The Twelve-Card Hwatu Dinner Night — The Question Black Clover Asked

It was a late night. From deep inside the living-room drawer, inside an old box of Hwatu (Korean flower cards), came a sound: clack, clack . The lid slid open, and forty-eight Hwatu cards crawled out in a line. Tonight was the once-a-year gathering of the twelve months’ representatives, the “Twelve Hwatu Cards’ Dinner Night”.

Elder Pine

Miss Cherry

Big Brother Full Moon

Teacher Rain

1. Who Gets the Seat of Honor?

The first to take a seat was January’s Pine. He was a dignified elder, a white crane standing with a red sun behind him.

Pine: “Heh heh, it’s only natural that the first month of the year sits in the seat of honor. Everyone, come and say hello.”

Cherry: “Oh my, sir, I’m March Cherry! I came wearing my sakura mark. I’m dressed head to toe in pink today, don’t you think?”

Pine: “Yes, lovely. But that ‘Bright’ mark stuck on your forehead is sparkling extra tonight.”

Then, across the table, round-faced August Moon burst out laughing. He was ‘Big Brother Full Moon,’ carrying a huge full moon on his head.

Moon: “Brights are the pride of folks like us! There are exactly five months with a Bright: January, March, August, November and December. So every Bright sitting here is somebody to reckon with.”

Black Clover: “Um… I don’t have a Bright. I’m April Black Clover. My name is dark, so I don’t stand out much… but I came anyway.”

Black Clover, who had been sitting quietly in a corner seat, said it in a tiny voice. Everyone looked over and said, “Oh, you were there?” and Black Clover’s face turned even blacker.

2. The Glasses Went Around and the Chatter Burst Out

They were soft-drink glasses, of course. September Chrysanthemum had raised the sake cup from his picture high in the air.

Chrysanthemum: “Cheers! Tonight, no matter what anyone says, it’s the ‘Cards You Capture Thanks to Me’ boasting contest!”

Maple: “October Maple here, with my deer. I make my living on a single Blue Ribbon. Once just three Blue Ribbons come together, the points shoot right up.”

Peony: “Oh, Brother Maple, I have a Blue Ribbon too! June Peony Blue Ribbon. September Chrysanthemum Blue Ribbon, October Maple Blue Ribbon, and me. When the three of us get together, it’s Blue Ribbons!”

Chrysanthemum: “That’s right, our trio! But it’s not common for all three Blue Ribbons to sit together at one table, ha ha.”

The talk grew livelier and livelier. When Red Ribbons came up, January, February and March raised their hands high, and at the mention of Grass Ribbons, April, May and July shouted, “We’re here too!” July Red Clover had brought along his boar, but the boar kept sticking its nose into the snacks, and everyone burst into laughter.

July Boar

September Blue Ribbon

October Blue Ribbon

June Blue Ribbon

3. Teacher Rain’s Bombshell

Just then, the door slid open and someone carrying an umbrella came in. It was December’s Teacher Rain, famous for always showing up last.

Rain: “Sorry I’m late. I was drying my umbrella and… oh my, everyone’s already here.”

Cherry: “Teacher Rain! It’s the end of the year, so please say a few words!”

Rain: “Then I’ll say just one thing. I’m the very last of the twelve months, but among the Brights I’m sometimes the ‘Bright with a lower score,’ and that makes me a little sad.”

“Huh? Why?” Everyone perked up their ears. In fact, under this game’s (HealingMatgo’s) rules, when you collect Three Brights and the Rain Bright (Bi-gwang) is among them, the score drops a little. Three Brights are worth 3 points, but with the Rain Bright included they are worth 2. This had always weighed on Teacher Rain’s heart.

Moon: “Come on, Teacher Rain. But when we gather Five Brights, isn’t that 20 points! Then without you, there are no Five Brights.”

Rain: “That’s… true.”

Pine: “You know the story of the frog in your picture, who tries again and again to jump up to the willow branch? How wonderful that determination is!”

Teacher Rain’s eyes grew moist. Raindrops pattered down from the tip of his umbrella.

4. The Question Black Clover Asked from the Corner

Just as the mood was getting warm, a mumbling voice came from the corner. It was Black Clover.

Black Clover: “Um… may I ask just one thing? What are ‘Junk’ cards like us used for? We never make any points, and capturing us hardly makes a difference.”

Suddenly it went quiet. Everyone put down their glasses and glanced at one another. Then the most dignified of them all, Elder Pine, slowly opened his mouth.

Pine: “Have you ever heard the word ‘Pi-bak’ (Junk Penalty)?”

Black Clover: “Pi-bak? Isn’t it that you lose if you can’t gather Junk?”

Pine: “To be exact, it goes like this. Under this game’s rules, when the winner has scored from Junk, if the loser captured 7 or fewer Junk cards, the settlement is said to double. So how precious a single Junk card is! Without you, the game wouldn’t go round.”

Plum: “That’s right! Us February Plum cards, too, besides the one bird, we have two Junk cards as sturdy companions. Without Junk, even Ribbons like us can’t do much.”

Iris: “I’m May Iris, and I have just one Animal, and the rest are two Junk cards and a Grass Ribbon. With Junk beside me, I feel secure.”

Black Clover’s eyes went round. He had never once been told he was precious. All at once, the box was filled with the sound of applause.

5. The Twist: Tonight’s Real Star

Then Paulownia stood up, flapping his phoenix wings. November Paulownia is the month that always gets teased because of his nickname, Ttong-gwang (the Paulownia Bright).

Paulownia: “Everyone, this is tonight’s final item. We’ll choose this year’s ‘Dinner MVP’! We vote by applause!”

Everyone looked at one another. Pine? Full Moon? Teacher Rain? But the loudest applause, unexpectedly, burst out from the corner seat.

Chrysanthemum: “Mr. Black Clover, you asked your question with the most courage tonight! Thanks to you, we all learned how much we need one another.”

Black Clover: “Me…? I was just curious…”

Pine: “That curiosity lit up tonight. Now, all twelve months are here, so let’s take one group photo!”

The forty-eight cards stood with their arms around one another. Before anyone knew it, the dark-faced Black Clover was standing in the middle of the front row. The “click” was actually the sound of the drawer closing. When morning came and a human hand opened the drawer, the Hwatu cards quickly slipped back into the box.

That morning, the grandchild took out the Hwatu and muttered, puzzled, “Huh? Black Clover is on top? Did someone take these out last night?” Grandpa chuckled and said, “That fellow must be in a good mood today.”