Mu-ryeong’s Spirit

It was still early in the morning, long before the sun had risen. The streets were quiet, still echoing the remnants of the previous night. The alleyways were damp with an unidentifiable dew, and the occasional car passed by on the wide main roads.

‘Where am I?’

Ye-bin stood in front of the crosswalk, his confused eyes scanning the surroundings. He was wearing a large jacket over a white shirt, with a perfectly tied tie. His knee-length, stiff skirt and pristine white sneakers clearly marked him as someone who had just started wearing a school uniform.

His bag, too, was brand new and spotless, hanging from his back. It was a bit large for his small frame, but since it was empty, it didn’t feel too heavy. Ye-bin grasped the straps tightly with both hands, nervously biting his lip.

‘The school was supposed to be this way...’

Today was the day Ye-bin, at 17 years old, was heading to high school for the first time. He had always ridden in his father’s car to middle school, but today, he was supposed to walk. He had proudly left the house, feeling grown-up, but since earlier, he had been wandering in a strange place.

‘Do I have to cross here?’

In front of him was a four-lane intersection. The traffic lights kept changing, but Ye-bin couldn't bring himself to take even a single step forward. Every time he tried, an inexplicable fear welled up inside him.

‘I’m going to be late...’

Could there be another route? He turned around, hoping to find a different path. He wandered into a side street and then quickly exited, only to get lost in thought as a stray cat passed by.

‘...Why am I here?’

Whenever he snapped out of his trance, the intimidating intersection would appear before him again. The traffic lights flickering, the beeping sound for the visually impaired, the white arrows painted on the asphalt, and the cars speeding by.

‘School...’

His vision would blur and then clear again, over and over. His body felt heavy, drained of all energy, while his mind intermittently hit a mental block. He kept losing track of why he was standing there, what lay beyond the crosswalk, and where he was supposed to go.

‘School...’

Ye-bin closed his eyes slightly, tilting his head down. His short bobbed hair brushed against his chin. Through his half-closed eyelids, he could see the gray school skirt and the tips of his white shoes.

He had to go to school. He didn’t know why, but that was why he had been standing here all this time. He had to cross the crosswalk, pass through the alley, and go to the school he would attend for the next three years.

“Excuse me.”

Ye-bin, still dazed, stared vacantly ahead. It felt like his thoughts were sinking into water, and his ears were muffled. His feet on the ground seemed to sink lower and lower, as if gravity itself was pulling him down.

“Um... over here.”

Someone seemed to be speaking to him, but this interruption was brief, just like the others. School, the crosswalk, school, and the crosswalk again.

“Are you okay?”

Suddenly, something appeared right in front of him. Ye-bin blinked, startled. The first thing he saw was a pair of clear, amber eyes.

“Can you see me?”

The round eyes narrowed gently at the corners. With each blink, the subtle line of his double eyelids appeared and faded. The boy, who had been staring at Ye-bin from close range, smiled as soon as their gazes met, his eyes crinkling into a soft smile.

“Ah, I’m glad.”

A dimple appeared on his snow-white cheek. It was then that Ye-bin realized the boy was also wearing a school uniform, similar to his own, though he wore pants while Ye-bin wore a skirt.

“It’s dangerous to stand here like this.”

The boy spoke in a soft, youthful voice. Despite still being young, his voice, though high-pitched, was pleasant to listen to, perfectly matching his bright, clean features.

“What were you doing here?”

“Uh…”

Ye-bin, still gripping his bag straps tightly, took a small step back. The student smelled nice, but an inexplicable sense of fear crept up from his toes. It was true that the sudden conversation made him wonder if this person was strange or not.

“...School…”

“Hmm?”

“I need to go... to school…”

Ye-bin didn't even realize his own voice sounded off, as if he had trouble speaking. There was no resonance in his throat, but he still stammered, moving his lips. Luckily, the boy seemed to understand, frowning slightly and nodding.

“Ah... school.”

A brief silence hung between them. Ye-bin didn't say anything, and the boy didn't either. He squinted as if he were weighing something, staring at the traffic lights.

“Hm…”

After a moment, the boy smiled brightly. His smile was so refreshing that it melted away all of Ye-bin’s fear. He extended his left hand toward Ye-bin, who had his shoulders hunched in nervousness.

“Here.”

Ye-bin’s eyes widened in surprise as the hand was suddenly extended toward him. Though the boy’s hand was smaller than most men’s, it was still bigger than his own. He stared at it, unsure of the intent, and the boy spoke gently.

“Let’s cross together.”

The smile was so warm and kind that it almost melted his wariness. His stiffened heart trembled, wavering slightly. It was as if Ye-bin was hypnotized by the gesture, and he slowly extended his own hand.

It felt strange. The moment their hands touched, his mind felt suddenly refreshed. The clutter of thoughts that had been clinging to him melted away, and the forgotten ideas began to fill his mind again.

“School…”

The boy, with great care, held Ye-bin’s hand tightly. He nodded slowly as if encouraging him to continue speaking. Ye-bin, feeling the weight of his words, moved his hand hesitantly and looked down with a gloomy expression.

“I need to go to school… but I’m scared of the crosswalk…”

It had been like this from earlier. No, it had been like this for what felt like an eternity. While everyone else crossed the street without hesitation, Ye-bin couldn’t take even a single step beyond the crosswalk due to his fear.

“It’s so dark around here…”

If only it was brighter, or if the sun had come up, he thought it would have been okay. Or maybe if he had taken his father’s car, it would have been better. He had left the house so early, afraid he might be late for school, but now it felt like a mistake.

“Is the dark scary for you?”

Ye-bin didn’t respond, so the boy closed his mouth. He then looked around before bowing his head slightly toward Ye-bin. Despite being small himself, the boy had to lower his body to speak to Ye-bin, whose frame was much more delicate.

“This is our little secret.”@@novelbin@@

The moment the boy said that, the crosswalk light turned green. He squeezed Ye-bin’s hand tighter and reached his other hand into the air. Then, with a soft whistle, something magical happened.

“Wow…”

A fiery spark shot up, its brilliant light floating in front of them like glowing embers. The fire split into two and began to hover, casting a warm light that illuminated their path.

“Now it’s a bit brighter.”

The boy smiled as he stepped down onto the street. Ye-bin followed him, taking a slow step forward. With each step, the flames seemed to move along with them.

“Wow…”

Ye-bin was so captivated by the sparks that he didn’t even notice how far they had walked or how much closer the crosswalk was. He didn’t realize the boy was carefully watching their surroundings, nor that the dark sky was slowly brightening as the sun began to rise.

“We’d better hurry…”

The boy mumbled and squeezed Ye-bin’s hand.

As they stepped onto the sidewalk, the boy casually asked,

“You’re going to school, right?”

No answer was needed. Even after crossing the entire street, the boy still hadn’t let go of Ye-bin’s hand. Instead, he held it tighter and spoke again.

“I’ll take you. Let’s go.”

Along the way to school, they talked about various things—the boy’s health struggles, how he couldn’t attend middle school because of his illness, how he had to undergo a major surgery right after graduation, and how he had finally recovered enough to attend high school.

“I wanted to go to a different school than my brother, but my mom and dad insisted, so I ended up here.”

Although Ye-bin had attended an all-girls middle school, she didn’t feel uncomfortable talking to the boy. Their conversation, which had started awkwardly, eventually became more casual. It wasn’t just because he seemed so gentle or that he was still young—it felt easy to talk to him.

“How old are you, by the way?”

By the time they almost reached the school, Ye-bin asked. The boy hesitated for a moment, rolling his eyes as if searching for the right words.

“Eighteen.”

“Ah, so you’re older than me.”

Eighteen. He was a year above Ye-bin, despite being a new student like her. She only realized this now as she noticed his name tag had a different color than hers. But he had been treating her like an equal, even calling her by her first name.

“Your name… is Kim Mu-ryeong?”

The boy didn’t answer right away, but instead, he smiled at Ye-bin. He stopped walking and turned to face the still-closed school gates. Ye-bin, feeling the warmth of his hand still lingering, let go and walked toward the gates.

“We must have arrived too early.”

She glanced back at him, and for the first time since leaving the house, a genuine smile formed on her face.

“Thanks for walking me here.”

There was no response from the boy, but Ye-bin didn’t mind. After all, he had helped her, so at least she should let him know her name.

“I’m…”

Her voice trailed off. I’m Yoon Ye-bin. The words, though, were carried away by the cold morning air.

Watching her, Mu-ryeong closed his eyes slowly and let out a quiet sigh. The feeling in his clear eyes was unmistakably melancholic. Standing alone by the gate, his presence seemed to be surrounded by a subtle, almost eerie energy. Only Mu-ryeong remained there, wearing his school uniform as the world slowly began to awaken.