Posted: 01 April 2016, 17:00 EDT | Words: 2,938

~//~

For the umpteenth time, Kai attempted to push the ball of heat manifesting in his chest out. But try as he might, his magic remained doggedly where it was, refusing to treat his master’s burn.

“Guess she’s not as single-minded as I thought,” he muttered in the solace of Ji Won’s unoccupied room.

Well, if he was going to be able to wander to other sights in peace, he’d have to make sure Ji Won was healed first. And as the genie was rapidly learning, the best way of distracting her of any other thoughts was to make her angry.

Without much searching, Kai found Ji Won settled on the couch in the living room with the TV on, staring peculiarly at the mark on her wrist as if she was only noticing it for the first time. “Don’t tell me you’re still shocked by the mark,” he said as he materialized in the recliner next to her.

Ji Won’s head swiveled towards him. She frowned. “I’m not. It’s just –” She paused and after some thought, concluded, “It’s nothing.”

Kai wasn’t convinced, but he had the more pressing business of ruffling her feathers to attend to. As he watched Ji Won munch on some chips, not realizing, or more likely not caring that her sloppy eating was making crumbs accumulate all around her, he found his angle.

“What a graceful sight,” he dryly commented.

“If you don’t like what you see, leave,” she retorted with eyes glued to the screen. Then she actually proceeded to exaggerate her chewing in a manner that reminded Kai of an animal grazing on grass. It was actually quite disgusting. “Seriously though, why don’t you exercise Rule #4 and scram to somewhere more entertaining than my living room.”

Feigning hurt, Kai pressed a hand to his heart. “Is my master not pleased with me?” The idea made him laugh, as if anyone had the right to be upset over receiving three wishes. “Besides, since Rule #1 prevents me from communicating with anyone but you, my entertainment options are severely limited. But don’t worry. As far as personal amusement goes you’ve done a decent job. You've got the comic relief character down pact.”

His tactic looked to be working. Ji Won’s teeth were bared and he could feel the barrier going down. Just a little more push and he could finally use his magic on her injury.

Unfortunately, things took a turn in a direction that Kai hadn’t been expecting. With a sly smile, Ji Won declared, “You’re lonely.”

Kai narrowed his eyes. The focus wasn’t supposed to be on him.

“Aw,” Ji Won continued to prod, “is the great Genie scared of being alone?” She lifted a hand lazily to stare at her fingernails like an all-important princess. “It finally makes sense why you’re so obsessed with me and my life.”

“I wouldn’t be talking,” Kai growled.

He should have been able to hold a better mastery over his emotions, but he couldn’t help it. She had absolutely no right to say those words to him. What did she know about his life, his struggles, and his problems that she dared to speak of him so conclusively, especially when she couldn’t even deal with the predicaments she brought upon herself?

“Just a couple hours ago you were the one blindly obsessed with a guy. I don't have a choice in who my master is so I'm stuck with you, but you couldn't have picked a worse person to obsess over. Apparently you’re not only clumsy, thick-headed, narrow-minded, and a terrible friend, but also a terrible judge of character.”

Ji Won’s face violently contorted. Not how he imagined he’d get her to this state, getting himself so emotionally involved with the conversation in the process, but if it was enough to get her mind completely off the pain in her leg…

It wasn’t. The resistance was receding, but it was still there. Damn. At this rate I’ll blow up before she does.

Even worse, Ji Won’s expression had calmed so that she now eyed him inquisitively. For someone who typically wore her emotions on her sleeve, Kai couldn’t surmise what she was thinking as her gaze slid up and down over him.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” he guardedly asked.

“I was just thinking about my earlier comment,” she innocently answered, “about you being lonely.”

“I’m not lonely,” Kai asserted, trying to shut down whatever devious plan she was cooking up.

“No?” she pouted. “But with me being the only person to interact with, and given that we’re not exactly sunshine and roses together, you probably wish you had more people to talk to.”

Kai’s suspicions were now on high alert. “What’s going on?”

Ji Won switched off the TV and turned her full attention to him, even leaning in closer like she was trying to be sympathetic and comforting with her proximity. He leaned away, dubious of her intentions. “Unfortunately you can’t do that, Rule #1 and all, but maybe we can work with what we have.”

The genie almost snorted aloud. “What we have?” he repeated. She must really have a loose screw if she thought there were any sort of good feelings between them.

Ji Won smiled and nodded. “I know I can be a little quick-tempered.”

“A little?” he muttered.

“But I’m not the terrible person you think I am. I can actually be a really good listener when you need me to be. And I stick up for my friends. When Joo Hyun and I were in middle school, she used to get picked on a lot. But after I told them off, all the kids left her alone.”

“Touching,” Kai said cynically. He was positive she was probably leaving out some important details in her heroic tale. “Though I’m pretty sure you got something out of it. Did you copy off her homework in exchange?”

“Why do you keep insisting the worst in me?” Ji Won snapped. But just when Kai thought she would go off the rails, she reigned in her emotions and sweetly smiled. “I mean, I did get something out of it, a friend. The beautiful friendship between me and Joo Hyun that you witnessed today blossomed from that day on.”

Kai nodded in mock understanding. “So what exactly are you getting at?”

“I can be your friend,” Ji Won eagerly explained. “I’ll listen to your genie concerns and complaints, or whatever else you want.”

“Including my complaints about you?”

A muscle below her left eye twitched, but Ji Won maintained a professional smile. “Sure,” she curtly replied.

Kai grinned, deciding to play along with her ruse because this was surely a con act. He just had to find out her motive. “And I suppose you want something in return for lending me your ear.”

“Friendship isn’t about having an agenda,” Ji Won explained like it was an obvious fact. “I don’t expect anything from you, except maybe some respect.”

That was actually a reasonable request coming from the unreasonable girl.

“Why don’t we start by telling each other a little more about ourselves? You can go first,” the semi-reasonable girl suggested.

Still wary about Ji Won’s intentions, Kai said nothing.

“Okay how about you begin with the talisman,” she again offered.

“What about the talisman?” he cautiously asked.

“Well, don’t you find it unfair that your fate is in the hands of a pebble?”

Kai’s mask of prudence was falling. Was it possible that Ji Won could actually understand and sympathize with him?

“Do you know what the symbols on the talisman mean? I know I have one side inked on my wrist, but I didn’t get a good look at the other side. Do you mind if I look at it?”

A thought struck Kai. She couldn’t possibly be…but it would definitely fit her character. He decided to test his theory out. “Of course not,” he said, molding the talisman in his fist and then proffering the stone to Ji Won.

Kai watched her eyes light up as she reached out for it, exactly like those of his previous masters who’d wished for riches and been presented with proof of the genie’s great power, power that was now theirs. Just as I thought.

Upon contact with Ji Won’s fingers, the talisman turned into dust in Kai’s palm, making the girl go slack-jawed. “What happened?”

“Did you really think I’d fall for your trick?” he said with a cold laugh. He would never have risked presenting her with the real talisman and had made a replica that would disintegrate upon first touch by anyone but himself. He blew the fine, gray powder into Ji Won’s face, turning it into smoke just before it her cheeks.

“What trick?” she coughed, waving at the vaporous substance.

“I’ll admit you almost had me believing your fake sympathy, but the second you asked to see the talisman, I knew what you were up to. You thought I’d willingly hand over the only semblance of free will I have?”

Ji Won tumbled back onto the couch and crossed her arms with a scowl. “Well excuse me for trying to get some peace back in my life. Obviously if I knew what the talisman was when I picked it up, I wouldn’t have thrown it away to be stuck with your constant harassing. There are so many rules to this wishing thing, but how come there isn’t one about respecting your master?”

The genie teleported so that he stood in front of the couch and stared loftily down at the child throwing a tantrum. “You want my respect? You have to earn it.”

“With your standards, I’m sure I never will,” she said with a roll of her eyes.

Kai cupped his chin and assessed the situation. “You’re right.” From his point of view, he didn’t see his current master ever redeeming herself to achieve even a mediocre measure of character in his eyes.

Ji Won threw her hands in the air and let them limply fall back to her side. “And you wonder why I resort to chicanery.”

Hit with an idea, Kai suggested, “So how about we make a deal then? I’ll give you the talisman and consequently, my respect, in exchange for something.”

She turned a keen ear towards him. “What?”

“Of course I’m not heartless. I’m not going to ask for something you can’t give me, whether it be because of physical or intellectual restraints.”

Ji Won’s eyes were sparkling with rage. Kai’s plan was working. To make his insults hit home, he dipped forward over her horizontal frame and pressed his palms against the back of the couch, effectively caging her upper body with his own. Ji Won’s breath hitched and her amber eyes rounded in a deer caught in the headlights look. Perfect. If she felt physically cornered, her anger and hostility would cloud every other thought.

However, Kai found himself quite enjoying this scenario. For so long his masters had made him feel how Ji Won appeared now, afraid and helpless. But now the roles were reversed and he was the one instilling these emotions into his master.

Kai veered from his initial plan of simply antagonizing Ji Won until she snapped to act on all the stifling resentment within him. It was probably unfair to direct all his frustrations from dozens on one girl, but he was currently operating on a power high that impaired his better judgement. “And thinking about how unsatisfied I’ve been all these years I’ve served my masters, there’s really only one thing that comes to my mind. One thing I would like from you particularly.”

Ji Won turned a noticeable shade of pink that Kai would have attributed to a feeling of outrage except that her eyes weren’t sparkling out of fury. Pushing a hand hard against his sternum, she blurted, “No way!”

Kai didn’t budge. “You don’t even know what I was going to say.”

“I don’t have to hear it.” She narrowed implicating eyes on him. “Looks like all males are the same, even if they’re genies.”

Confused by her response, a crease appeared between Kai’s eyebrows. “What…” But as he replayed his choice of words, considered his position atop her, and taken into account Ji Won’s reaction, he realized what she’d meant. “You thought that…” He couldn’t finish his sentence. The preposterous idea was so hilarious that he threw his head back and howled with laughter.

Ji Won lifted herself into a sitting position and watched with bewilderment.

Kai was almost in tears now and had to wipe the corner of his eye. “You are by far the most entertaining person I’ve served yet.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Did you really think I wanted you to sleep with me?” he asked with a residual chuckle.

“No,” she said unconvincingly.

“So then what exactly do I have in common with all other males?” Kai challenged.

Ji Won refused to answer and looked away.

“I hope this is the last time I have to remind you about Rule #3. And even if no such rule existed,” which it really didn’t, “I do have standards –”

“Okay, I get it,” an irritated Ji Won barked. She stood up and lifted her chin as if she was unaffected by her humiliation from moments ago. “So what is it you want?”

“What I want,” Kai said, resuming his domineering tone, “is for once, someone to submit to me. I’ve been slave to so many masters that it would be nice to see my master humoring one of my whims for a change. Give me that satisfaction, and I’ll give you what remains of my free will.”

“And how do I do that?”

Kai took a step forward and smiled devilishly at the tiny figure who just reached his chin. “Just for you, I’ll make it simple. Kneel and beg for the talisman.”

“What?” Ji Won demanded.

“Get on your knees,” Kai enunciated, “and humbly ask me for the talisman.”

Ji Won let out an outraged scoff. “What kind of a whim is that? How does that give you satisfaction?”

“For the simple reason that it’s you.” Kai teleported back to the recliner and assumed a prince-like aura with his back inclined and his hands behind his head. “I told you this is something I want especially from you. With your stubbornness and pride, you’re like a wild horse that I want to break.” Just like how he’d been broken so many times over.

Chest heaving, Ji Won’s hands balled into fists beside her. Kai could just imagine angry smoke coming out of her reddening ears. “Are you calling me a horse?”

“Of course not,” Kai said dramatically. "That would be an insult to horses. You're more like a stubborn mule." Right on cue, her nostrils flared like that of an equine. "See, the resemblance is uncanny."

As Ji Won shook with rage, Kai felt the dam obstructing his magic crumble and a surge of fire course through his veins. He directed it at her bandaged thigh, soothing the burn and removing any infection.

“No deal,” Ji Won staunchly replied.

Kai didn’t expect any different and shrugged indifferently. “Suit yourself.” He’d done what he’d set out to do and no longer needed to continue with the act. Even so, he felt the urge to remind Ji Won just how foolishly obstinate she was. “Though honestly it’s a pretty slick deal for you. Just bend a couple of joints, say a few words, and you’ll have me in the palm of your hands.”

But of course it was an empty deal. Not that he wouldn’t have upheld his end of the bargain if Ji Won did actually beg him. Kai prided himself on being a man of his word. Regardless, the genie felt assured that the talisman would remain in his possession, at least for the duration of her mastership. She’d never submit to him and in all fairness, his limited freedom was a small consolation for being tied to the selfish brat.

At the sound of the front door opening, Ji Won swung around. A middle-aged woman with her hair tied back and fatigue etched under her eyes entered carrying a luggage bag. “Mom,” Ji Won greeted as she scampered towards her, “you’re back.”

Kai used this opportunity to make his exit. Having completed the anonymous good deed he’d set out to do, he had no reason to remain in Ji Won’s presence. Besides, he didn’t feel like intruding on her reunion with her parents. He was sure it would be an obnoxious sight of Ji Won manipulating her parents into thinking she’d been a well-behaved angel while they were gone.

So until he figured out how he’d pass the time, Kai transported himself to the roof where he beheld the view of the driveway below. A tall man of his forties with a receding hair line unloaded more bags from the trunk of the car while next to him, a spritely and agile elderly man that Kai recognized from the pictures above Ji Won’s desk kept insisting that he could carry his own belongings.

This was the family, then – a mother, father, grandfather, and no siblings. No wonder Ji Won was so selfish. She was a spoiled only child, just like Jung Woo’s precious Min Ah.

Now that he’d completely figured Ji Won out, Kai found no use lingering around her house, or Seoul for that matter. Maybe he’d check out one of those exclusive private islands he’d seen in that guidebook from earlier.

~//~

Author's Note