Chapter Text
“Time's up. Pencils down, everyone,” Mrs. Lee announced from the front of the classroom.
Soobin looked over his math exam sheet and put down his pencil. Did he think he did well enough to get an A? No, but it was passable. Considering math was his worst subject, he was just thankful he didn’t completely fail.
He picked up his bookbag and handed his exam sheet to Mrs. Lee before heading out to the hallway with the rest of his high school classmates. He instantly felt a huge weight off of his shoulders. That was his last exam. Summer vacation was finally here which meant that he didn’t have to walk back into this school for another three months. No more boring classes. No more getting up at 6 a.m. every morning. No more high school for three glorious months.
Once he got to his locker he quickly cleared it out, filling his bookbag with the notebooks and textbooks inside. Two girls were standing just a locker away talking quite excitedly about a start of summer party that was apparently happening tonight. This was of no concern to Soobin because he wasn’t the type of teenager to be invited to such parties. No, he was the type to often spend his friday nights reading a new book, who’d turn bright red whenever more than two people were looking at him at a time, and whose closest friend was not another high school student but his 50-year-old art teacher Mrs. Paek.
His timidity was often seen as weakness by some of his other classmates so Soobin was no stranger to being picked on. But at the moment, none of that mattered. He shut his locker cheerfully and started walking towards the front doors of the school like most of the other teenagers in the crowded hallway.
Thoughts of how he’d be spending his next few months of freedom ran through his head. Maybe he’d be able to ride his bike down by the lake in the mornings, before midday when the weather got too hot. In the afternoons he could go by that ice cream shop on Keng Street. It was always cool in there and smelled like a cross between fresh baked cookies and vanilla. Would he have time to go to the library and read a book a bit before dinner? If not he could always save that for another day. He had time, all the time in the world because summer was three full months that only belonged to him. It was all waiting for him just beyond those double doors. They were so close.
“Hey, Soo-bitch!”
The voice cut through Soobin’s pleasant thoughts of summer like a knife. He instantly knew who it belonged to and he refused to look back and face its source. The doors were so close, just 30 more feet, 20, 15...
Soobin was suddenly yanked backward. He fell hard onto the books inside his bookbag and groaned from the pain.
All of a sudden, the door to summer felt miles away. All that laid in front of Soobin now was Jong Kangdae.
Kangdae and Soobin were in the same year but the former looked like he should have graduated ages ago. He was much bigger than Soobin, a few inches taller with a heavyset build.
“Didn’t you hear me calling you, Soo-bitch?” Kangdae asked with feigned kindness as he placed a foot on Soobin’s chest. “I only wanted to say goodbye.”
Soo-bitch was the nickname Kangdae had given Soobin and he must have been quite proud of it since that was the only thing he’d call him. Soobin didn’t think it was all that clever.
Some of the students in the crowded hallway had begun to form a circle around the two boys, all looking at the encounter with anticipation. Soobin knew Kangdae was enjoying this. He loved putting on a show when he beat up Soobin as if being a massive dick was something to be proud of.
“L-leave me alone,” Soobin said but his words weren’t much louder than a whisper.
“What was that?” Kangdae asked as he pressed his foot harder onto Soobin’s chest. “I couldn’t quite hear you?”
Soobin's heart was beating out of his chest. He hated how everyone’s eyes were on him while he was in this degrading position, Kangdae standing over him with that smug look on his face. Why was no one helping him?
“I said,” Soobin began as he tried to free himself from under Kangdae’s foot with no luck, “leave me alone.”
“You should try being a little nicer. Maybe then you’d have some friends,” Kangdae said with a smirk.
The hallway of students erupted with laughter. Soobin knew his face was now bright red.
“Maybe if you focused more on school you wouldn’t have to repeat ninth grade for the third time.” Soobin didn’t know why he said it. If he had just kept his mouth shut this would have been painful but quick. Now Kangdae was going to draw it out and make sure Soobin was really humiliated.
The smirk on Kangdae’s face quickly died away. He grabbed Soobin by the front of his shirt and pulled him to his feet. As soon as Soobin was standing, he punched him in the face and sent him to the floor once again.
The surrounding students gasped and groaned at the punch but still stood back and watched idly.
“That’ll teach you to keep your fucking mouth shut,” Kangdae hissed.
Soobin’s eye was throbbing as he laid there on the floor. He knew that punch would leave a bruise and wasn’t looking forward to starting his summer vacation with a black eye.
“Get up, Soo-bitch,” Kangdae yelled. “Get up and fight!”
Soobin wanted to fight back. He wanted to punch him in the face and make all this stop for good but he knew Kangdae was much stronger than he was. But even if he was gonna get beat up on the last day of school before summer, he sure as hell wasn’t gonna take it lying down.
Soobin stumbled to his feet. The punch to his face had disoriented him quite a bit but he managed to stand back up. His face was throbbing and his heart was pounding out of his chest but he stood and looked Kangdae in the eyes. “Is that all you got?”
Kangdae grinned. “Well look whose balls finally dropped everyone.” The hallway roared with laughter once again.
As Kangdae moved closer, Soobin braced himself for the next hit. This time it was to his stomach. His knees immediately buckled at the contact and he sank to the floor. Hearing the laughter and cheers from the surrounding students made him wonder how the hell anyone could just stand there and watch this.
A combination of humiliation and anger was building so fast in Soobin’s chest, he thought he might burst. He glared up at Kangdae and got to his feet once again.
For a brief moment, Kangdae looked surprised by Soobin’s perseverance. This didn’t last long because he was soon winding his hand into another fist and coming back at Soobin.
Soobin was bracing himself for what he knew was going to be the hardest hit yet when something very strange happened. Suddenly, the Kangdae standing in front of him was shrinking. The hallway went quiet as the boy who usually towered over Soobin became smaller and smaller. The stubble on the boy's face vanished, his shoulders narrowed, and his muscles shrank until all that was left of Kangdae was a one-year-old child lying in a pile of his clothing.
Soobin stood there frozen in shock as he looked down at the baby wiggling around at his feet. He thought it was actually quite cute but this thought was soon interrupted by a sudden cry of horror from one of the girls in the crowd. Then more and more people began screaming in shock and Soobin had an overwhelming feeling like he shouldn’t be there. He tore his eyes away from the baby and pushed through the crowd of students to get to the front door. He felt the burning of their stares as he quickly made his way to his bike and got on. He put all his effort into peddling and getting away from the school as quickly as possible.
Soobin tried to make sense of what had just happened as he rode. How could a teenager just suddenly turn into a baby? It wasn’t possible. Maybe he was going crazy. Maybe the punch to his head had affected his brain.
He soon found himself at Ansan Lake. He’d usually come here after school alone to read a book or clear his head. It was calming and a nice escape from school and his life at home.
After parking his bike on the pavement, he walked through the grass and sat under his favorite tree that stood right by the water. Today he was in need of this peaceful scenery more than ever. He tried to calm himself as distressing thoughts raced through his head. What was everyone at school going to think of him now? He was already a loser with no friends and now people were gonna think he’s a freak.
“Maybe I am a freak,” he said quietly.
“You’re no freak, Soobin,” a voice said.
Soobin sprang to his feet in surprise and looked around to see who the voice belonged to. He swore he had been alone but standing just a few feet behind him was a man in his early 30s. He had black hair that was parted to the side and swooped back out of his face. He wore a long blue robe and once his eyes met Soobin, he gave a kind and genuine smile.
“W-who are you?” Soobin asked, feeling a bit uneasy. “How do you know my name?”
The man's smile quickly turned to a look of worry. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said. He then walked over to Soobin and extended his hand for a handshake. Soobin took it tentatively. “My name is Kim Seokjin and I’m a professor at the Gaenari School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I’m here to offer you admission into our school.”
“Witchcraft and wizardry?” Soobin asked, bewildered. “You mean like a magician school?”
Seokjin gave a small laugh. “No, I mean a school for young witches and wizards like yourself.”
It became quite clear to Soobin that he was talking to a crazy person. “I’m sorry but I’m gonna have to decline. I actually have to get home but it was nice meeting you sir,” he said as he began walking quickly toward his bike. But before Soobin could get past him, Seokjin had pulled out a thin wooden stick from his robe pocket and pointed it towards Soobin’s face with a small flick.
Instantly, the pain from Soobin’s black eye had vanished. He raised his hand to his face and found no swelling or tenderness. He rushed to the water to look at his reflection and found his face was free of any bruises. Seokjin walked up beside him as he continued to look at his reflection in amazement.
“It can be hard to believe at first,” Seokjin said with a smile, “but this is just the surface of our abilities. At Gaenari, we’d be able to teach you all about magic and most importantly, how to control it so that incidents like what happened at your school today don’t reoccur.”
Soobin’s anxiety sparked at the mention of what happened. “Oh God, so it really was my fault. I-I didn’t mean to–”
“It’s okay, Soobin. You’re not in trouble,” Seokjin assured. “Cases of accidental magic happen all the time for young wizards who haven’t attended a wizarding school. It's usually sparked by feelings of anger, fear, or confusion. The Ministry of Magic has already taken care of it. Your friend is back to his normal self and the memory of the incident has been erased from all of your classmates.”
“Kangdae isn’t my friend,” Soobin said quietly.
“Is that who gave you the black eye?” Seokjin asked.
Soobin just looked down at his feet.
“I see. Although violence is not permitted at Gaenari, we do teach an array of defensive spells if students should need to defend themselves.”
Soobin smiled at that. “So, this Ministry of Magic really made everyone forget about what happened?” he asked.
“Yes, they have a protocol for situations like these,” Seokjin nodded.
“And this school,” Soobin continued. “It’s full of kids like me?”
“Yes, but not exactly like you. You see you’re quite unique, Soobin,” Seokjin began. “You’re 15 and today is the first day you’ve ever done anything magical. Am I correct?”
Soobin nodded his head.
“Most witches and wizards show signs of magical ability very early in life, before the age of seven. Only a few have their magical powers emerge in their teenage years. We call them opulens.”
Soobin sighed. Of course, even in the magical world, he doesn’t fit in.
Seokjin seemed to sense this worry in Soobin because he quickly spoke again. “But don’t be discouraged, Soobin. It is said that people in these rare cases are likely to become very powerful wizards. You shouldn’t feel any shame in being an opulen.” Seokjin then reached into his pocket, pulled out a letter, and handed it to Soobin. “Here is your official admission letter. You’ll be a fifth year like the rest of the students your age but you’ll need to work very hard in order to not fall behind. It’ll be a lot to take in but I’m sure you’ll be just fine.”
Soobin took the letter, running his fingers over the red wax seal.
“I must be going now,” Seokjin said. “School starts September 1st so I’ll see you then. Unless of course, you would rather stay at your muggle school.”
“Muggle?” Soobin asked.
“Non-magical,” Seokjin explained.
Soobin thought about how dreadful his life had been at school from his loneliness to being tormented by jerks like Kangdae. This was his chance to start over. “I’ll see you on September 1st, professor,” Soobin said.
Seokjin smiled. “Gaenari’s happy to have you.” There was then a loud cracking sound and Seokjin vanished before Soobin’s eyes.
Soobin reached his hand out to the place Seokjin had just stood as if he might still be able to feel him there. “Wow.”
Soobin spent the next few hours sitting under his tree. He read and reread his admission letter and imagined what life would be like in this new school.
He rode home feeling better than he’d felt in a while. When he arrived he was ready to tell his dad everything that had happened. However, when he saw the man sitting in front of the TV next to eight empty bottles of beer, he decided tomorrow was a better day to do so.
“Hey dad,” he said quickly as he headed towards his room.
“Hold on a second,” Soobin’s dad said with a slight slur to his speech. “What you got there?” He then pointed towards the letter in Soobin’s hands.
“N-nothing,” Soobin said but his dad was already standing up and making his way toward Soobin.
He grabbed the letter from the boy’s hands and started reading.
“I was gonna tell you tomorrow,” said Soobin tentatively, “you know, when you’re more clearheaded but I just found out that I’m a wizard. I know it sounds crazy but a professor at this school came up to me today and offered me–”
“No,” his father interrupted while ripping the paper into pieces.
Soobin’s heart sank as he watched the shreds float to the floor. “Why? Why would you do that?” he asked.
“You won’t be needing it. You’re not going to any wizarding school,” his father answered plainly.
“You don’t get it. This is real. Today at school I–”
“I don’t give a damn what happened at school,” his dad said firmly. “The wizarding world is dangerous and my son isn’t going to be a part of it.”
Soobin paused for a moment in confusion. “You know about wizards?” Soobin asked.
“Of course I do. Your mother was a witch.”
“What?” Soobin asked in shock. “Mom was a witch? H-how could you not tell me?”
“You don’t need to know everything about her.”
“I barely got the chance to know her,” Soobin retorted. “Any detail about her would mean the world to me and you know that. And don’t you think having magical abilities is a pretty significant detail?”
“Don’t be a smartass,” his father hissed.
“What else haven’t you told me about her?” asked Soobin.
His father just kept that same indignant look on his face.
“Please,” Soobin begged.
His father let out a deep sigh and though he seemed reluctant, he continued. Maybe the alcohol had loosened his tongue. “Your mother wasn’t a teacher. She worked at the Ministry of Magic in the Department of Magical Artifacts,” he admitted. “When you were young, she went on an assignment to retrieve an artifact hidden somewhere on Jeju Island.” He paused as if the next words brought him physical pain to speak. “And the next day her body washed up on the beach.”
Soobin's heart dropped. “What happened?”
“Whatever she’d been looking for had been cursed with a killing spell,” he said.
Soobin looked at his father in disbelief. “Y-you said that she’d been sick for ages and that's how she died. You lied to me.”
“I lied to protect you. If your mother knew what was best for her she would’ve said goodbye to the wizarding world as soon as she’d gotten pregnant. But she didn’t and now she’s gone. And you’ll end up the same way if you go to that school.”
“You don’t know that,” said Soobin.
“Oh, I do.” His dad paused to pick up a beer and take a swig. “I’m your father. I decide what you need to know and I decide what’s best for you. Magic is dangerous so you’re not going.”
Soobin’s heart was beating out of his chest. This school was a chance to get out of this town and maybe find a place he actually belonged. “Dad, you can’t–”
“That’s final!” his dad yelled. He went to take another swig of his beer but before it reached his lips the bottle shattered into pieces. He yelped as shards of glass pierced his hand and scattered across the floor.
Soobin was frozen for a moment in shock before he realized that he had done it. His emotions had brought him to a breaking point for the second time today. When he saw the anger in his dad's eyes he quickly ran to his room, slammed the door closed, and locked it behind him. His dad was banging on the door seconds later.
“YOU OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT FUCKING NOW!”
The words echoed in Soobin’s ear. He just slid his back against the door and sank to the floor as tears pooled in his eyes. He couldn’t believe that for a moment today, he actually thought he had an escape from this hell.
After a while, the noise outside his door died down. Soobin assumed his father had finally passed out on the couch so he got out of his clothes and climbed into bed. He fell asleep to thoughts of a mother he barely knew, one with a bright smile, kind eyes, and after today, one he knew had magical abilities just like him.