Ch.37037 – Magic Wand

# 037 – Magic Wand

Teacher Hong Miri seemed easygoing but was actually quite strict.

We had to endure nearly 10 minutes of scolding.

“Hey, Ha Yeongwon. Your mother is in the hospital, and you’re out here causing trouble?”

“I’m sorry.”

When you’ve done something wrong, you should lie low and take it.

Soon, Teacher Hong Miri’s eyes turned toward Jeongseok.

“Class D vice president. I thought you were different, but was I wrong? What are you doing here? Two boys luring an innocent girl into a collapsed building!”

Two boys luring a girl into a collapsed building.

That sounded strangely suggestive.

But Dahui, who had been listening quietly, interrupted.

“I was the one who suggested going. Yeongwon and Seok came because I asked them to. I lost something and needed to find it, but I was scared to go alone.”

“You, Dahui?”

Teacher Hong Miri’s eyes narrowed into slits.

Just as I thought her gaze was as sharp as a snake’s, she clicked her tongue.

“Fine. It’s getting late, so everyone go home today.”

Oh.

Could we finally escape this lecture hell?

“Yu Dahui, you stay. I think I need to talk to the chairman about you. I heard the chairman isn’t feeling well, and they won’t be happy to hear you’re causing problems. You know that better than anyone, right?”

“…”

Yu Dahui made a slightly tearful face, like someone who’d been unfairly caught doing something wrong.

“Okay.”

Whatever it was, I just wanted to escape this situation quickly.

“Seok, let’s go home now.”

Looking back, that underground exploration was terrifying.

I was scared.

To shake off this fear… showing off my status window, traits, and gacha items would be best.

I should hurry home.

“Yeongwon, here.”

Yu Dahui held something out to me as I was about to leave.

It was a magic wand about 30cm long.

“Return it to Juhui.”

“…Sure.”

And that’s how our impromptu Saturday evening courage test ended!

Here’s what I gained:

1. Mental fatigue

2. A “Magic Wand” with Yang Juhui’s name on it

3. A favor from Yu Dahui

“I guess that’s a net positive.”

Whether #3 is a gain or loss depends on how I use it.

Jeongseok said:

“That was an underground I never want to visit again.”

“I agree. But if what Yu Dahui said is true, doesn’t it seem like Yang Juhui’s sister, Yang Dohui, went into the old school building’s basement looking for something? What was she trying to find?”

Today’s experience could be a “missing puzzle piece.”

When I asked puzzle master Jeongseok, he hesitated with a “Well…”

“I don’t know.”

From what I could tell, Jeongseok’s brain was still paralyzed by the fear he’d experienced underground.

What was she looking for?

“According to Yu Dahui, she came looking for something round like a ball. Jeongseok, you said the high school girl’s missing head incident was five years ago, right?”

“…Yeah. It was winter. The whole city was in an uproar back then.”

I was living in Seoul at the time, so I didn’t know about the commotion in this city. I barely even knew about “Gaeryong Metropolitan City” back then.

But now that I think about it… there might be a connection.

“And Yang Dohui disappeared the following spring. Could there be a connection between Yang Dohui’s case and that headless girl incident?”

“You mean the same perpetrator?”

Jeongseok’s eyes, which had been dazed as if he were high, sharpened again.

His hatred for the “perpetrator” seemed genuine.

“No, not the same perpetrator. Think about it. A head that disappeared in winter. Then a high school girl who went looking for something and disappeared the following spring. Maybe…”

“Ah, Yeongwon, you’re saying Yang Dohui might have gone into the old school building’s basement looking for the head?”

“Yeah. Maybe the headless girl and the missing Yang Dohui were friends or something. Jeongseok, if my head disappeared, you’d come looking for it too, right?”

“…”

Jeongseok had a dubious expression.

Is he saying he wouldn’t look for my head if it disappeared?

No, he probably thinks my speculation is just a plausible but baseless theory.

But isn’t the first step in puzzle-solving to fit together what seems plausible, then replace pieces if they don’t work?

“At least now I think I understand how Yang Juhui’s sister disappeared. And it doesn’t seem like Yu Dahui was lying. I don’t know where she disappeared to, but…”

I waved the magic wand in my hand.

I should return it today.

“Hey, let’s go to Juhui’s house.”

“…I should be heading home soon.”

Jeongseok made a troubled face.

It was already 10 PM.

He wanted to go home because it was late.

“Okay. If you have anything to say, message me. Keep notifications on in the chat room.”

# # #

On my way to Yang Juhui’s shabby apartment, I opened my status window.

『Name: Ha Yeongwon Lv.2

Traits: 《The Broken Clock》 《Holding Breath》

Funds: 577 Points

Description: Once promising, you’ve been killing time in a meaningless daily routine. But even a broken clock shows the correct time twice a day.』

『Shop ◀ Click to open』

『Clinic ◀ Click to open』

『Training Ground ◀ Click to open』

Strangely, looking at these words calmed me down.

With 577 points, I felt full even though I hadn’t eaten dinner.

『Welcome to the Level 2 Shop.

Our shop sells various items to help in battles against heroes.』

『Leveling up the shop will add products and apply discounts.

Shop Level 2 (0/500)

1. Trait Drawing Ticket – 90P

2. Capsule Drawing Ticket – 90P

3. Unlock Locked Item – 90P

4. Open Old School Building 2nd Floor – 900P』

What I’m going to do today is… trait drawing!

The more traits I have, the more cards I can use.

Even 《Holding Breath》, which seemed insignificant, proved quite useful.

“Wonder what I’ll get.”

Ding!

Soon, something like a roulette wheel that often appears in games when drawing items appeared and started spinning.

“This moment is always the most tense.”

Drrrrrrrrrrrr-click.

It stopped!

Ba-ba-ba-bam!

And there was a fireworks effect I’d never seen before!

“What? Did I get a rare trait? Did I succeed at the gacha!?”

The arrow on the roulette machine pointed to:

『《Strong Heart》: Your heart becomes stronger. Your stamina increases significantly, and you become immune to all heart diseases.』

“Oh. Oh shit. Oh, shit!”

I had felt this when I got 《Holding Breath》 too.

When I acquire a trait, I understand its abilities as if I’ve seen the answer key.

It feels like it becomes part of my body, like how we naturally use our hands and feet.

Thump. Thump.

Placing my hand on my chest, I could feel my heart beating more powerfully than usual.

Lifetime immunity to all heart diseases.

That’s great!

Increased stamina too?

Does that mean I’ve become more virile?

Let me focus on my lower body.

Then suddenly, I realized this wasn’t entirely good news.

“…I won’t be able to avoid wet dreams anymore.”

Somehow, I knew this.

My passive skill 《Wet Dream Prevention》 worked by making my heart race with extreme fear when I was about to have a wet dream, waking me up.

But now my heart was super strong… and clearly wouldn’t race over something like wet dreams anymore.

“…I’m screwed. My cheat key to escape nightmares!”

While I was making a fuss about this, I arrived at Yang Juhui’s apartment.

I called Yang Juhui.

-Soft and tender my heart-

-Like clear stream water-

-Flowing, flowing stream water-

What a bizarre ringtone, no matter how many times I hear it.

Click.

Yang Juhui answered the phone.

“What.”

“Come down. I’m in front of your house. I have something for you.”

“What is it.”

“If I tell you, it won’t be fun. Just come down quickly. Here’s a hint: it’s thick and long. And pink. Hard too.”

“What the hell.”

A magic wand with “Yang Juhui” written on it.

I wondered how Yang Juhui would react when she saw it.

I waited with some anticipation.

After about five minutes, a girl wearing red sweatpants over dolphin shorts came down from the apartment.

Meeting the prettiest girl in class on a weekend evening.

Thinking about it, what I was doing felt somewhat surreal.

“What.”

Yang Juhui glared at me with narrowed eyes.

She seemed still upset since storming out after yelling at Yu Dahui earlier today.

I held out the magic wand to her.

“Hey, is this yours?”

“Isn’t that the Princess Magic Wand?”

Yang Juhui’s expression immediately brightened.

There was a video of a prickly hedgehog that suddenly relaxed and eagerly ate an apple when offered one. Yang Juhui’s attitude was just like that.

“It is the Princess Magic Wand!”

What’s a Princess Magic Wand?

Is it a set item with Princess Sketchbook?

Yang Juhui snatched the wand from me and examined it carefully.

“This has my name on it! My possession! Where did you get this?”

“Gack!”

Yang Juhui suddenly grabbed my collar and shook me, making me choke.

Yang Juhui’s strength was surprisingly powerful, shaking my body back and forth.

“Where did you get this?!”

“Yu… Yu Dahui…”

“Yu Dahui?”

“I went to the old school building with Yu Dahui. We got it from the basement. Yu Dahui told me to give it to you. Why? What’s so special about it?”

“…”

Yang Juhui silently stared at the magic wand.

Click. When she pressed a button, the jewel at the tip sparkled brightly.

“This. The last time I saw my sister, she took it from me. My sister liked taking my things. Pencil cases. Erasers. Toys…”

So Yang Juhui learned her item-stealing skill from her sister.

Yang Juhui had taken plenty of my things too—cutter, eraser, pencil case, and more.

“I got this magic wand for my 7th birthday. When she tried to take this too, I got so angry and said terrible things to her. That was the last time…”

I see.

It was a meaningful item.

I told Yang Juhui about exploring the school basement with Yu Dahui and Jeongseok.

And I casually mentioned my theory that her sister, Yang Dohui, might have been searching for the “headless girl’s” head in the school basement.

I wondered how Yang Juhui would react to this.

“The headless girl… I know her too. She used to visit our house often. Bong Seyeon.”

“Bong Seyeon?”

“The headless girl. She’s the sister of Class C bully Bong Jiyeon. Didn’t Jeongseok tell you that?”

He hadn’t told me that.

Partly because I hadn’t asked…

But thinking about it, it was something I could have easily guessed.

The headless girl was a girl who lived next door to Jeongseok.

And Bong Jiyeon was actually a childhood friend who frequently visited Jeongseok’s house and annoyed him.

So Class C bully Bong Jiyeon lived next door to Jeongseok!

“My sister looking for Seyeon’s head… Come to think of it… my sister always had something strange about her. She would talk to empty spaces. Sometimes she’d get sick for no reason.”

“Like someone who could see ghosts?”

“Yeah. Then she disappeared.”

Yang Juhui’s maternal line had been shamans for generations.

What if her sister, Yang Dohui, really had such a “talent”?

The ability to see ghosts…

A seer.

Watcher.

Observer.

Could that be what “Watcher” means?

A refreshing sensation burst in my head, like someone had poured cold carbonated water into it!