Ducked, Dressed, and Distressed

Six months had passed since the medieval artifacts were handed over to officials and displayed in the local museum. Life had mostly returned to normal—or at least, what I had started calling normal. The kind of normal where enchanted frying pans flipped eggs unprovoked or distant memories teased the edges of your mind without warning.

On what should have been a boring cleaning day, I found myself rummaging under my bed. My fingers brushed against something soft and dusty. Intrigued, I pulled it out—a storage bag I hadn't touched in months.

The zipper was stiff with disuse, but when I opened it, my breath caught. Inside was a cloak so intricate it could have belonged to a queen, and a pair of boots that screamed royalty. The fabric of the cloak shimmered under the light, as though it had been stitched with liquid gold.

I ran my fingers over the embroidery, tracing unfamiliar symbols that felt oddly significant. The boots were just as exquisite, with ornate patterns carved into their leather—a craftsmanship far beyond anything you'd find in Seoul's fashion district.

I sat there on my knees, holding these remnants of another world, another time. A pang of longing hit me like a wave. I felt like I should remember something—someone—but the memory was just out of reach, like a word on the tip of your tongue. The more I tried to grasp it, the further it slipped away, leaving behind a hollow sadness.

"Who did these belong to?" I whispered to myself. "Why do they feel so… important?"

I couldn't answer my own question. Carefully, I folded the cloak and placed it back in the bag, sliding the boots in beside it. I tucked the bag deep into my closet, behind boxes of old notebooks and forgotten scarves. Even though the memories were gone, these items were a tether to something—or someone—I didn't want to lose.

Later that evening, I-seo showed up at my door with her usual enthusiasm, armed with face masks, fluffy headbands, and a determined plan for self-care.

"We need a spa night," she declared, marching past me. "You, me, and Gramps."

Naturally, Grandma Hyejin was roped into our plans. She protested for a grand total of two seconds before settling down in front of my vanity mirror with us, adjusting a headband over her silver-streaked hair.

As we applied the cold, sticky sheet masks to our faces, Grandma's cheeks crinkled under hers as she smiled.

"You know," she began, her voice muffled slightly by the mask, "back in middle school, I read a novel about King Kael. My first love! Fictional, of course, but I doodled his name in my diary with little hearts. He was my sweet sixteen dream."

I nearly snorted. "Gramps, you're full of surprises."

"King Kael?" I-seo asked, incredulous. "Would you still fall for him now?"

Grandma's eyes sparkled mischievously. "Oh, absolutely. Though I might have aged a bit since then. Or…" She paused dramatically, tapping her chin as if deep in thought. "Do you think we can travel to Valeraine?"

"I think, us getting married is closer to reality than I traveling to Valeraine. It's not as if we're just going to Jeongdo or anywhere here in Asia, Grandma. If only we could..." I said with a serious tone. I don't want her to get upset, but when we showed her the video when we discovered it, she was so into King Kael even more. She actually requested for us to print a standee.

There was a time when I went home, I thought someone was standing in Grandma's room, but when I saw it, it was just the standee leaning against the window. Mr. Baek even told me he thought it was a ghost and that he was about to get a heart attack out of shock.

"Gramps, do you remember King Kael's standee? Our neighborhood was in shock that you might have another man aside from, may you rest in eternal peace, my Grandpops. So I just reasoned out that you requested us to print an idol you adored." I shook my head while laughing at that memory. It was hilarious that they thought Grandma Hyejin brought someone into her room at that age. As if we care about age, but it's understandable since not everyone will understand our choices.

As I-seo put some more serums into our faces, we massaged it and lay down a little to make our skin absorb the products well.

We talked more about the videos we watched from I-seo's phone and thinking how these guys are doing right now.

We were laughing so hard that tears streamed down our faces, threatening to dislodge our masks. Grandma's cheeky humor was infectious, as always, and for a moment, everything felt light and easy.

As we adjusted our masks and leaned toward the mirror, something strange happened. The reflection began to shift. Instead of our faces, figures appeared, twirling and swaying to a lively tune. The music seemed to hum faintly in the air around us, even though it had no source.

"Gramps… Am I hallucinating?" I whispered, my eyes glued to the mirror.

Grandma didn't answer, frozen in place. I-seo leaned so far forward I thought she might accidentally press her face into the glass.

"What is this?" I muttered, glancing behind the mirror to check for hidden tech. There was nothing. No wires, no screens—just plain wood and my very confused reflection staring back at me.

"Is this some weird TV show? Or… could it be connected to that medieval phenomenon from before?"

Before we could speculate further, the room went pitch black.

"Gramps, I-seo, hold my hand!" I said, fumbling in the dark. My heart pounded in my chest. "It's probably a power outage. Just stay close."

When the lights returned, they weren't the fluorescent bulbs of my room. Instead, flickering candlelight cast warm shadows across stone walls. A grand hall stretched around us, its vaulted ceilings adorned with intricate carvings. The air smelled of wax and aged wood.

In the middle of the hall, a man was dancing shamelessly, his movements completely out of sync with the regal setting.

I froze. "What the—?"

The man turned, and I instantly recognized Damiel. His bright grin was as ridiculous as ever. Beside him stood Prince Lucien, who looked slightly more composed but equally surprised to see us.

"Where are we?" I-seo asked, her voice breaking the silence.

Damiel rushed to her side with an eager grin, puffing out his chest like he was about to deliver an award-winning speech. "Welcome to the Tower of Magic! But how did you get here?" he announced dramatically.

With a flourish, he conjured a swirling orb of light, its colors shifting like an aurora.

"Not sure how as well..." I-seo answered shyly. Oh, come on! I-seo? Shy? Two contradicting words in my vocabulary. Before I could even utter a word, the ever enthusiastic Damiel butt in immediately to answer I-seo.

"You see," he explained as he seemed to see our quite confused faces when we saw that the light came from an orb and not on a light bulb, "we couldn't use our powers in Korea because we were afraid the source of mana—or aura for some people—would be completely consumed. But here, in Valeraine, magic flows freely."

Before I could respond, Prince Lucien snapped his fingers. The hall lit up like a treasure trove, the walls gleaming with gold, chandeliers dripping with crystals, and furniture so opulent it felt like a crime to sit on.

I-seo gasped, walking forward in awe. "Are these decorations real?"

I was about to follow her when I noticed something that made my heart drop. Grandma wasn't with us anymore.

"Where's Gramps?" I asked, panic rising in my voice.

Lucien placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry about her. The King requested to meet her once you arrived. A signal from the Tower alerted us to your presence, so I sent her to Grandpa immediately."

"Wait, what?" I blurted, trying to process the absurdity of it all.

"Oh, come on! Park Sena, let Grandma enjoy her sweet sixteen fantasy with King Kael," I-seo butt in as I was about to make a commotion.

Lucien removed his cloak and draped it over my shoulders, the heavy fabric settling warmly around me. I raised an eyebrow at him, unsure how to react.

"Thanks?… Oh, wait," I said, narrowing my eyes. "How is it possible we're speaking the same language now? Is this your power, or did I become Siri? Or Alexa?"

Lucien's lips quirked into a smile, his eyes softening with amusement. "You haven't changed. You're still nagging, and I've missed it."

I wasn't sure if I should feel flattered or annoyed, so I settled for an exaggerated eye roll. But him saying that he missed me made my ears warm, "That doesn't answer my question!"

Damiel, who had been silently enjoying the show, finally chimed in. "Ah, it's magic, of course, and not that Alexa or Siri. Don't question the details, Sena. Just bask in our brilliance."

I-seo couldn't help but laugh, while I glared at both of them. "Brilliance, huh? You're lucky I haven't brought up that time at the grocery store," I shot back.

"What grocery store? I can't remember anything," Damiel frowned, feigning ignorance eh?

"Oh, you know the one," I said, grinning.

"When we went grocery shopping in Korea and you walked through the entrance? Or, should I say, you duck-ed through it, and not gracefully, mind you. You literally squatted like a bird to avoid hitting your head on the doorframe. People were staring!"

I-seo burst out laughing. "I can't believe I forgot that! He looked like a medieval knight who was about to say 'Slay!'"

Damiel huffed, but a faint blush crept up his cheeks. "Well, excuse me for being tall. Those doors are tiny."

"Oh, and speaking of tiny," I said, barely holding back laughter, "remember when we accidentally bought those shirts for you, Lucien, and King Kael? Asian sizes, you know. But they ended up being crop tops for you guys."

I-seo was already doubling over. "And the pants! They turned into skinny shorts!" she wheezed. "I still have the pictures. Wait—no, the video! I recorded it! But my phone... I left it," She said with a little bit of sadness in her eyes as if it was a great opportunity that she lost.

"I don't know how I survived the embarrassment." Lucien groaned, but there was a faint smile tugging at his lips.

Damiel threw his hands up. "You mean we? Those clothes were practically painted on. I looked like—"

"auditioning for Boots or Dora? or the Powerpuff Girls?" I cut in, smirking. "I swear, you three looked like you were about to go on a quest to find a map or defeat Mojo Jojo."

Even Lucien couldn't keep a straight face anymore, and Damiel let out an exaggerated sigh. "I suppose it takes real confidence to pull off a look like that."

"Confidence or desperation," I said, laughing. "Honestly, you guys should thank us. You brought medieval chic to the modern world."

As laughter echoed through the hall, I realized that despite the confusion and strangeness of the situation, I wasn't alone. Whatever awaited us, we'd figure it out together—with a lot of sarcasm and a fair share of ridiculous memories.