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Dongju held his breath as the large building slowly came into view.
He clutched his letter tightly in his hands and buried his nose in the thick scarf his mother had wrapped around his neck before sending him off earlier that morning, falling into step with his future classmates as they walked towards their home for the next few years.
He could definitely spot some others who looked nervous, but in the sea of excitement and cheerful conversations it felt like they were on their own, left to wallow in their fear while everyone else around them lived out their dreams and fantasies.
‘This isn’t good,’ Dongju thought, ‘How am I supposed to meet anyone if I’m like this? I’ll never graduate if I don’t find someone.’
He meant it; it was impossible for someone to graduate from the magic academy on their own.
Ever since the beginning of time, a wizard or witch needed a wand to aid them and to accompany them for the rest of their life.
When one with the magical gift came of the right age to enter the magic academy, they received a letter of acceptance and also a mark on their arm that signified whether they were a wizard or a wand, a triangle for the former and a star for the latter. According to their class, wizards and wands received different training in the academy, all while working together in pairs and finally graduating as a wizard-wand duo. It was incredibly important for the pairs to be made wisely, for one mistake could very easily lead to a disaster.
Dongju’s parents themselves were an incredibly strong couple, his father operating as the wizard and his mother as the wand, and Dongju hoped that he would find someone like that to be his own wand.
He rubbed his arm where the triangle mark rested. To say he had been expecting this revelation would be a lie. He had always been under the impression that he would be a wand and his twin brother a wizard, a perfect pair from birth. Alas, it had not been meant to be. On the morning of their birthday both boys had woken to find a triangle on their arms and all the years of planning for the future had collapsed there and then.
But Dongju tried not to let himself be deterred by the setback. He looked over and saw Dongmyeong, his brother, already shaking hands with another boy with bleach blond hair and a shy smile on his face. The young wizard straightened his back and kept walking with the thought that if Dongmyeong could break out of his shell and interact with others then so could he.
He was a good wizard, he knew that. He had spent years practicing magic tricks with his parents and brother before turning sixteen and being able to properly attend the academy, and they had all praised his abilities. That could only mean that some wand would want to pair with him, right?
He looked around, hoping to spot someone who looked friendly enough to approach. Probably because he felt a little pity for himself and his nervousness, he was drawn to the other few students who looked anxious. He spotted a few of them walking along either with their heads lowered so their faces were obscured by their black pointy hats or their whole bodies tense as if they had swallowed a broomstick.
Just then, a tall lean boy with black hair appeared in the distance. He towered over some of the other students, to the point where Dongju wondered if he really was the same age as him, but the worry on his face and in his eyes told another story. He was walking on his own, looking from side to side cautiously, and Dongju couldn’t help but find him incredibly cute.
Making up his mind, he took a few steps back and found himself side to side with the boy.
“Hi,” he introduced himself, “My name is Dongju.”
The boy looked down at him surprised. He seemed to hesitate and Dongju was beginning to think he had scared him when at last the boy replied with, “Hi. I’m Geonhak,” in the deepest voice the wizard had ever heard.
“Nice to meet you, Geonhak,” he said, smiling, “Are you a wizard or a wand?”
“Wand,” Geonhak answered, “And you?”
“Wizard,” Dongju beamed. How lucky he had gotten! He wondered if fate would really be so kind as to let him meet his wand on his first day at the academy.
He was about to speak more when another student rushed past him, shoving him as they did so. Caught off guard, Dongju lost his footing and tripped.
He panicked, thinking he was going to make a fool of himself on his first day before lessons even started, and in front of a wand nonetheless, when suddenly two strong hands grabbed his shoulders and pulled him up until he was face to face with Geonhak, their chests pressed against each other.
The new angle he was looking at Geonhak from made Dongju notice more details about the boy’s face, and he couldn’t stop his cheeks from heating up. They looked into each other’s eyes for a few moments until the hustle and bustle around them forced them out of the trance and Geonhak let go of Dongju, the wizard gathering his bearings and standing on his feet again.
“Thank you,” he said, “Sorry I fell on you like that.”
“I let you,” the wand replied.
Dongju’s heart fluttered like a butterfly.
“Say, Geonhak,” he said, “Why don’t we pair up for classes today? We’re a wizard and a wand, and you’ve already held me even though it’s supposed to be the other way around. It’s only fair that I get my turn next, right?”
Geonhak gave him a smile that made his eyes crinkle. “Alright,” he replied, “Let’s give it a try.”
Excited, Dongju grabbed the wand’s hand and the two walked through the academy’s gates together.