes. …I know this sounds ridiculous, but just go with it. That was all written here, on this paper.”
I realized that my thinking had been wrong this whole time. Because there’s no way my cousins could possibly speak any language other than Korean. So who else was left? While the wheels in my head slowly churned out the correct answer, Mr. Junghyun sighed heavily, as if exhausted, and put down the paper.
“Well, that about wraps it up. Hey, come in.”
A girl opened the door and walked into the classroom. I then discovered who was masquerading as my cousin. Who was it, you ask? Don’t be surprised. And definitely don’t misunderstand. The girl who came to school in a dress that didn’t fit this school environment, who looked to be about my age, was a grown up Pyeii. I rubbed my eyes and even softly pressed against them, but Pyeii was still there, standing next to Mr. Junghyun. There were traces of her original, young appearance, but now she was radiating feminine charm with her alluring smile and breasts that you couldn’t help but notice because of the contrasting black and white of her clothes. I was at a loss for words, but Pyeii was fully ready to introduce herself.
“I’m Pyeii.”
That was my first time hearing her voice. It was a little husky but pretty. I couldn’t imagine why she would try and hide a voice like that.
“Nice to meet you all.”
She gave a quick bob of her head, and the unusual nature of her introduction stopped anyone from commenting. With the exception of one student, we were all thinking some variation of, ‘The hell’s up with her?’ And so, I, that one student, stood bolt upright from my chair, walked up to the teacher’s desk, grabbed Pyeii by the wrist, and said to Mr. Junghyun:
“Mr. Junghyun. I’m sorry, but I need to have a word with Pyeii outside for a minute.”
“Huh. Look at the balls on him?”
I ignored Mr. Junghyun’s shock at my rudeness and the jeering of my fellow classmates and took Pyeii outside. Where should I go? Ah, that’s right. I still have the roof key I took from Saehyun. I’ll go to the roof.
“My wrist.”
“Follow me, you brat.”
“I’m not a brat.”
“The only other word I could use is an actual swear, so I called you that on purpose.”
“Sexist.”
“Don’t you go there!”
Pyeii flinched when I raised my voice, and she looked down dejectedly. Ah, shoot. I messed up again. No matter how mad you are at a kid, losing your temper like this is…wait, but Pyeii isn’t a kid right now, right?! While I was busy having these idiotic thoughts, I unlocked the door to the roof. Pyeii then wrote words even though no one was up here.
[Vital first impression. Ruined because of you.]
“Don’t worry about it. After you came in wearing that dress, no one will be forgetting you any time soon.”
[No uniform at home. Useless.]
“As if I’d have a girl’s school uniform lying around at home”
[Uniform Narae-unni left at your place.]
“There’s no such thing.”
[Uniform you stole from Narae-unni.]
“Do you think I’m a criminal?!”
Wait, that isn’t what’s important!
Pyeii became an adult. Not only that, but she went outside by herself. This was all shocking. Because then what was the point of crossdressing yesterday?! Wait, not that either!
“How’d you become an adult?”
[Last night, hot and steamy.]
I took Ungnyeo’s Bone Club out of my pocket, made it into the size of a baseball bat, and spoke without hiding the emotions from coloring my voice. Even I could hear the anger in my voice.
“Who was it? Which punk was it?”
Pyeii revealed a shocking truth.
[You.]
It was me. The criminal was me. How the heck could I have…wait. Who would believe that? Pyeii’s joke helped cool the furious anger swelling up inside me. After I thought about it, I realized that Pyeii was still a kid when I left the house this morning.
“Don’t tell jokes.”
[So serious I can’t even joke?]
“Are you kidding?! Not when I don’t know what might’ve happened to you!!”
Pyeii blushed as she slid her hands together to summon a black talisman for me to see.
[Truth is this.]
“What’s that?”
[Adult-turning talisman.]
That surprised me.
[Not for sale. Meaning expensive.]
“So, you used that to change your appearance?
Pyeii nodded. Both my anger and my anxiety subsided, and I nearly fell over from sheer relief. Ah, dammit. That took a few years out of my life. I shook my head, trying to get that annoying feeling that I should remember something after she mentioned a talisman out of my head, and I shrunk Ungnyeo’s Bone Club before putting it away.
“You nearly gave me a heart attack, you brat. Tell me the truth straight away next time.”
[As if you have a heart.]
I don’t need one to give you a heart attack, either.
“How’d you get it, anyway?”
[Package from yesterday.]
“So that’s what that was?!”
[The site owner sent it as reward for joining.]
“Didn’t you say it was expensive?”
[Rechargeable, so cost extra.]
That’s one high tech talisman if it can be recharged.
“Is it really okay for you to have that?”
[It’s okay. Owner makes it herself.]
“…The heck kind of person is that?”
[Not a person.]
“The heck kind of phantom is that?”
[A scary one. Like a king. Need to be careful around her.]
Just the mention of that phantom was enough to make Pyeii tremble. What kind of phantom is so terrifying that even thinking of her made Pyeii pale with fear? Though, to be fair, I know a certain scary ghost who does the same to me.
“Then everything’s fine.”
Realizing that I was about to go under for the third time if I continued this conversation, I changed the subject.
“On the off chance, would you mind lending me that talisman later?”
[?]
A question mark floated above Pyeii’s head.
“I want to try using it on Chii.”
I meant that as a joke to help Pyeii relax, but she simply looked at me disparagingly, her eyes in the shape of half-moons. It was obvious I was joking, though. If I were serious, I’d have mentioned Rangii’s name instead.
“Don’t look at me like that. I was only joking.”
[Chii’s pretty as an adult?]
“Yeah, but you know how she wears a skirt? When she becomes an adult, the skirt’s too small for her, so it rips apart to show….”
Oh crap! A malicious smile spread on Pyeii’s face. What in the world was I saying?
[Was that also a joke?]
“…Half.”
[Meaning the other half was serious. Pervert. Lewd.]
I wondered why my first instinct was to respond by saying, ‘What’s wrong about a guy being a pervert?!’
[I’ll lend you it later.]
Heck yeah!
“Ah, so is Chii at home?”
[?]
Pyeii scratched at her cheek with a question mark and wrote:
[But she’s coming to school?]
“What?”
[Chii said she’d go to school with me. As your little cousin.]
Ah, that’s right. I was so surprised by Pyeii’s arrival that I’d completely forgotten. Mr. Junghyun said there were two transfer students. Now I was able to put all the pieces together. This was what Narae meant, when she said to say hi to Chii and Pyeii.
“Why didn’t you two come together?”
[Filling out documents with Narae-unni.]
“So you came to school by yourself?”
Pyeii nodded.
“Why?”
[Because I had to.]
It must have been difficult. I patted Pyeii’s head as I felt pride at her accomplishment.
[Are you on drugs?]
“I’m praising you, ya brat.”
Because the kid who was so against going outside just yesterday did so by herself. I was a little worried at how much she’d changed in just a day, but she still deserved praise.
[Praise?]
“That’s right.”
Pyeii didn’t look particularly pleased. Was it because she had to rely on that talisman to make it here? But I disagreed. Even if the magic did provide some help, that didn’t change the determination it took to do what she did. Because just looking like an adult doesn’t make you one. In other words, with the help of the talisman, Pyeii was able to go outside using her own strength. Her efforts were praiseworthy, and it was okay for her to accept the compliment without a second thought.
However, my thinking was mistaken.
[But in the end, I’m still a child. Even this talisman won’t last forever]
“Well, that’s to be expected.”
Nothing that’s chargeable lasts forever. Of course that’d apply to talismans as well.
[That’s why I have a favor to ask.]
Red alert. I could tell from the flow of the conversation where Pyeii was going with that. I opened my mouth to try and change the subject, when Pyeii threw an X at my mouth, sealing it shut.
[I know that you already know.]
There wasn’t a hint of doubt in her voice.
[Chii’s a good girl. Worries about you as much as she does me. So I figured she already told you.]
All long time friends can sense these things without being told. The X reverted to smoke after I tore it off, and I said:
“Yeah. I know. There’s another way for crow phantoms to become adults.”
A slight blush appeared on Pyeii’s cheeks.
[Please be gentle.]
Regardless of her true appearance, being told that by a girl who looked to be my age and seeing her give a slight bow to me was a powerful experience. That was why I intentionally spoke half-jokingly.
“You just skipped three bases.”
[What’s that mean?]
“Why the heck do I have to explain that to you?”
It looked like I successfully changed the topic. I then took full advantage of this opportunity.
“Anyway, let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. The talisman isn’t going anywhere, so I’m sure if you take your time, you’ll be able to….”
Pyeii cut me off with her written words.
[When I was a kid, doing something like this was impossible. But now, I can finally do it.]
Pyeii seemed to believe this. But I believed that it was all her efforts until this point that mattered, and that her becoming an adult only gave her the opportunity to display her growth.
[That’s why I want you to take me while I have the talisman. Because I heard it hurts a lot if you’re a kid when you do it.]
Hey. Hey, you little brat! That’s taking things way too fast! Now you’re talking about weirdly realistic concerns. However, I didn’t have a chance to tell a joke. Pyeii had her hands clenched into fists and was even trembling as she waited for my answer. Not only that, but her twintails were shaking like crazy, as if they were going to fly off at any moment. Yet Pyeii was determined to wait. This made me realize that Pyeii didn’t bring this up on the spur of the moment.
“Why do you want to become an adult so bad?”
[Because I need to become one.]
Her words grew in size. After realizing that Pyeii was entirely serious, I responded in kind.
“Because you think that if you become an adult, everything about you will change?”
Pyeii looked a little surprised. But she quickly regained her composure and wrote back:
[How’d you know?]
“I’ve been keeping an eye on you for a reason.”
When I said that, Pyeii couldn’t stop herself from spinning her twintails in a circle, and she blushed.
[Yeah. But you see? I’m doing things as an adult that I couldn’t even dream of doing when I was a kid. Even though I hate my voice, I was able to speak.]
Pyeii looked overjoyed.
[I even stood confidently in front of strangers. When I became an adult, I really changed.]
When she wrote that, I remembered a story from long ago
[Just like you’ve seen, when I became an adult, everything changed.]
There was once a tiger who longed to become a human so that she could love someone. Though she didn’t know what love was, she thought that love was just something fun, something that would bring her happiness. A tiger with an aimless longing to love.
[The the talisman has its limits. It won’t last forever. And it’s hard to find.]
Pyeii grabbed my hand.
[Chii was so happy. When I told her I was going by myself to see you, there were tears of joy in her eyes. Because I changed.]
Pyeii was missing the actual point. That was why I had to ask:
“I understand. But there’s no need to use such a drastic method. Just wait, and….”
[You’re wrong.]
I had a realization.
[I need to change right now. As fast as possible. Otherwise, it’ll be too late.]
I was mistaken all along. Pyeii didn’t actually want to change, because that wasn’t what was important to her. This was why her actions kept rousing my suspicions. She never tried to change her personality because she wanted to. The shock of this revelation took away my ability to speak.
[Only to you…I’ll only tell you why I need to change. Because of everything we know about each other…I want you to know.]
In response to my silence, Pyeii brushed her hands together to summon a blank white sheet of paper that she kept floating in the air. She used the smoke to draw mountains and the sun, and she began writing words that floated in the air as well. It was like reading a children’s fairy tale.
[Once upon a time, there lived a crow.]
I could only blink my eyes, dumbfounded as I was by what was happening. Pyeii ignored her reader’s reaction, however, and continued her story.
The smoke scattered before reforming to show a small mountain village.
[The weak little crow met others who were like her.]
The picture morphed to show a group of kids holding hands and smiling happily.
[The crow enjoyed playing with those that were her age. Though the kids thought the crow was weird because of her quiet voice and timid nature, they soon treated the crow like on of them.]
The picture grew larger. It showed Pyeii, in the same clothes as now, holding hands with other kids. I recognized the phantom holding one of Pyeii’s hands. It was Chii. The phantom holding Pyeii’s other hand had on a mask with a painted-on smile. Actually, excluding Chii and Pyeii, everyone was wearing a smiling mask.
The picture started to spin. The children went round and round in a circle.
[The crow had a thought. She thought that they were her friends. The crow was truly happy spending those days playing with her friends.]
The picture continued to change. It showed them flying across the sky, playing hide and seek, splashing each other in a creek, taking a nap under a hut surrounded by a mosquito net, and sledding down a snowy hill. Every image was clear and vivid, as if these were events that had happened only yesterday.
[She was happy.]
The picture spiraled towards the center, as if sucked into a whirlpool. The smoke dissipated in an instant, all those images disappearing and revealing the blank paper.
[And then, one day, one of the crow’s friends brought up a new topic.]
One of the masked children was in the middle of the paper. Though Pyeii’s drawing was entirely in black and white, I could immediately tell that she was wearing incredibly fancy, pretty clothing. Letters appeared next to the mask’s arrogant grin.
{Aren’t my clothes pretty?}
Pyeii slid her hand across the paper, and the picture changed in response. The other children surrounded that one girl, their masks now depicting fury.
{Awful. I have prettier clothes at home. My clothes are the prettiest!}
Words covered the paper. The white of the paper all but disappeared before the inky smoke, and, drawn with a white outline, was a worried-looking Pyeii in the corner.
[The crow wanted to stop her friends from fighting.]
The Pyeii in the picture reached out her hand, and the black smoke disappeared to create letters with the negative space.
{C’mon, we shouldn’t fight. Let’s play something else.}
[Except…]
Her words vanished, like letters in the sand during high tide, when the smoke left the paper to reveal a sea of white.
[The crow’s closest friend, Chii, left the village for several days to go hunting, and no one heeded the crow’s words. The crow cursed her inability to speak her mind.]
Rather than another image, an unbelievable proposal appeared.
{In that case, what if we all come here tomorrow wearing what we thing is the prettiest clothes?}
[The children agreed. They would appear the next day in their prettiest clothes.]
A huge house appeared on the paper. The image moved from the front door to courtyard to a room where Pyeii was kneeling on the floor, obviously extremely worried.
[The crow was worried. Because she promised she would show up in her prettiest clothes.]
Pyeii stood up and opened the door to her closet. Inside were pairs of identical clothing.
[But the crow had no pretty clothes. Because she thought that pretty clothes would do her no favors. But a promise was a promise. She thought that her friends would be furious if she wore her usual outfit.]
The children, wearing masks of rage, surrounded Pyeii. Pyeii shook her head and stood up.
{I need to wear pretty clothes.}
[But the crow didn’t know what she should wear. That is why she thought of the pretty clothes her friends wore, and she wore the same clothes as them.]
…Wait. I think I know where this is going. I looked at Pyeii, surprise clear on my face, but her story continued to unfold on the paper, her main character refusing to stop.
[Finding an identical hat, dress, shoes, and the like was easy. After all, the crow’s family was quite wealthy.]
The crow was adorned with fancy garments.
{They’ll think this is pretty for sure!}
[And the next day.]
Pyeii stood in the middle of the blank paper. The other children wore masks of envy, their gazes directed at Pyeii’s shining appearance.
[The crow went as promised to see her friends. But why? The other children became jealous of the crow. Because the crow had on the prettiest clothes.]
Pyeii had an embarrassed smile on her face.
[The truth was that the crow never cared about whose clothes were the prettiest. She simply wanted to play with her friends again and to put all this behind her.]
One side of the paper was dominated by a massive hand.
[However.]
That hand pointed at Pyeii.
{Huh? Isn’t that mine?}
The paper turned pitch black once again. Drawn in white was a confused-looking Pyeii, and surrounding her were countless hands. Every one of them was pointing at her. The hands then morphed into words.
{But that one’s mine? That hat is mine! I have those shoes at home!}
The paper filled with letters written in white before the whole page reverted to its original color. Drawn on that background was Pyeii kneeling on the ground, her clothes in tatters and her eyes covered by her hands. One of the children appeared behind Pyeii. The child’s mask had horribly warped eyes, and its smile was a sardonic gash that went from ear to ear.
{Were those your prettiest clothes?}
Laughter filled the space. In the middle were words drawn in thicker smoke, clearer and more distinct than any of the other words on the page.
{How fitting.}
Pyeii looked up.
{Those are the perfect clothes for a thief like you.}
Those terrible, awful words pierced through Pyeii’s body.
[It took just one moment.]
Looming figures surrounded Pyeii, their faces pointed down. Their masked smiles mocked Pyeii. Pyeii shrunk—no, the children slowly grew larger. Then countless lines appeared on the paper.
[Truly, in just a single moment, the crow became the laughing stock of those she thought were her friends.]
The whole image collapsed, replaced with the blank white of the paper.
[The crow, who had so blindly believed in their friendship, cried and cried in anger over her foolishness.]
Tears fell. The picture was angled up towards Pyeii’s face, and she was crying miserably. She clenched the ground in tight fists and wailed, the space around her utterly empty.
[That’s the end of my story.]