Chandra ignored Doyun's sarcasm and simply said, "You should start packing. School will probably start soon."
Yejun looked at her in disbelief. How are we supposed to join mid-year? He didn't know anything about magic, and the school year was almost over.
"Wait," he asked. "How are we gonna join now? School's almost over."
Chandra smiled knowingly. "That's the fun part about magic. Time works differently here. It's actually the last few days of summer break in this world."
Yejun stared at her, stunned. At this point, he was starting to wonder if magic might actually be… real. Just a little.
Chandra glanced over at the calendar. "You guys are leaving tomorrow night. The ride will take about a day."
Yejun blinked. "Wait, why does it take so long to get there?"
Chandra answered too quickly, almost as if she had expected the question. "Well, around 8 p.m., you'll teleport to a certain location, and from there, the school will take you by carriage."
Yejun smirked. "How old school."
"Alright, enough questions. Start packing." She waved a hand dismissively and walked over to her desk.
Next to it, curled up lazily, was Barley—the cat. She absentmindedly petted its back before sitting in her chair. "You guys still have some time in this city. Go out and have fun." Then she glanced at Doyun. "Just be good and don't get into trouble, at least."
Doyun nodded, but the sarcasm in his expression was way too obvious. Chandra either didn't notice or chose to ignore it.
Doyun turned on his heel and started heading for the door. "Let's go, Yejun."
Not like Yejun had anything better to do. With a sigh, he followed.
They made it back to their room, and only then did Doyun start talking again.
"Hey, get ready. We're going somewhere."
Yejun groaned. "And why should I go with you?"
Doyun pulled some clothes from his suitcase—formal, as usual. "As much as you hate me, we both know you want to explore the city before we leave."
He wasn't wrong. Yejun did want to look around.
With another sigh, he got ready, throwing on olive-green cargos, a white shirt with a print on it, and a gray hoodie. He figured he'd want to listen to music, so he grabbed his headphones—only to remember that technology didn't work in this world.
That was still so weird.
Doyun finished changing, too—white shirt, black pants, gray trench coat. Always overdressed.
"You ready?"
Yejun didn't even get a chance to answer before Doyun grabbed his wrist again and dragged him out of the hotel.
"Mind letting go?" Yejun grumbled.
Doyun just stared at him. "And what if I don't?"
"Whatever. Where are we even going?"
Doyun looked up at the sky as if brainstorming. "Hmm… just walking around, I guess."
Yejun shrugged. "Alright. Sounds good."
They wandered through the same streets they had explored yesterday. Today, a cool breeze swept through the city. The sun was setting, painting the sky in warm hues. The streets weren't as crowded, giving the place a peaceful, almost dreamlike atmosphere.
Even though Yejun still wasn't sure if magic was real, he had to admit—he liked this world.
The two walked for a few minutes until they turned into a narrow alleyway. The air felt different here. The people still lingering around were dressed in dark clothing, their faces unreadable, their stares sharp. It felt like they weren't exactly welcome here.
As they continued, the street shifted. The colorful shops from before disappeared, replaced by abandoned buildings and shadowed storefronts.
Yejun frowned.
Doyun noticed. "Scared?"
Yejun quickly looked away. "No. It just looks… different here."
Doyun snorted. "Of course it does. This is the darker part of the city."
Yejun gave him a confused look. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Well, even if you don't believe in magic yet, I'll just say this—magic isn't all the same. There are different categories. Light magic, which is only used for good. Regular magic, which is just… normal magic. And then there's dark magic. It's more powerful, and it can be used for worse things, but not always."
Yejun nodded slowly, still processing. "So… dark magic is only used for bad stuff?"
"Not really," Doyun shrugged. "It can be used for normal things, too. But most people have a prejudice against it, so they immediately assume it's bad. Which it isn't. Of course, some people do use it for less-than-great reasons, but… not my problem, y'know?"
They kept walking, their conversation flowing surprisingly smoothly. No bickering for once.
By the time they circled back to the hotel, the sun had fully set.
Now, they were lying on their beds, staring up at the ceiling.
Doyun reached for the nightstand and flicked off the lamp.
Darkness.
Yejun got comfortable, ready to fall asleep, when Doyun's voice broke the silence.
"Remember, tomorrow we're going to school."
For a moment, Yejun thought Doyun was finally being nice.
But then—
"I bet you'll fail all the classes."
"Shut up."
And with that, the two drifted off to sleep.
Tomorrow would be… interesting.
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-Author
Thanks for reading this chapter!