Chapter 63
I panicked for a moment, unable to say anything but a repeated “Uh…”
“We are seventeen…”
“Does it matter if you’re older?”
“No, really, we’re both seventeen.”
Yu Hyunjae chimed in beside me. I nodded, eyeing the woman with a strange, uneasy feeling. Her elegantly manicured nail—grown just past her fingertip—gracefully pointed to the final card.
“So?”
“Yes. It’s true.”
“Then why does the card say otherwise?”
Normally, I’d dismiss tarot as nonsense, but something about this felt off. I didn’t answer, and the woman let out a small laugh, breaking the tension first.
“Well, it’s true that it might be hard to believe.”
She glanced at the last card and spoke lightly.
“Loss.”
“Loss?”
“Yes. You’ve lost something important.”
“…I guess so.”
I forced an awkward smile. Even Yu Hyunjae seemed to pick up on the odd vibe as more strange words spilled out.
“Don’t worry too much. It’s a loss from the past, not the future.”
“The past?”
“You’ve lost something big in the past. Think carefully. Like family, for example.”
“My parents are both alive…”
“Or maybe… love?”
The woman’s gaze flickered toward Yu Hyunjae.
***
“That was such a quack, right?”
Yu Hyunjae spoke first. I pretended to think for a second before nodding along. Sure, some of it could fit, but it also felt like the kind of vague statements anyone could make.
“She couldn’t even get our age right. What kind of tarot is that?”
“I told you. All that stuff is just superstition.”
After the dubious tarot reading, we stepped outside. The sun had already set as we walked. Debating whether to head home, Yu Hyunjae suddenly stopped me.
“Chanhee.”
“Hmm?”
“I actually have somewhere I really want to go.”
His tone was resolute, like he’d made up his mind. I couldn’t bring myself to refuse. My mother’s reminder to come back for dinner crossed my mind, but honestly, I didn’t feel like obeying.
“Where?”
“You’ll see when we get there.”
“No, you could at least tell me now.”
Yu Hyunjae gave me a look—Do you really want to know? He clearly wasn’t going to spill unless I pushed. I sighed and let him pull me along. We ended up in front of a small shop tucked in a narrow alley.
“What is this?”
“Exactly what it looks like.”
“You want to make this?”
“Yeah. Oh, is it weird?”
So Yu Hyunjae’s secretly into stuff like this…
“No, I mean, it’s fine.”
“Good.”
Yu Hyunjae took my hand and led me inside. The cozy interior felt a little out of place for two teenage guys like us.
“Hey, this is kinda embarrassing.”
“That’s just your prejudice talking.”
Yu Hyunjae dragged me toward the counter, unfazed.
“Here to make rings?”
I fidgeted, too flustered to answer. Yu Hyunjae, shameless as ever, replied smoothly.
“Yes. We’re making them together.”
The shopkeeper glanced between us and giggled.
“Got it! I’ll get everything ready.”
Sitting at the table she guided us to, I awkwardly scanned the room.
“Isn’t this cool?”
“Yeah, I guess…”
My hesitant reply made Yu Hyunjae chuckle as he traced his thumb over my hand. He was bolder than I expected. For some reason, realizing I was seeing sides of him that didn’t match the “Yu Hyunjae” from the story gave me a strange, almost proud feeling.
***
“What if we lose them?”
I asked, and Yu Hyunjae pretended to ponder before answering clearly.
“We’ll just go back and make new ones.”
“Ugh, I could never come back here. Too cringey.”
“What’s cringey about it?”
We slid the rings onto our left ring fingers and headed home. As we neared my place, I felt my mood shift like Pavlov’s dog—calm, resigned.
“Think your mom will say anything?”
“Nah. She’s not the type to fuss over stuff like this.”
I opened the gate, oddly anxious. Luckily, no one was home. The first-floor living room and kitchen were dark—maybe she’d gone out.
“Guess she’s not here?”
“Yeah. Maybe she had plans.”
Since we weren’t the type of family to share schedules, Yu Hyunjae and I silently climbed to the second floor. Unlike the first floor, the lights were on. Hearing us, my mother stepped out of my room.
“Mom, what were you doing in—”
“Back already?”
She greeted us normally, but something felt off. My room looked untouched, but I couldn’t shake the feeling she’d snooped. I was glad I’d already returned the necromancy books to Han Jaemin. I considered telling her to stay out of my room but didn’t want to escalate things. Tossing my bag onto the bed, I changed and lay down—only to notice the ring. I lifted my left hand into the air.
“Huh. It’s kinda nice.”
The engraved ring caught the fluorescent light, glinting softly. Not flashy, but pretty. I wish time could stop like this. I flexed my fingers, watching the light dance. Time kept rewinding on its own, but I couldn’t make it stop—not that I’d ever had control over it in the first place.
“System.”
I called softly. The room was silent.
“Show yourself.”
I coaxed it, wondering if a gentler tone would work.
“Can you at least stop time for me?”
The System never appeared. Expected, really. It only showed up when it had something to announce or warn me about.
“…Or just make me happy.”
A ridiculous demand. I lowered my hand and curled up. I was exhausted—not from physical activity, but from the weight of everything. It was ironic; I trained my stamina weekly, yet this was what wore me out.
But only a week left. I stared at the wall, counting the patterns for no reason. Just one week. I should at least be happy until then. This might be the last happiness I ever get.
***
The week flew by like an idiot. The morning before I was supposed to meet Han Jaemin, a short message popped up:
[Han Jaemin: Ready.]
I read it but didn’t reply. Right on cue, another vibration:
[Han Jaemin: No need to answer.]
[Han Jaemin: But if you chicken out or backtrack tomorrow…]
[Han Jaemin: We’ll have to have a little chat.]
The word “chat” sounded downright threatening. I left the message unread. Grabbing my bag, I stepped outside—only to find Yu Hyunjae already sitting on the living room sofa.
“Wait long?”
“No. Just finished up.”
“Let’s go. We’re gonna be late.”
We headed down the stairs. Today was the last day I could be happy.
