Happy Halloween! ...in one week. This is kind of seasonal though, right? Great, painstaking care was taken to accurately represent the folk magic in this, i.e. "The Aquarian Bookshop" is a real shop I've been to with my friend who is really a witch & does witch-y things. Shout out to her for being a wonderful ref for the tarot readings & charms! Enjoy!

The bell above the door rang as Woohyun led his girlfriend into the shop. All they had seen from the outside was a small sign offering “reasonably priced” palm readings and a dusty display of antique books and crystal balls. The name of the place, The Aquarian Bookshop, was painted over the display window in yellow, but the paint had faded and chipped to the point where it could only be read through the faint shadow of what was once written there. Woohyun had scoffed at decrepit looking entrance, but his girlfriend insisted they go in and look around.

So there he was, standing in between a wall with every kind of crystal or glorified rock he could imagine and a shelf full of candles of every color and size. The place was larger than he had given it credit for. The opposite wall was lined with books on every aspect of metaphysics and mysticism one could think of while the aisles in between offered everything from candles of various patron saints and crystal balls to carved skulls and gaudy costume jewelry. There was a sign pointing to a small room in the back where one could receive psychic readings. The only other person in the shop was a man who looked to be around Woohyun’s age, sitting behind a glass countertop and flipping through a magazine with a bored expression on his face. Woohyun looked to his left when he felt a tug at his sleeve.

“Honey, let’s get love charms! We can match them. I think they’re this way,” his girlfriend begged as she dragged him towards the counter.

“Baby, you’ve already got me, what more charm do you need?” He laughed at his own tasteless joke as his girlfriend pouted. Rather than gracing him with a reply, she waved to get the clerk’s attention.

“Can I help you?” The man behind the counter had a rather plain face with small, bored-looking eyes and a nametag pinned to his oversized black shirt that read “Kim Sunggyu.” Actually, Woohyun noted, his entire outfit was black, including his slim jeans and black beanie. Woohyun snorted. How typical of a guy who works at an edgy, glorified magic shop.

His girlfriend smiled and said, “We--” Woohyun barely restrained himself from rolling his eyes. The idea of love charms were cute, but he wasn’t about to shell out for that wouldn’t work, “--were wondering if you sold love charms here.”

The clerk hummed and pointed to a group of small, red drawstring bags displayed inside the glass countertop. “These are our standard charms. If you want something stronger like a talisman you’ll have to wait a couple business days before it’s done.”

“These are perfect, thanks!” She turned towards Woohyun with a pout and big, sad eyes. . Woohyun was weak to cute pouts. “Come on, Woohyun-ie, please?”

Woohyun sighed as he pulled out his wallet and his girlfriend laughed happily and grabbed onto his arm. The clerk unlocked the display case and rang up his purchase. Woohyun couldn’t help but glare at the clerk when he saw the ridiculous price, but kept his mouth shut as he paid. As they walked out of the store he turned back around. The clerk was staring at him with a smirk.

“Come back soon.”

***

“I want my ing money back.” The clerk jerked awake from the glass counter he had been nodding off at for the past twenty minutes. He narrowed his eyes at the seething customer who had just slammed his curled fist onto the glass. Woohyun released his hand to reveal the small red charm he’d bought a week ago.

“All sales are final. If you’re unhappy with your purchase, you can--”

“Of course I’m unhappy with my purchase,” Woohyun hissed between gritted teeth. “It doesn’t ing work.”

The clerk narrowed his eyes and picked up the charm, rubbing the silk fabric with his fingers. After a moment he clicked his tongue, pushing the charm back across the counter towards its owner. “Of course it works, you just don’t believe it will.”

Woohyun scoffed at the needlessly cryptic answer. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means that these charms won’t work if you don’t believe in them,” the clerk huffed, jabbing a finger at Woohyun’s chest. “Your negative energy is blocking its effects.”

“What kind of bull-- my girlfriend dumped me for another man after I bought this fake ‘love charm.’ The least you can do is give me a refund.” Both of Woohyun’s hands gripped the countertop as he tried to control his anger, but the half-smile that appeared on the clerk’s face didn’t help matters.

“It clearly worked for her.” The clerk bit his lip to prevent his smile from breaking into laughter.

“Listen here, you little--”

“Sunggyu-ssi.” An older man poked his head out from a room that appeared to be an office off the back of the shop. “Is there a problem?”

“No, sir, just letting this customer know about our return policy,” the clerk--Sunggyu--responded, leaning against the countertop lazily.

The old man frowned. “All sales are final.”

“That’s what I told him!”

Woohyun groaned and dropped his head in defeat. The old man returned to his office as Sunggyu looked at him again, a small crease appearing in his brow.

“You look familiar,” he said, tilting his head. After a moment he gasped and his mouth formed a small ‘o.’

“You were here last week!” he exclaimed. His mouth returned to that infuriating half-smile. “No wonder your girlfriend left you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Woohyun was more annoyed than angry now. “Are you even allowed to talk to customers like that?”

“I can talk to people who insult my charms however I like,” he replied, “and what I mean is that you clearly only bought the charm to make your girlfriend--sorry, ex-girlfriend--happy, not because you thought it would work.”

Woohyun opened his mouth to respond but everything he had said was true. He crossed his arms and pouted.

“How am I supposed to ‘believe’ that they work?” Woohyun was genuinely confused.

Sunggyu frowned at the question. “I don’t know, you just do!”

“That’s just confirmation bias,” Woohyun argued. “It’s placebo effect!”

“Exactly!” The clerk stood up from his wood stool and put his hands on his hips. “If you don’t have any faith in the process, it’s all pointless.”

“But you’re not selling an actual cure to the problem then,” Woohyun replied, voice growing louder, “you’re just selling snake oil!”

Sunggyu crossed his arms. “I’m not selling medicine. I’m selling magic.”

Woohyun tried to think of a response and failed. It wasn’t exactly hurting people, he supposed, just ripping them off. That still doesn’t make it right.

“They do work, by the way,” the clerk mumbled, breaking Woohyun from his thoughts. “The charms, that is. I wouldn’t sell charms that didn’t actually have any effect.”

Woohyun pursed his lips. The air became awkward and they both shifted on their feet before both attempted to speak.

“If--”

“I--” Sunggyu smiled sheepishly. “You first.”

“If--if I were to give it another try,” Woohyun spoke carefully, “what would I have to do to get it to work?”

Sunggyu’s eyebrows shot up. “Well, all you’d have to do is trust that things will work out.”

“That’s it?”

“Yeah,” Sunggyu nodded vigorously, “but it wouldn’t hurt if you focused on the reason you bought the charm in the first place.”

Woohyun sighed. “The ‘reason’ already dumped me.”

“Oh.” Sunggyu’s shoulders drooped. “I’m sorry about that, by the way.”

“It’s okay,” Woohyun replied, clearing his throat. “Will this thing work to find me a new love?”

“Yes,” Sunggyu nodded, “Definitely.”

He motioned for the keys sticking out of Woohyun’s pocket, then fastened the charm’s strap to his keychain and handed it back to him. “So you’ll keep it with you at all times.”

Woohyun pocketed the keys again and smiled. “Fine. But if it doesn’t work after a week, you have to give me a full refund.”

Sunggyu bit his lip and shifted, silent for a moment before sticking out his palm to shake.

“I’m Sunggyu by the way. Kim Sunggyu,” he said, tightly clasping Woohyun’s hand when he offered it.

“Nam Woohyun.”

***

“What about her, hyung?”

Woohyun looked in the direction his friend and roommate Sungjong pointed. She was short, but had good proportions with long, wavy brown hair. She was beautiful, but that was it. They had been sitting at a table at a cafe near their university all afternoon looking for Woohyun’s ‘next love,’ as he had put it, but while each of the girls were pretty or cute or charming in their own way, none had succeeded in making his heart pound.

“Nothing,” Woohyun sighed and let his head hit the table. “This is hopeless.”

Sungjong scoffed and lightly hit Woohyun’s shoulder. “You’re just too picky, hyung.”

“Like you’re one to talk,” Woohyun muttered, lifting his head back up to continue his hunt.

“Not liking women at all is different from just being picky.” Sungjong crossed his legs and took a sip of his drink, continuing to scan the passersby.

Woohyun hummed in agreement then shot up straight. He grabbed Sungjong’s arm to pull his drink away from his face, causing him to cough, coffee dribbling down his chin, and looked deeply into his eyes. They both sat frozen for a moment before Woohyun’s groan of defeat broke the awkward silence. Sungjong wiped furiously at his chin with his sleeve while he glared at Woohyun, who returned his head to rest on his folded arms mumbling, “Of course that’s not it.”

Woohyun’s mind again returned to the promise he had made with Sunggyu almost five days ago. He could have just come back a week later, pretended like he had genuinely tried, and gotten his money back without putting in any effort, but Sunggyu would know, somehow, he just knew. Besides, he had promised him he’d believe in the charm and look for a new love, and the clerk had almost looked cute when he smiled as they shook hands, it would be a shame to--Woohyun shook his head. “Focus,” he muttered.

“Why are you trying this hard?”

Woohyun looked up at Sungjong, who in turn gave him an expectant look. Sungjong rolled his eyes while Woohyun struggled to come up with an answer that wouldn’t be embarrassing to explain. “I mean, you only broke up with your girlfriend last week. No need to rush things.”

“Just wanna get over her already,” Woohyun replied, sitting up straighter. “Not that it’s any of your business.”

“That’s called a rebound, not ‘love’,” Sungjong said simply as he finished the last his drink.

“What’s the difference?” Woohyun furrowed his brow.

Sungjong stared at him, dumbfounded. “This is exactly why your relationships never last.”

“Sungjongie--”

“Thanks for treating, hyung, but if I drink anymore Americano I’m literally going to explode.” Woohyun frowned as Sungjong grabbed his bag and left, not even stopping to wave goodbye.

***

It was only after his third time pacing in front of the entrance to The Aquarian Bookshop that Woohyun gathered the necessary courage to open the door and walk in. He turned when he heard his name called to find Sunggyu waving at him from behind the counter with a smile that made his throat dry. If Woohyun had to name the feeling, it was guilt. He had tried, really tried, all week to find some new girl who made his heart beat fast, but had nothing to show for it. He didn’t know why he felt guilty. He was about to get his money back for a clearly faulty product, but he had kind of wanted to believe that magic was real, or--whatever, it didn’t matter anymore.

Woohyun ruffled the back of his hair, embarrassed, and started towards the counter, but a woman in a gaudy shawl and what had to be kilos of fake costume jewelry got there first. While he waited for Sunggyu to ring her up, he fiddled with a small porcelain buddha on the end shelf of one of the aisles. He glanced back at Sunggyu only to find him already meeting his gaze. The figurine slipped from his fingers and he barely caught it in time to stop it from shattering on the floor into a million pieces. He hurriedly placed the buddha back on the shelf as he heard Sunggyu bid the woman good day. Hands in his pocket and face now burning, he made his way over to the counter.

“We have a ‘you break it, you buy it’ policy, just so you know.”

Woohyun groaned as Sunggyu snickered, barely keeping his voice down now that there were actually customers in the store. “You could have pretended not to see that.”

“I could have,” he said, leaning forward on the counter so that the white sweater he wore showed a suggestion of his collarbone, “but it’s more fun watching you squirm.”

“Sadist,” Woohyun muttered.

“But am I a sadist who sells fake charms?”

Woohyun sighed and reached into his pocket to produce the red pouch still attached to his key ring. “I really tried to find someone all week. You can ask my roommate, Sungjong, he--”

Sunggyu raised a hand for him to stop and gestured towards the charm. Woohyun slipped it gently from his key ring and placed it in Sunggyu’s hand. Long, thin fingers again traced the patterns on the red silk as if feeling for something they couldn’t find. Sunggyu began to mutter to himself, something about --maybe this batch-- and --no I can definitely feel it--, before unlocking the display case to retrieve another charm with the same red silk pouch. He held them up in front of him to compare the two and frowned.

“I really did try,” Woohyun mumbled, slightly embarrassed that Sunggyu was taking it so seriously. Sunggyu sighed and placed the second charm back in its display. He ruffled his slightly messy brown hair and handed the charm back.

“I believe you, I just,” his lips jutted out into a pout, “I’m just surprised it didn’t work.” Sunggyu sighed and reached for his wallet. “But a deal’s a deal, so here’s--”

“You don’t have to--”

“But I said I would,” Sunggyu cut him off with a sharp glare and pushed the bills into Woohyun’s hand. “Keep the charm. If it ever works, come back and tell me.”

***

Woohyun assumed that would be the end of it--he’d tried the charm, it hadn’t work, and he and Sunggyu would have nothing more to do with each other. It was fine with him, really, and the only reason he felt something akin to disappointment was because it had all ended rather anticlimactically.

He was walking briskly through the central courtyard of his campus when he collided with something distinctly human. He fell to the ground with a thud.

“Oh, geez, are you okay?” a voice asked. Woohyun took the outstretched hand and looked up at the man he’d collided with and was met by none other than a familiar, irritating smirk. Sunggyu laughed. “We keep running into each other.”

“You go to school here?” Woohyun asked, still lightly dazed from the fall. He stood there for a moment before flushing, having realized he was still holding Sunggyu’s hand.

Sunggyu grinned. “Yeah, it’s my final year. Speaking of which--” He plucked a flier from the stack of papers tucked under his other arm and held it out to him. “--You should come to this concert a friend of mine is putting on.”

Woohyun took the flier from him. It advertised a music showcase at a some bar he’d never heard of, which was weird because Woohyun felt confident he was familiar with most of the bars the students of their school frequented. “Your friend is in this band?”

“Yeah. It’s a senior thesis by all the music majors here, actually.” He smiled sheepishly, which Woohyun found somewhat endearing. “I wrote some of the music they’re performing.”

Woohyun’s brows shot up. “You write music?”

“What, you thought I play with tarot cards in some mausoleum in my spare time?” Sunggyu laughed. Woohyun flushed a bit as he had hit the mark a bit too close for comfort.

He shrugged. “Well, I’ve only ever seen you in that store, so excuse me for thinking it’s a hobby of yours.”

“People can have more than one hobby,” Sunggyu pouted. He shook his head and smiled again. “Anyway, come to the concert if you’re free that night!”

“Okay--”

Before Woohyun could respond, Sunggyu was already passing out fliers to another group of students. Woohyun laughed to himself and shook his head. He had misjudged Sunggyu. Looking at him now--in a red hoodie, chatting up groups of students like they were old friends--he seemed normal. Woohyun glanced once more at the flier before folding it up and tucking it securely into the back pocket of his jeans.

***

Woohyun took a deep breath as he pushed open the door to the bizarre little bookshop. The bell above the door twinkled, announcing his arrival to the cluttered shop, which was empty as usual. Woohyun wondered how it managed to stay open.

He turned towards the counter, but was unsettled by the way his heart fell when he realized Sunggyu wasn’t at the register. Since when had he been anticipating his encounters with him? Woohyun frowned inwardly at his own bizarre behavior.

He was surprised to see another young man behind the counter instead. He was dressed similarly to Sunggyu’s monochromatic ensemble that he’d had on the first time they’d met. They could have been brothers, except for the fact that the man behind the counter that day had a strikingly handsome face that brutally contrasted with Sunggyu’s average one.

“Hello?” Woohyun ventured, trying to pull the man’s attention away from the comic he was reading.

The man jumped, then flushed a bit when he noticed Woohyun standing there. He marked his place and straightened his posture. “How can I help you today?”

“Um…” Woohyun glanced at the man’s nametag. “Myungsoo-ssi, I was hoping to get a good luck charm for my friend. She has an exam coming up, so--”

Woohyun trailed off when he realized the clerk was no longer listening to him. Myungsoo was already sifting through the cabinet below the display case and pulling out a charm held in a small, orange drawstring pouch, similar to Woohyun’s red one. The man cleared his throat. “Just the one for you today?”

“Y-yeah,” Woohyun replied, shifting awkwardly on his feet as he handed the man his credit card. He tried to glance inconspicuously around the shop, hoping to catch a glimpse of Sunggyu in some dark corner re-shelving or pricing items, but to Woohyun’s frustration he was nowhere to be found.

“Sunggyu-hyung’s in the back,” Myungsoo commented, nodding at the dark room in the back of the shop with a sign above it that read “Psychic Readings: walk-ins welcome.” “I don’t think he’s with a customer right now.”

Woohyun flushed. “Thanks.”

He made his way to the back and knocked softly on the black door that led to the back room. Not hearing any response, he slowly pushed it open to find Sunggyu with his headphones in his ears and his feet on the table. He stepped more fully into the room and Sunggyu jumped.

“Oh, it’s you,” he said, eyes wide.

Woohyun raised a brow. “Wow, such enthusiasm. Maybe I should come back later when you’re less busy. Or I could tell your boss that you’re--”

“No!” Sunggyu suddenly pushed himself to stand. He grabbed Woohyun by the arm and dragged him into the room, shutting the door behind him. “You can’t tell him. Ever.”

“What, that you play on your phone when this shop is deader than a cemetery?” Woohyun scoffed. “Would he really fire you for that?”

“Worse,” Sunggyu groaned, “He’ll tell my mom.”

“You’re related?”

“My mom and uncle own this place,” Sunggyu explained, “but she doesn’t come by that often. Uncle Jungyeop does most of the boring business-y stuff.”

Woohyun laughed. “Are you really that scared of your mom?”

Sunggyu stared at him as if he were stupid. “Okay first, my mom is literally a witch. Second,” he said, jabbing Woohyun in the chest with his index finger, “even if she couldn’t curse me I’d be terrified of her. If you’re not terrified of your mother, you probably don’t respect her, so no wonder you at relationships.”

“Wow.” Woohyun shook his head in disbelief. “Has anyone ever told you you’re really blunt?”

“Everyone, all the time,” Sunggyu said, rolling his eyes. “Why are you even here, Woohyun?”

Woohyun jerked back into reality at the question. He shook his head slightly and held up the small paper bag. “I was picking up one of your good luck charms. My friend has an important test soon.”

Sunggyu smiled. “I thought my charms didn’t work.”

“Yeah, well,” Woohyun shrugged, embarrassed, “maybe they just don’t work on me.”

“Of course they work on you!” Sunggyu insisted. “The kind of charm I make works for anyone except the person who made it.”

Woohyun’s brows shot up. “Wow, so you can’t even sample your own wares?”

“No,” Sunggyu sighed dramatically. “Not the charms anyway.” He gave Woohyun a small smile. “I hope things work out for your friend.”

Woohyun shrugged non-committedly. “Well, she believes in this sort of stuff, so…”

“Yah!” Woohyun flinched as Sunggyu punched his shoulder. “You didn’t tell me it was for a girl! Do you like her? I told you my charms work!”

“She’s just a friend,” Woohyun whined, rubbing his arm.

Sunggyu scoffed. “Yeah, right, I bet you two will be together by the end of the week. My charms always work in the end.”

Woohyun rolled his eyes. He mumbled again, “She’s just a friend.”

Sunggyu shifted awkwardly on his feet for a moment, unsure what to say. Eventually he settled on, “So are you coming to my friend’s music showcase this weekend?”

“Oh, um…” Truthfully, in the flurry of midterm exams, Woohyun had totally forgotten about the performance. He bit his lip, trying to decide what to say.

“You should come!” Sunggyu insisted, grabbing Woohyun’s arm and shaking it forcibly. “It’ll be fun! Fun! You could meet girls there, or something.”

Woohyun raised a brow. “Or something?”

Sunggyu flushed lightly. “Or you could hang out with me, your super awesome friend who will also be there.”

“Ohhh,” Woohyun said, smiling as he finally understood Sunggyu’s intentions. “You just want me to go because all your other friends said no.”

“Uh, no, you’re wrong--”

“What’s wrong with your friend’s music?” Woohyun asked playfully, poking Sunggyu in his stomach. “What, do they play really weird music? Please tell me they’re noise musicians.”

“They’re not!” Sunggyu said defensively.

“What then, do they play super hardcore punk rock? Death metal?” Sunggyu bit his lip and Woohyun laughed. “Oh my god, they do.”

“Fine, don’t go,” Sunggyu muttered, opening the door that led back into the main part of the store. “I’m not gonna force you.”

“I’ll go,” Woohyun said, grinning. Sunggyu looked at him, eyes wide. “I’ll be there, though I have no idea where this club is.”

Sunggyu beamed at him in absolute joy. “Don’t worry about that! Here give me your phone,” Sunggyu motioned at Woohyun, who reluctantly handed over his cellphone. Sunggyu tapped wildly at the keyboard, brows furrowed in concentration. “There,” he said, handing it back over, “I can text you the directions on Friday!”

Woohyun gave a disbelieving laugh. How had he gotten into this situation? The first phone number he’d managed to get since his girlfriend broke up with him was Sunggyu’s, and he had promised the very same man he’d show up to his friend’s weird music show.

He was starting to think maybe he was cursed.

***

Woohyun stared dubiously at the crowd spilling out from the bar-turned-venue for the music showcase that evening. A baseline pounded in the air, making the very building appear to shake. Sungjong scoffed from where he stood next to him.

“Where do you find friends like this, hyung?” he laughed, grabbing him lightly by the shoulder and guiding him towards the doors.

Woohyun scowled. “Sunggyu is normal.”

“Didn’t you say you met him at a magic shop?”

“Not that kind of magic shop!” Woohyun said angrily, shoving Sungjong’s shoulder.

Sungjong laughed, and they pushed their way through the crowd towards the bar. He leaned against the counter. “So where is he? Your magic boy.”

“Stop it,” Woohyun whined. He scanned the crowd for any sign of Sunggyu. He unconsciously smiled when he spotted him and nudged Sungjong’s shoulder.

“Oh, is that him?” Sungjong’s brows shot up. “He’s… ugly. But cute! He’s ugly-cute.”

“Shut up,” Woohyun hissed.

When Sunggyu caught sight of Woohyun, he smiled widely and waved at him, pushing his way through the crowd. He stumbled into the space next to them, grabbing Woohyun’s arm to keep his balance as he was elbowed out of the crowd. “Woohyun! I’m glad you came!”

“I told you I would, didn’t I?” Woohyun smiled and nodded his head at Sungjong. “This is my roommate, Sungjong.”

Sunggyu looked at Sungjong with an unreadable expression that softened after a moment. He stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

Sungjong smiled brightly at him and took his hand. Sunggyu signaled the bartender for a round of drinks. Woohyun elbowed his side and teased, “So how drunk am I gonna have to be to enjoy the show tonight?”

“Rude,” Sunggyu huffed. “They’re actually pretty good, you know.”

“Just like how your charms actually work?”

Sunggyu jutted his lower lip out into a pout. “They do work…”

Woohyun frowned at Sunggyu, who appeared genuinely hurt by his words. He cursed himself for being an idiot with foot-in-mouth syndrome and downed the rest of his drink. He cleared his throat and tried again. “You said you helped write some of the songs?”

Sunggyu’s expression instantly brightened as he began rambling about the process of composing several of the songs that would be performed tonight. Woohyun could sing, but he didn’t know much about making music, but it was somewhat nice just to hear Sunggyu speak so animatedly about it.

Sunggyu jumped as he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. Myungsoo slid into the spot in the crowd next to him. Sunggyu smiled and motioned to Woohyun and Sungjong. “Myungsoo-yah, this is Woohyun and Sungjong.”

Myungsoo nodded at them, smirking at Woohyun. Sungjong leaned to get a better look at the newcomer, then immediately broke into a wide smile. “Myungsoo! I didn’t know you’d be here!”

Woohyun furrowed his brows and looked back and forth between the pair. “You know each other?”

“He’s in my math lecture,” Sungjong said, elbowing Woohyun’s side harshly. He leaned towards him and whispered, “He’s the hot one I told you about.”

“Oh.” Sungjong pushed past him to stand shoulder to shoulder with Myungsoo, chatting happily away about classes or something--Woohyun didn’t know, because it was too loud for him to hear and Sunggyu was pushed unceremoniously closer to him.

“That guy…” Woohyun muttered and shook his head. He smiled at Sunggyu apologetically.

“Don’t worry,” Sunggyu said loudly in order to be heard over the crowd, “I’m just happy Myungsoo has actual friends outside the shop.”

Woohyun laughed and ordered them another round of beers. As he handed Sunggyu his drink, the lights began to dim and the crowd grew quiet, then erupted into cheers as the band took the stage. He leaned closer to Sunggyu and asked, “So are all these people from our school?”

“Some of them,” Sunggyu replied, “but a lot of them are regulars here, and we know them because we’re also regulars.”

“You’re here a lot?”

Sunggyu laughed. “Well I can’t be at the shop all the time, can I?”

Woohyun found himself actually enjoying the performance. It was definitely not his style of music, and maybe it was the beer or the energy of the crowd, but he found himself clapping and whistling after the end of every song. Halfway through their set, the band took a break, and Woohyun and Sunggyu went to get more drinks.

Woohyun wouldn’t have admitted it before, but he actually liked hanging out with Sunggyu. When he was inside the shop, he blended in with the weirdness surrounding him, but outside the shop it was like he was normal, a guy Woohyun might have met in one of his classes, and when he thought back to their fight over the “charm” he’d bought, he found that it was more funny than anything.

He was an interesting guy too--despite his rough exterior he was kind of cute. Like the way his lips often formed a pout when he spoke, or like the way he had slid a pink credit card across the counter to the bartender, for instance. What guy had a pink credit card?

He glanced over to see Sunggyu checking his phone (also pink), and noticed that his background was a selfie. Well, maybe cute wasn’t the right word, exactly. Sunggyu was… hm. Interesting, was perhaps the word he was looking for.

Maybe breaking up with his girlfriend had been a good thing.

Okay, no, that was crazy talk, but maybe it wasn’t all bad. At least he’d made a new friend. Woohyun couldn’t help the disappointment he felt when Sungjong found him after the show, insisting it was time to go.

“I’ll see you around?” Woohyun said hopefully.

Sunggyu smiled. “Well, you always know where to find me.”

Woohyun waved goodbye helplessly as Sungjong tugged on his arm. He went to sleep that night thinking he was glad to have met Sunggyu, even if it was through minor fraud.

***

It became second nature for them to hang out in between classes or shifts at the shop. The weather had morphed into those last few pleasant days of fall, before the rain and snow and chill set in. They often hung out in the park halfway between campus and the shop, if only to escape the suffocating enclosure of classrooms and work.

It was one of those mornings, the sunshine bright on their backs as they sat together between morning classes, when Sunggyu decided to teach Woohyun about tarot reading. Woohyun fell over laughing as he pulled a full deck from his bag.

“You carry those around with you everywhere?” he asked incredulously between fits of giggles.

Sunggyu rolled his eyes, now immune to Woohyun’s teasing over his hobby. “Do you want me to teach you or not?”

“Sure.” Woohyun bit his lip, trying to keep himself from smiling. “Tell me my future. Am I gonna die young?”

Sunggyu pulled a textbook out of his bag to provide a flat surface. They were sitting on the grass of the well-manicured lawn. Sunggyu frowned at the single cloud in the sky, but shook his head to clear it. “How about I teach you how to tell your own future?”

“Is it really that easy?” Woohyun asked as he shifted closer, suddenly interested.

Sunggyu shuffled the deck and picked out three cards, placing them face down on the book. He set the rest of the deck aside. “I’m going to ask the cards what today holds for me--morning, afternoon, then night,” he explained, holding Woohyun’s gaze. “It’s easier to predict the short-term future. When dealing with the long-term, things can be kind of vague.”

“Isn’t the whole point of this to be as vague as possible?”

Sunggyu shrugged and flipped over the first card. “First is The High Priestess. She symbolizes patience, seeking to uncover secrets, and a desire for understanding, generally speaking.” Sunggyu laughed. “See, the cards know how patient I am for dealing with you.”

Woohyun hummed thoughtfully, interested in the intricate design surrounding the woman in blue on the card. Sunggyu cleared his throat as he flipped over the next card. “Next is Temperance, which suggests moderation, successful partnerships, opposites coming together. It should be a good day for a study group,” Sunggyu said. Then he teased, “Or maybe this is also about you. Oh, do you want to offer tarot readings on the main part of campus? We’d make so much money.”

“Yah, I thought you weren’t a swindler,” Woohyun scowled.

Sunggyu laughed. “I’m not. We really could tell their fortunes and make money.”

“So greedy,” Woohyun clicked his tongue, then motioned to the last card. “What’s your night gonna be like?”

Sunggyu turned the card over. “Knight of Cups. Hmm,” Sunggyu furrowed his brows, searching for a way to explain the card’s meaning. “Knight of Cups is like, ‘searching for or representing love,’ or that finding love is important.”

“Wah, how romantic,” Woohyun sighed. “So not fair that even your love life is going well.”

“It’s not necessarily romantic love,” Sunggyu added. “Besides, this doesn’t mean it’s requited.”

Woohyun frowned. “That’s sad.”

“That’s the way things are,” Sunggyu shrugged.

Just as he said that, a raindrop fell onto The Knight of Cups. Sunggyu frowned, then looked up, only to have another fall on his cheek. A strong wind blew, scattering the cards to the wind. “Woohyun, help!” he cried, gathering the cards into his hand and shoving them hastily back into his bag, “Help me pick them up!”

Woohyun nodded and went to grab the cards that had blown out of Sunggyu’s reach. He cursed as the rain began to fall harder, then, at the boom of rolling thunder, the skies opened up.

“!” Woohyun shoved the remaining cards into Sunggyu’s hands, then pushed himself to stand. Sunggyu threw the cards into his bag and held the bag above his head in a futile attempt to not get soaked. Woohyun groaned. “This is just great! My apartment’s twenty minutes from here!”

“My place is close by!” Sunggyu shouted, to be heard over the rain and thunder which had grown to a dull roar. They jogged out of the park, and Woohyun followed Sunggyu down the block to a slightly shabby-looking apartment complex.

Woohyun sighed in relief when they entered the building, but they hadn’t been fast enough to prevent getting soaked. He glared helplessly at the way his sweater and jeans dripped a pitiful puddle around wherever he stood.

“This way,” Sunggyu said, leading him up the stairs to the second floor. He unlocked the door to his apartment and threw his bag aside as he burst through the door. Woohyun locked the door behind him, and hesitantly set down his bag.

“If you want, you c--” Sunggyu barely covered his nose in time to sneeze. Woohyun laughed at how cute it was. Sunggyu sniffled miserably. “If you want, you can hang your clothes up to dry with mine and I’ll lend you something to wear.”

Woohyun shivered and nodded, following Sunggyu into what must have been his room. Sunggyu’s sweater and shirt hit the floor with a splat. He reached into his closet and picked out a pair of sweats and a worn-out band t-shirt for Woohyun to wear, he turned around to notice Woohyun staring.

“What?” he asked, scowling to hide his sudden nerves. He handed the clothes over to Woohyun, who tucked them under one arm. Woohyun said nothing, just continued to stare at his chest, before reaching out wordlessly and pinching a mole just above his right . “What the hell are you doing?!”

Woohyun laughed as Sunggyu swatted his hand away and covered his chest with his hands. “You’re too easy to rile up.”

“Shut up!” Sunggyu huffed, not moving his hands. “Just… go change over there! Don’t come near me!”

Woohyun tilted his head innocently. “Over where?”

“You know where.”

Woohyun couldn’t help but press his luck further. “I really don’t. You’ll have to point it out for me.”

Sunggyu glared dangerously at him. He lifted his hands up to point across the room, then shoved Woohyun away roughly. “Over there! Now go!”

“Ah, got it,” Woohyun said smugly, a feeling of victory washing over him as Sunggyu’s hands returned to cover his chest as he scanned his closet for something to wear.

Sunggyu grabbed some clothes and turned back around to see Woohyun still standing there, looking at him. “Turn around and change!”

“We’re both guys,” Woohyun shrugged, pulling off his sweater. “Nothing we haven’t seen before.”

Sunggyu flushed at his shameless stripping. “It’s my apartment, so you have to turn around,” he insisted childishly. “Don’t peek!”

Woohyun laughed quietly and obeyed, but his desire to peek had grown exponentially at Sunggyu’s command not to. He heard the quiet shuffling of fabric against skin and couldn’t help but turn around. Sunggyu was facing away from him, his side profile barely visible as he pulled on a pair of grey sweatpants.

He was somewhat pale, but Woohyun had expected worse from a guy who was supposedly a witch. His back and shoulders, as well as the front of his torso from what he’d seen earlier, were peppered with small moles.

The fact that Sunggyu had a complex about his chest didn’t surprise him; it was softer and more fleshy than the other parts of his otherwise narrow frame. Woohyun guessed that was why all the t-shirts in Sunggyu’s closet seemed to be a size or more too big.

He realized he’d been staring too long when Sunggyu turned slightly and glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. Woohyun flushed and dried to turn back around, but he’d been caught.

“Ugh,” Sunggyu groaned, chucking a bottle of lotion across the room at him. “You’re unbelievable!”

Woohyun laughed again and finally finished changing. They wrung their clothes out and hung them up to dry. Sunggyu shifted on his feet awkwardly as he waited for Woohyun to speak. Woohyun’s interest was piqued when he caught sight of something colorful in the window.

“What are those?” he asked, moving to sit by the window sill. A series of colorful rocks sat there in a row.

“Those are my crystals,” Sunggyu explained, sitting down across from him. He plucked a scarlet stone and handed it to Woohyun. “That’s a Carnelian, for infusing this space with creative energy.” Woohyun turned it over in his hand, admiring the smooth quality of its surface. He added, “It helps with writing songs and stuff.”

Woohyun nodded thoughtfully and set it back. He picked up a dull green stone next. “What’s this stone for?”

“It’s Aventurine,” Sunggyu said, “for luck and money.”

Woohyun smiled. “See? Greedy.” Sunggyu laughed softly as Woohyun set it back. He picked up a larger, pink stone. “Ah, this one’s cute.”

“That’s Rose Quartz.” Sunggyu flushed a bit as Woohyun held it up to the light. “It’s for love and self-worth.”

Woohyun simply smiled at that and set it back on the windowsill. Sunggyu seemed to breathe a sigh of relief that he didn’t have any snarky comment for that one. Woohyun turned to him and asked, “So where do you cast spells and stuff?”

Sunggyu groaned and pushed himself off the floor. He guided Woohyun to a small table in the living area. On it, there rested several candles, ceramic bowls filled with various herbs and coins, assorted crystals, and a pretty silver pendant. “This is an altar,” Sunggyu motioned to the haphazard disarray on the table. “I’m not going to explain what everything is for, but this is generally where I make the charms for the shop or cast spells.”

“Do you ever curse people?”

“If I did, you’d be the first to know,” Sunggyu grumbled, walking back towards the couch.

Woohyun followed him and flopped down on the other side. He watched Sunggyu’s expression intently, as if trying to figure something out. “So you’ve never cursed anyone?”

“Well--” Sunggyu hesitated, then flushed. “Once, yes.” He shifted so that he faced Woohyun, sitting cross-legged on the ancient couch. “I was really mad and jealous of Myungsoo, so one time I cursed him with ugliness.”

Woohyun burst into laughter. “No way! It didn’t work though. There’s no way he was more handsome than he already is.”

“No, it did.” Sunggyu bit his lip guiltily and looked down at his lap. “He actually broke out really badly right before his college entrance exams--pimples all over his forehead and chin. It didn’t look like it bothered him, but I felt so guilty that I lifted it right after.”

“Wow,” Woohyun said in amazement. He looked at Sunggyu quietly for a moment before grinning and asking, “So can you teach me how you did it? Sungjong would freak out.”

Sunggyu laughed loudly and nodded. They spent the rest of the afternoon talking about curses and watching reruns of sitcoms on TV when they became bored of that. When Woohyun noticed it was past time for him to be heading home and his clothes had long since dried, he found himself ignoring it for the sake of teasing Sunggyu a bit more.

***

The good thing about being friends with Sunggyu, Woohyun realized, was that he no longer needed an excuse to visit him at the bizarre little shop. He felt a little bad always coming in and never buying anything, but Sunggyu assured him it was fine, and if the other employees had a problem with it, they never said anything.

It was a Saturday afternoon and Woohyun, bored out of his mind studying for exams, decided to drop by the shop. He pushed open the door, but barely heard the bell twinkle over the crowd of customers browsing the various wares. He spotted Myungsoo at the counter, which had an actual line of customers for once. Woohyun had to pinch himself to make sure all of this was real.

He glanced around the shop in bewilderment, searching for some reason as to why the shop would suddenly be so busy, until he spotted the banner in the back that read “15th Annual Psychic Festival.”

“Ah! Woohyun!” Woohyun turned to where Sunggyu was walking an older woman out of the back room. He motioned in the air to wait a minute and Woohyun watched as he bowed at the woman and wished her a good day.

Sunggyu squeezed through the crowd of customers until he stood next to him. “Sorry, Woohyun, it’s not a great day. We’re going to be packed like this all weekend.”

“Oh,” Woohyun said, slightly disappointed, “I guess I’ll just go then--”

“Wait!” Sunggyu reached out to grab his arm. He bit his lip, then said, “I have a little while before my next appointment. We’re doing free palm readings, so…”

Woohyun nodded and let Sunggyu lead him to the darkened room in the back of the shop. The room was in slight disarray, and Sunggyu had to shove aside a crystal ball and tarot deck to make room on the table. He smiled sheepishly. “Sorry about the mess.”

“It’s fine. I didn’t get a good chance to look around the last time I was in here,” Woohyun commented, taking in the various candles lit around the small space,  making the room slightly stuffy. They were the only light source, so Woohyun could hardly make out Sunggyu’s features in the gloom. He was afraid to guess at the actual age of the two armchairs on either side of the table.

“Sit,” Sunggyu said, motioning to the seat across from him. Woohyun made himself comfortable and finally met Sunggyu’s gaze across the table. “Give me your hand.”

Woohyun placed his hands on the silk tablecloth, jumping slightly as Sunggyu took his right hand in his own. He joked nervously, “If I’m going to die right after leaving the shop today, I don’t want to know.”

Sunggyu laughed. “I won’t let you leave if I see that.” Woohyun swallowed dryly at that and let Sunggyu’s long, thin fingers flip his hand over and begin tracing the lines on his palm. Sunggyu said calmly, “I’m going to start with your life line.”

“Is this the one that tells me if I’m going to die young?”

“Not exactly,” Sunggyu explained, tracing it with his finger, “It’s more a reflection of your vitality and energy. It can be used to predict whether you’ll suffer major illness in your life.” Woohyun found himself slightly hypnotized by the cadence of Sunggyu’s voice. He was beginning to realize why so many people paid to have their fortunes told by him.

Sunggyu hummed and looked up, seemingly having found what he was looking for. As he explained what it meant, his fingers worked to massage the flesh around Woohyun’s thumb. “The first thing I notice is that it’s really clear. Are you good at sports?”

“I play soccer,” Woohyun said distractedly, more focused on the way Sunggyu’s fingers were drawing small circles on his own hand.

“Yeah,” Sunggyu continued, “A clear life line means you’re good at sports and manual labor. There’s also this small island, just here--” Sunggyu pointed to the circular interruption in the line of Woohyun’s palm. “--that indicates you’ll face some kind of hospitalization for a serious illness in your lifetime.” Sunggyu laughed quietly when Woohyun looked at him in alarm. “Don’t worry, it’s a pretty small island, so it shouldn’t be too severe.”

“You scared me,” Woohyun said, giving him a small smile to convey that he wasn’t upset.

Sunggyu smiled back at him. “I’m glad it’s just a small island. I’m going to do your wisdom line next, okay?”

Woohyun nodded and wiped the palm of his left hand on his jeans. It was really far too stuffy in that room. Sunggyu pointed to the line that began between his thumb and pointer finger. “This is your head line, also called the wisdom line. Yours is a bit shorter than average, which means you tend to be a bit impulsive or indecisive.”

“Yah, you’re just calling me dumb in a nice way,” Woohyun whined.

“It doesn’t mean you’re stupid! See the way it curves downward?” Sunggyu traced the line with his finger. “This means you’re good at the creative arts. I take it math wasn’t your strong subject in school?”

“I already told you I played soccer,” Woohyun pouted. “Anyone could have guessed that.”

“Sure they could have.” Woohyun wasn’t sure if he was more distracted by the way Sunggyu’s fingers were smoothing out his palm or the cheeky smile on his face. Sunggyu continued, “Anyway, your short wisdom line isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Having one that’s too long, like mine, means you tend to overthink things. You’re good at going with your gut.”

Woohyun huffed. “If you say so.”

“I do say so,” Sunggyu said matter-of-factly, “I can’t lie when I’m in this room. It messes with the energy.” He ignored Woohyun’s snicker and continued, “Anyway, the third major line in palmistry is the love line.”

“This is the one that tells me if I’m going to die alone, right?” Woohyun asked seriously, inching closer to the table.

Sunggyu laughed. “I guess that’s basically it.” He hummed thoughtfully as he examined Woohyun’s palm in the candle light. “Your heart line is a good length, ending right at the mount of Jupiter. It means you have a lot of love to give.”

“And I thought I was the cheesy one--Ow!” Woohyun withdrew his hand quickly from where Sunggyu had pinched the flesh below his pointer finger.

“Stop being a baby,” Sunggyu replied, motioning for his hand again. Woohyun pouted and returned it. “It’s curved upwards, which is good. It means you’re good at sweet talking, or setting a romantic atmosphere. The branches at the end mean you fall in love easily. You might have a true love, but it’ll be hard to find them among all the others. Ah!”

“What?” Woohyun asked, worried. He cursed himself for getting so into the fortune telling, but Sunggyu’s voice had a way of drawing him in.

Sunggyu pointed towards a small break in his love line. “This indicates a short period of troubles. That’s probably what’s happening to you right now!” Woohyun blamed the heat of the room for the flush that invaded his cheeks when Sunggyu smiled brightly at him. “Don’t worry, it’s really short! Your next love is probably right in front of your nose.”

“Um, that’s--”

Woohyun was interrupted by a knocking at the door. The old man who ran the place stuck his head in. “Your next appointment is here, Sunggyu-yah.”

“Okay, uncle.” Sunggyu sighed. He looked back up at Woohyun with an apologetic expression. “Sorry, looks like we have to leave off here. If you want a full reading, come back next week.”

Woohyun nodded, dazed, and wondered why his heart was pounding as Sunggyu grabbed his hand to lead him back to the front of the store. Sunggyu was still holding his hand when they got to the front, and Woohyun felt a bit awkward. “Um--”

“Oh!” Sunggyu let go of his hand quickly. He flushed. “Sorry, I… yeah. See you, Woohyun!”

“See you,” Woohyun mumbled.

It was more intense than he’d expected it to be. He still didn’t know if he believed in fortune telling, but he could see why Sunggyu had a small but loyal base of customers. He continued to routinely check his right palm, tracing the paths Sunggyu’s fingers had taken, for several days after.

***

Woohyun was lying on the couch in the apartment he shared with Sungjong, fiddling aimlessly with his phone. It had been a week since the Psychic Festival, but he hadn’t gone back to visit Sunggyu and wasn’t planning on doing so any time soon.

It wasn’t that Woohyun didn’t want to go see Sunggyu, quite the opposite in fact. Ever since Sunggyu had read his palm, Woohyun couldn’t think about that day or Sunggyu without this weird churning in his stomach, an unpleasant mixture of anticipation and fear. He was sure that if he went to go see Sunggyu he’d end up saying something stupid, so he simply stayed at home.

The thing was, that was becoming harder and harder as his desire to throw caution to the wind and go see him grew stronger.

“Are you ever going to leave?” Sungjong asked disinterestedly from across the room. “You’re usually bored out of your skull staying at home this much.”

Woohyun gave a noncommittal grunt. He had been browsing a dating app, but was growing more and more devoid of hope that he’d ever be in a relationship again. Sunggyu probably was a fraud, and his love life was actually doomed--he shook his head. Again, his thoughts had circled back around to Sunggyu.

He nearly fell off the couch when his phone vibrated in his hands. It was a message from the girl he’d given the good luck charm to weeks ago. Woohyun smiled at the memory; it was when Sunggyu had made him promise to go to the concert. She’d passed her exam with flying colors, so it was after that that Woohyun decided to give up trying to prove Sunggyu a fraud.

The message asked him to meet her at a café near campus. Woohyun pushed himself up and shrugged on his coat.

“I’m going out,” he shouted from the doorway.

Sungjong simply waved him off, not looking up from his magazine.

***

Sunggyu sighed for the thousandth time that afternoon as he rested his head in his folded arms at the front counter of The Aquarian Bookshop. It had been three weeks since he’d seen Woohyun, not that he was upset over it or anything, but he had promised.

He perked up at the sound of the bell above the door ringing, but deflated when it wasn’t Woohyun. The man looked familiar though, from where he couldn’t say. When the newcomer turned to face him, he smacked his hand on the counter in excitement. “Sungjong!”

Sungjong’s eyes went wide when he recognized the clerk as Sunggyu. He gave a small wave. “Sunggyu-ssi, it’s been a while.”

“Yeah, a month or so, right? Are you here to see Myungsoo?” Sungjong smiled and nodded, so Sunggyu sent Myungsoo a text to where he was probably laying down, playing on his handheld in the fortune telling room. “He should be out in a moment. How are you?”

“Oh, good,” Sungjong replied. “I was a little lonely Since Woohyunie-hyung won’t hang out with me anymore, but Myungsoo’s being a good sport.”

Sunggyu’s shoulders tensed in anticipation--of what, he wasn’t sure. “Is he busy today too? Since he’s not with you.”

“The better question is when is he not busy these days,” Sungjong replied, rolling his eyes. Sensing Sunggyu’s confusion, he added, “Since he’s always with his girlfriend, you know.”

Sunggyu’s shoulders dropped and his expression fell to one of unreasonable bitter disappointment. “Oh… I didn’t know.”

“Oh.” Sungjong shifted awkwardly on his feet. He could see from Sunggyu’s expression that it wasn’t exactly welcome news. “I’ll be sure to tell him to drop by! I’m sure he wants to.”

Sunggyu attempted a smile and nodded his thanks just as Myungsoo made his way to the front of the shop. “Sungjong?”

“Myungsoo,” Sunggyu said suddenly, “Let’s trade. I’ll cover the fortune tellings for this afternoon so you can hang out up here with Sungjong.”

Myungsoo looked at him with a bewildered expression. “Okay, hyung, whatever you--”

Sunggyu didn’t wait for him to finish before making his way to the back room. Myungsoo stared after him as Sungjong sighed. “I didn’t know it’d upset him or I wouldn’t have told him.”

Myungsoo furrowed his brows. “Told him what?”

“That Woohyun has a girlfriend.”

Myungsoo groaned. “I told him not to get his hopes up.”

“About what?” Sungjong asked curiously.

“Nothing.” Myungsoo flushed as he seemed to realize what he’d said and shook his head. “He’d just been looking forward to Woohyun coming in the past few weeks, so I guess he just wishes Woohyun would have told him himself.”

Sungjong hummed in acknowledgement, not quite convinced that was the whole story. He stared at the back room intently for a moment, as if trying to figure something out.

***

Woohyun could feel his palms sweat as he walked, hand in hand, with his girlfriend to The Aquarian Bookshop. He smiled nervously and said, “You’ll like him a lot. He’s cute.”

“Cute?” She pouted. “Cuter than me?”

“Hmmm,” Woohyun said playfully, tapping his chin. “Hard to say.”

“You’re terrible!” she cried, punching his arm and laughing.

Woohyun tried to calm the dread that threatened to overwhelm him by smiling brightly as he entered the shop. He waved when he spotted Sunggyu behind the counter. Woohyun clutched his girlfriend’s hand and dragged her over.

“Sunggyu!”

Sunggyu marked his place in his book and beamed at him. “Woohyun, it’s been a while!”

“I want you to meet my girlfriend,” he said, gesturing towards the girl beside him giving Sunggyu a shy smile. “Your charm worked, Gyu! Isn’t that great?”

Sunggyu’s smile faltered for a second until it returned, brighter than ever. “That’s fantastic, Woohyun, really great.”

“Woohyunie?” Woohyun turned at his girlfriend’s light tugging at his sleeve. “I’m going to look around, okay?”

“Ah, okay,” he replied, cupping the back of her head and kissing her forehead. She laughed softly and went to browse the wall of crystals. “Isn’t she cute?”

“Y-yeah, she’s really cute.” He sighed quietly. “I guess this means you won’t be dropping by anymore, huh?”

Woohyun furrowed his brows in confusion. “Why would you say that?”

“Well, it took you almost a month to find time just to show her off to me,” Sunggyu replied sharply. His eyes went wide and he flushed a bit. “Sorry, I just mean you should spend that time with your girlfriend instead.”

The corners of Woohyun’s mouth turned down at that. Was Sunggyu excited to meet her or not? Woohyun felt his heart clench at the thought that Sunggyu was somehow mad at him for not coming to visit sooner.

He opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. He sighed and the two stood there awkwardly until his girlfriend returned a moment later. “We should get going,” she said apologetically, “it was nice to meet you though!”

Sunggyu nodded kindly at her. “Nice to meet you too.”

Woohyun hesitated before bidding Sunggyu goodbye as well, an uncomfortable feeling settling in the pit of his stomach.

“Boys sure have a weird definition of ‘cute,’” his girlfriend joked as he walked her back to her apartment.

Woohyun frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I thought he’d be hot!” she replied. Sensing Woohyun’s dissatisfaction, she added, “He was really nice though!”

“You just don’t get it,” Woohyun mumbled, the unpleasant feeling sinking deeper into his body.

That feeling followed him the rest of the week, putting a damper on all of the couples activities he’d been planning during the two-month stretch he’d been single. Really, it was all laid out for him: he’d woo her over the course of a few months with small romantic gestures, they’d meet each other’s parents, and eventually get married and live happily ever after.

He was moping on the couch in his apartment, avoiding his new girlfriend with the excuse of assignments and exams piling up. Simply put, he felt awful--Nam Woohyun was not a person who avoided.

“Yah, Myungsoo’s coming over later, so you’re going to have to get off the couch sometime,” Sungjong said bluntly.

Woohyun groaned in annoyance. “Leave me alone.”

“What are you being such a baby about? You have a girlfriend.” Sungjong rolled his eyes and pushed Woohyun’s feet off the couch so he could sit down.

“If I have a girlfriend then why do I feel so awful,” Woohyun mumbled despondently. “It’s not as fun as I thought it’d be.”

Sungjong frowned. “Is she too clingy? Or weird?”

“No! No, she’s lovely,” Woohyun sighed. “It’s me--or at least I think it’s me. Ever since I went to go see Sunggyu I’ve just been feeling weird about this.”

“Did he react badly or something?”

“No, just the opposite,” Woohyun replied. “He seemed happy for me--well, decently happy. And he seemed to get along with her.”

“Oh,” Sungjong said dejectedly, “I thought that might be it, because he seemed a bit disappointed when I told him a couple weeks ago.”

“Oh, no, he--You what?!” Woohyun pushed himself up and leaned in close to Sungjong, convinced he must have misheard something.

Sungjong tapped his chin in an attempt to jog his memory. “Yeah, I went in to see Myungsoo and he wanted to know where you had been, so I told him you’d been out with your girlfriend.”

Woohyun stared at him in horror. “Well what did he say?!”

“Nothing?!” Sungjong backed away nervously. “Don’t look at me like that! He seemed really surprised and like he wanted to see you! Why do you care anyway?”

Woohyun pouted. “What do you mean ‘why do I care?’”

“It’s kind of… weird that you care so much about what he thinks of your girlfriend,” Sungjong said hesitantly, “I mean you’ve known him for, what, two months? Is his opinion of your girlfriend really that important to you?”

“N-no! It’s just…” Woohyun struggled for a moment, then sighed in defeat. “I don’t know… I don’t think of him like my other friends.”

Sungjong groaned at his own epiphany. “So… you…”

“I what?”

“You… I mean towards Sunggyu, you…” Woohyun tilted his head, not getting what he was alluding to. Sungjong pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. “I’m going to put this in the simplest way I can, okay?”

“ you,” Woohyun retorted.

“Just listen,” Sungjong snapped. “When I saw Sunggyu that day at the shop, Myungsoo said he’d been waiting for you to show up…”

“Way to make me feel worse,” Woohyun growled.

Sungjong groaned. “Let me finish! When I told Sunggyu that you’d gotten a girlfriend, he seemed almost… disappointed. Does that make sense to you?”

“Disappointed that I hadn’t told him myself?”

“Well, yes.” Sungjong frowned. “But more annoyed that you had a girlfriend in the first place. Why would he feel like that? You’d been telling him his charm didn’t work for ages, after all.” Woohyun jutted his lower lip out, turning the possibilities over in his mind. Sungjong sighed. “Those are all the hints I can give you. I can’t let your oblivious nature torture me any longer.”

Woohyun whined, “Hey, where are you going?” but Sungjong had already retreated to his room. He crossed his arms and puzzled the evidence out in his head for the rest of the afternoon. It was nearing dinnertime when he burst into Sungjong’s room.

“Do you think Sunggyu likes me?!”

“Finally,” Sungjong sighed. “And yes, it’s a distinct possibility.”

“Why would he like me when I insulted his charms and about the magic stuff?”

Sungjong rolled his eyes. “Why does anyone like you at all?”

“Good point,” Woohyun replied, nodding in agreement. “What am I supposed to do with this information?”

Sungjong groaned and threw his pillow across the room at Woohyun’s face. “Figure it out on your own!”

***

Woohyun sat at the booth in the café spacing out. His girlfriend had gone to use the restroom… he was pretty sure. It was hard to focus on anything aside from the monumental revelation that Sunggyu might like him.

He was more surprised that the thought of it didn’t upset him at all, rather, he wasn’t quite sure what to think. The idea had been running around his mind for a few days and he was still as lost as ever.

“-hyun.”

He really should go visit Sunggyu. It had been too long, and seeing him might help him set things straight. Or it could make it all so much worse--

“Woohyun!”

He jumped to attention to realize his girlfriend had returned, taking the seat across from him. He let out a shaky exhale. “Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Of course you weren’t,” she muttered, then sighed. “Woohyun… do you like me?”

His eyes went wide in surprise. “I… yes, of course.”

“You hesitated,” she pointed out. “Are you even having fun when we hang out? Lately you seem like you’d rather be anywhere else.”

Woohyun wrung his wrists guiltily. “Sorry. I’ve been a bit distracted.”

“I noticed.” She gave a hesitant smile. “Are you distracted by anything in particular?”

“I… I can’t tell you.”

She nodded sadly. She tucked her hair behind her ear elegantly, then said, “I think we should break up.”

Woohyun felt the air leave him like he was hit by a truck. “What?”

“I know,” she said. Woohyun’s insides grew cold, as if he’d been drenched by a bucket of cold water. “I knew you didn’t like me when I asked you out.”

“T-that’s not..” Woohyun protested weakly.

“I was fine with it, because I thought that would come with time.” She sighed. “Though lately it feels like the closer I get to you the more put off you are.”

Woohyun sat there in ashamed silence, because everything she had said was right. After a moment, she said, “I’m going to go.”

Woohyun reached out to stop her. “Wait--”

“You should date someone because you like them,” she replied, “not because they’re convenient. See you around?”

“Yeah.” Woohyun nodded sadly. “See you around.”

He sat there alone in the café, absolutely miserable. He took his keys out of his pocket and slipped the now slightly-worn red pouch from the key ring.

“You’re the root of all my problems,” he muttered, then sighed dramatically. “Maybe this really is some form of curse.” Shoving the charm into his pocket, he rushed out of the café towards the shabby little shop Sunggyu worked at.

Sunggyu was exiting the back room with one of his regular customers when Woohyun arrived. Woohyun waited patiently for him to bid the woman goodbye before approaching him.

“Where’s your girlfriend?” Sunggyu asked. It was a totally innocent question, but the way he said girlfriend made Woohyun’s insides curl.

“I just want to talk to you,” he said. “Alone.”

He saw Sunggyu struggle with something for a moment before he gave in. “I have half an hour before my next appointment, so let’s talk in the back.”

Woohyun wasted no time in following him to the gloomy, dark room. He gently grabbed Sunggyu’s arm before he could sit down.

“What do you want, Woohyun?” Sunggyu asked the question as if he were tired, and Woohyun felt the biting sting of it.

“I broke up with my girlfriend,” he said suddenly, then flushed. “Actually, she broke up with me.”

Sunggyu glared at him through narrowed eyes. “My charm isn’t responsible for your own romantic ineptitude.”

“It is though!” Woohyun groaned. “It’s hard to explain, but it’s like… ever since I bought this thing I can’t fall in love no matter how hard I try.”

“I’m not going to sit here why you tell me all the reasons my charms don’t work,” Sunggyu huffed. “If you don’t believe they’ll work, then they won’t! It’s your own fault! And you can’t just fall in love,” he muttered, “you have to be open to it.”

“I know,” Woohyun said, smiling helplessly. He grabbed Sunggyu by the shoulders so he couldn’t escape. Sunggyu jumped at the contact. “You said you can’t lie in here, right?”

Sunggyu nodded hesitantly.

Woohyun took a calming breath before looking Sunggyu in the eyes. “Do you like me?”

“What!?” Sunggyu stared at him in petrified shock. “Yah, have you gone totally insane?”

“Answer the question,” Woohyun insisted.

Sunggyu opened and closed his mouth in a few aborted attempts at coming up with a response. Woohyun got tired of looking at him struggling, so he leaned in and kissed him.

Sunggyu yelped in surprise and hit Woohyun’s chest with his fist until he relented. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

“Kissing you,” Woohyun replied innocently. “Do you hate it?”

“Well, no, but--”

Woohyun kissed him again, more gently this time. When he pulled back, whatever protests Sunggyu might have had died on his lips. Woohyun cleared his throat. “You still didn’t answer my question.”

“Do I like you?” Sunggyu asked. Woohyun nodded eagerly, causing Sunggyu to laugh. “Fine! I guess so, a little bit.”

Woohyun clicked his tongue. “You can’t lie in here, you know.”

“My psychic den, my rules,” Sunggyu said petulantly. “Besides, I said nothing about half-truths.”

Woohyun laughed. As annoying as Sunggyu was, his childish behavior only served to make him more endearing, and Woohyun couldn’t help but love that about him.

He pulled him into an embrace and held him close to his body. “I like you,” Woohyun mumbled lowly into Sunggyu’s ear. “I really like you.”

Sunggyu cautiously let his arms wrap around Woohyun’s waist. “Yeah, I got that.”

Woohyun kind of got what she meant, now, about dating someone you like. Sunggyu wasn’t the most convenient choice--he certainly wasn’t the easiest to deal with--but Woohyun could already feel his chest alight with the multitude of exciting possibilities.

He kissed Sunggyu again, letting his hand rest on Sunggyu’s hip to keep him close, and Sunggyu didn’t pull away that time. He wrapped his hands around Woohyun’s neck and leaned into the contact.

At a loud knocking on the door, they both jumped apart, startled. They could hear Myungsoo’s muffled voice calling for Sunggyu. “Your next appointment is here, hyung.”

“I guess that’s my cue,” Sunggyu said a bit regretfully. He shifted on his feet awkwardly. “Uh, wait for me? My shift’s over in an hour.”

“Sure,” Woohyun said, laughing quietly. He reached out to fix Sunggyu’s hair. “I’m sure I can find something to do while you’re busy.”

Sunggyu smiled shyly. “Thanks,” he said, then turned to open the door.

Woohyun grinned back at him. “Come back soon.”