Hang Laou, Monday, December 22, 2025
The chilly wind only added to the warmth of the Christmas atmosphere.
"Yeah, warmth... that's something only those with families and love can feel. For those of us alone out there, days like this are truly frightening..."
At Hang Laou Magic Academy, the final exams were fast approaching, and everyone was undoubtedly practicing tirelessly, with no interest in Christmas. But no, the Christmas spirit was still palpable throughout the campus. Clubs had organized many fun events to celebrate the holiday, and the school grounds were always crowded with couples and friend groups enjoying the festivities together.
What made Christmas at this school special and eagerly anticipated each year was the Christmas Eve campfire on the night of December 24. That was just the beginning. Then, on December 25, the most awaited event of the year for the senior students would take place:
"the Coming-of-Age Ceremony ????"
Yang Seo Ah shouted loudly after being assigned the task of representing the entire senior class at the ceremony. She firmly refused because she couldn't bear the thought of speaking in front of such a large crowd.
"No, no way, why did they pick me? I can't do something this important (T.T)"
The student council begged, but it was futile. At that moment, a voice called out from behind Seo Ah, it was Leen Ho Hyun:
"Hahaaa, how could this timid girl dare? If you do it, I'll treat you to lunch for a week, just you wait!"
Seo Ah's anger flared, and it seemed like she transformed into a completely different person, shouting:
"I'LL DO IT, BUT DON'T YOU FORGET WHAT YOU JUST SAID, YOU IDIOT!"
The student council didn't fully grasp what had just happened, but they thanked Ho Hyun for his help and left. Ho Hyun then spoke again.
"By the way, what is this Coming-of-Age Ceremony, Seo Ah?"
"You idiot, you don't even know, and yet you're goading me into it?"
Seo Ah was utterly defeated by Ho Hyun's ignorant question.
"The Coming-of-Age Ceremony is a ritual passed down for hundreds of years. When someone turns 17, they are eligible to participate. During the ceremony, they place their hand on a glass orb containing millions of stars. A god from those stars will appear and sign a pact with them. Then, they can borrow the god's powers, and they'll be officially recognized as a true wizard."
"A ritual as important as that, and I only just found out? I always thought adult wizards used formulas for their magic!"
Ho Hyun was taken aback by the significance of the Coming-of-Age Ceremony.
Seo Ah was even more frustrated:
"That's why I didn't want to take on such an important task during that ceremony, you fool!"
Afraid that Seo Ah would get angrier, Ho Hyun quickly changed the subject:
"Haha, never mind that. So I don't need to learn magic anymore? I just sign a pact with the gods, right?"
"You fool, the strength of the god you make a pact with depends on your proficiency in magic, so don't be lazy! Come with me to the library and study magic!"
Seo Ah was disappointed by Ho Hyun's silly thoughts and dragged him to the library to study for the final exams.
11:01 AM, at the school library—Leen Ho Hyun was fast asleep in a corner while Yang Seo Ah tutored him in magic for the final exams.
Seo Ah sat beside him, secretly taking a photo with excitement:
"Hahaaa... this will be the perfect way to get this snake to listen to me. The last time I fell asleep in class, he secretly took a picture and set it as his phone's wallpaper for everyone to see. This time, I'll make him pay (>3<)"
Meanwhile, in his dream, Ho Hyun was reunited with his family. Tears began to fall from his eyes, even though he was still asleep.
Seo Ah panicked:
"Hey, hey, wake up, what's going on? Don't scare me like this!"
Unconsciously, Seo Ah's own tears fell. She cried while calling for Ho Hyun to wake up. Of course, she knew what he was dreaming about, but she didn't want him to break down every time he dreamt of his family, a memory that had haunted him for five years.
[ Five years ago, when Ho Hyun was only 12 years old... ]
On the afternoon of January 21, 2020, at 4:30 PM, the two middle school kids had just finished class.
Leen Ho Hyun smiled brightly and said:
"Hey, hey, class is over, let's go play, Seo Ah!"
Yang Seo Ah, visibly angry, shouted at Ho Hyun:
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Ho Hyun, terrified, had no idea where he went wrong:
"S...s...so what's wrong, Seo Ah?"
With a furious expression, Seo Ah demanded:
"How dare you use your wind magic to blow my skirt up during practical class?!"
Ho Hyun, looking around, hesitated to defend himself:
"I... I just couldn't control the magic since it was new to me, that's all."
Seo Ah didn't listen and stormed home, her face full of anger, while Ho Hyun trailed behind apologizing.
Since their houses were right next to each other, they had grown up together as childhood friends. On the outside, Seo Ah was furious, but inside, she was flustered and kept asking herself, "Could it be that Hyun likes me? (>..<)"
When they reached home, the sight in front of Ho Hyun made him freeze for a few seconds before he managed to speak:
"S...S...Seo Ah, my house... why... why is it like this?"
Seo Ah was also horrified. What stood before her was not Ho Hyun's home, but a battlefield. It looked like a huge explosion had occurred. According to investigations at the scene, two bodies were identified as a man and a woman. It seemed there had been a conflict leading to the explosion. The blast was so powerful that 40% of Seo Ah's house was also damaged. Fortunately, her parents were living abroad at the time, so no one was harmed, except for the property damage.
Ho Hyun stepped forward, staring at the two bodies, seemingly of his parents, and fell to his knees, crying out loudly:
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO..."
Seo Ah could only hold him tightly, trying to comfort him.
After that dark day, Ho Hyun received help from others, and a new home was built for him. However, Seo Ah's parents always invited him over to live with them, so he didn't feel lonely. He slowly started to change. It took a while, but Seo Ah finally saw him smile again. That was when he told her he had dreamt of his parents, who told him to live well and smile often. But it didn't last long. From then on, whenever he dreamt of them, tears would fall from his eyes, whether asleep or awake.
[ Back to the present, Ho Hyun was now a senior at Hang Laou Magic Academy. ]
Amidst Seo Ah's tears, Ho Hyun finally woke up:
"Seo Ah, why are you crying?"
Seo Ah, relieved that he was awake, hugged him tightly:
"It's okay, we'll study some magic, and then we can go have lunch."
"Thanks, Yang Seo Ah!"
Ho Hyun smiled and nodded, gently ruffling Seo Ah's hair.