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Mina’s mentioning of the incident two weeks ago sparked an idea in Nayeon’s mind. Magic. Magic always held the answer. It could easily help Jeongyeon fall for Nayeon in some way.

Nayeon burst into her room, almost forgetting that Sana was there. Sana looked up from her computer but said nothing, as her headphones were in and she was clearly watching something. Slyly, Nayeon sat at her desk and quietly pulled out her spellbook. If Sana asked, she was merely studying for the next exam to qualify as level ten witches.

There had to be some sort of spell to help her out with Jeongyeon somewhere. Page after page, she finally found a section for spells specializing in emotions. Spells dealing with emotions were very advanced and not recommended, of course, but Nayeon didn’t really care. For her pride, her ego, she needed to win.

She found one, a spell which required baking and special ingredients, that seemed easy enough. She smiled triumphantly to herself, and Sana looked up, a bit curious, but paid the older girl no mind.

Excited to begin, Nayeon copied the list of ingredients to gather over the next few days. Then she’d bake them into a cupcake. She knew Jeongyeon couldn’t resist a cupcake. The plan was foolproof.

Two Days Later:

Two steps forward, two steps back. It was like a dance the two shared, subconsciously. Sana had thought laser tag had went well. They’d bonded, after all, in their mutual obliteration of Tzuyu, and never left each other’s sides. But the next time they saw it each other Sana couldn’t shake the lingering feeling that they were locked in friendship. She decided the only way to get through Dahyun’s thick skull would be to address the slight tension that hung in the air.

“Dahyun-ie, have you ever been in love?” Sana asked. The two were sitting on the couch of Sana’s apartment, watching a drama on Netflix. Sana always talked over whatever they were watching, and so Dahyun had given up long ago on actually keeping up with what was going on in the rather complicated show.

Taken a bit off guard, Dahyun made a face, as if embarrassed by the question. “It’s hard to say,” she dodged. “What is love?”

Sana grumbled to herself. “It’s when you care about someone more than you care about yourself...when all you can think about is being with them...and you want to protect them and make them happy…” her voice trailed off.

Dahyun hummed, thinking to herself. “I guess so,” she admitted.

“Really?” Sana gasped, looking at the younger girl with wide eyes. “You need to give me the details!”

Dahyun blushed, clearly not wanting to say more. “What about you?”

Sana pulled her knees up to her chest, thinking. “I’m not sure if I’ve ever been in love before...but I can say I’ve liked people here and there. And I might like one person in particular.” She said it nonchalantly, staring at the TV screen. “Are you in love now?” Sana asked, turning back to Dahyun.

Dahyun gulped, turning paler than she already was. She was a terrible liar, always was. “Yes,” she admitted.

Sana nearly squealed. “Is it...someone I know?”

Dahyun hesitated, looking embarrassed. “Yes.” It was almost a whisper, barely audible. Sana had to fight to contain her excitement. She had to play it cool. “She doesn’t like me though.”

“How can you be so sure?” Sana replied.

“I think she only sees me as a friend,” Dahyun admitted, suddenly looking very glum. In that moment, Sana could knew whoever Dahyun was talking about wasn’t her, and she had to pinch the skin on her palm to stop herself from revealing any emotions on her face.

“That’s a shame,” Sana sighed. Even though her heart felt like it was ripped apart, she still felt bad for the girl. “I know that’s really hard,” Sana added. She looked at Dahyun intensely as she reached for the younger girl’s hand.  

For once, Sana stopped talking and the drama continued on in the background. Dahyun was fully interested in the story, but Sana couldn’t seem to process any of the dialogue. It all became static as her head was full of white noise. When the show was over, Dahyun leaned back into the couch and stretched.

“Sana?”

Sana looked at Dahyun with large eyes, heart skipping a beat at the sound of her name despite what was just said. “Yes?”

“That person you like, do I know them?” Dahyun asked shyly, with a small, playful smile on her face.

Sana looked down at the ground. “No. You don’t.”

Sana returned to her room after Dahyun had left, ready to hide under her covers and stay there for days. How was she supposed to win this bet with Nayeon now, when her crush was crushing on someone else...and even worse, she was in love!? Sana couldn’t compete with that, and the thought of Nayeon’s smug expression when Sana told her was just too much for Sana to stand. No, she wouldn’t give up. She’d still win Dahyun’s heart, somehow. She refused to lose. She stood up, retrieving her book of magic and spells. The thing felt heavier than usual in her hands, perhaps it was the guilt weighing down on her as she flipped through the pages.

At last, she came to the section of spells relating to emotions and love. After running her finger down the page, she came across one spell that caught her eye. “Make me the one Dahyun is in love with,” she whispered to herself as she studied the paragraph.

She jumped up from her desk chair, suddenly hopeful. She’d have to do this now, quickly before Nayeon was home from class. She recited the spell while looking at a picture of her and Dahyun she’d taken while they were suited up for laser tag. After the spell, she didn’t feel any different and was a bit disappointed, but she reminded herself the change would take place in Dahyun. The change might be gradual, or sudden, she wasn’t sure. All she knew is that now she would be the one Dahyun wanted to be with.  

Meanwhile, Nayeon was preparing to enact her love spell: 

“Jeongyeon, I made some cupcakes for everyone and there’s one left...I want you to have it,” Nayeon said shyly, holding out clear tupperware in front of her. Inside was a cupcake, a sole cupcake. Nayeon had actually only made one, specifically for her, but Jeongyeon didn't need to know that. Jeongyeon was sitting at a table by herself in the library, having come to study a bit before heading back to her apartment. Nayeon had discovered from Mina that Jeongyeon almost always stopped at the library after her classes were done for the day, and so Nayeon had made it a mental note to find Jeongyeon here. 

Jeongyeon smiled brightly and opened the tupperware, taking out the cupcake carefully. “It’s not poisoned, is it?” she asked, jokingly.

Nayeon twitched but faked a laugh. “Oh, no, of course not...haha.”

Jeongyeon took it and set it down on top of some of her books, since the cupcake was still wrapped in foil on the bottom. “I’ll eat it later since I just ate lunch, but thank you!”

Nayeon beamed, but wished the girl would eat it now, in front of her. She wasn’t gonna be too pushy though, or else the girl would get suspicious. “Alright, I’m gonna go get a book from Jihyo...she’s somewhere around here. So, I’ll see you around?”

Jeongyeon nodded. “Say hi to Jihyo for me!”

And with that, Nayeon walked away, leaving Jeongyeon to her reading. She turned abruptly though, hiding behind a bookcase. She stealthily pulled down some books so that Jeongyeon’s table was in her view. She’d make sure Jeongyeon ate the cupcake before she left. She felt like a stalker, but she didn’t really care. No one actually checked out books from these shelves anymore anyway.

A few minutes later, Mina walked over to Jeongyeon and sat down beside her. From where Nayeon was, she couldn’t make out what they were saying, or even read lips for that matter, especially Mina’s, who barely opened when she spoke in the first place.

“That looks good,” Mina commented, noticing the untouched cupcake on the table.

“Yeah, Nayeon gave it to me actually. I guess she baked a bunch, but this is the last one left.”

“Really?” Mina looked surprised. “Wow, she never bakes.”

“You didn’t get one? I figured since you’re roommates you might have been the first to try one. You know...I’m pretty full from a late lunch so you should have it. I just didn’t have the heart to tell her no. Trust me, if I wasn’t stuffed I’d be devouring it, but it'd kill me to see a perfectly good cupcake go to waste.”

Mina was a bit curious to see how it tasted. She wanted to know if, despite Nayeon’s previous shortcomings in the kitchen, the older girl had actually improved. And she was a bit hungry, too.

“You make a compelling argument, no cupcake should go to waste,” Mina mused. She smiled at Jeongyeon and gingerly picked up the cupcake, inspecting it slightly. Looked normal enough, despite being a little misshapen.

Nayeon, behind the bookcase, nearly screamed. Why was Mina picking up the cupcake? She stood up abruptly and started running for Jeongyeon’s table. One step, two steps, Mina was peeling back the foil. Three steps, four…

“Mina!” Nayeon yelled, and Mina, who was lifting the cupcake to , nearly jumped, freezing in place.

Jeongyeon and Mina both turned to Nayeon, who ran up to the table panting. Jeongyeon suddenly looked guilty, not expecting to see Nayeon again so soon.

“Why are you eating Jeongyeon’s cupcake?” Nayeon asked.

“I gave it to her because I was too full and didn’t want it to go to waste,” Jeongyeon explained.

“When did you make these anyway?” Mina asked. “Must’ve been after I went to bed because I didn't see you in the kitchen last night.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t give one cupcake to your own roommate,” Jeongyeon teased. “You should of at least saved her one for having to live with you.”

Nayeon scoffed and Mina giggled. “It’s okay Nayeon, I honestly just wanted to try it," Mina admitted.

Nayeon gulped, trying to think of some excuse for her not to eat it. She had no choice but to knock it out of the girl’s hand.

“So...if you don’t mind…” Mina said, lifting it to . Everything around Nayeon slowed down, all her focus remained on Mina’s elbow. All she had to do was knock it slightly to send the cupcake flying. Nayeon reached out with ninja like reflexes. Almost there. Almost.

She hit Mina’s elbow, and the girl fumbled the cupcake, only inches from her lips. Nayeon nearly fell forward onto the table at the movement. The cupcake was soaring...soaring…

Silently as she watched the cupcake fly, Nayeon was cheering…

But Jeongyeon’s hand reached up and caught the thing before it hit the ground. “Aha!” she yelled. “That could’ve been bad, huh?”

Mina was looking at Nayeon almost accusingly.

“Sorry,” Nayeon murmured. I’m a clutz…”

“Here you are,” Jeongyeon said, handing the cupcake back to Mina. “I touched the foil part only, so don’t worry, my germs aren’t all over it and it’s still salvageable. It was fate that I miraculously caught it and saved it from the brink of death, so you have to eat it now.”

“Thank you,” Mina replied with a small smile on her face.

Nayeon could only stare, unsure of what to say or do. She thought of all the spells she’d learned, but none could help her in this moment. If only she could turn back time…

She watched in horror as Mina lifted the cupcake to and took a small bite. Mina chewed slowly and swallowed. Nayeon stared, mouth open. She prayed, for once, that she got the spell wrong.

“It’s not bad,” Mina admitted. “Pretty good, actually.”

Nayeon was watching her every move. Mina turned back to her and blinked. “You’re staring,” she said.

“Sorry,” Nayeon muttered.

“You did a good job, really,” Mina praised, smiling up at Nayeon. Nayeon forced a smile back but felt sick. God...please no…

Mina took another small bite and munched on it. Again, Nayeon watched her like a hawk.

“Hey, did you get that book from Jihyo?” Jeongyeon asked. It was then Nayeon realized she was empty handed.

“Oh, yeah, it’s in my backpack,” she stammered. “That I left with Jihyo...I just...wanted to see what you thought of the cupcake.”

Mina took another bite, and suddenly a weird look crossed her face. Nayeon in a breath, sitting down abruptly at the empty seat next to Mina. “Are you feeling okay?” Nayeon asked her with wide eyes.

Mina turned to look at her, and shook her head, as if clearing her mind. “Yeah, fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You just looked...nevermind,” Nayeon said.

Mina continued to look at her strangely before Jeongyeon cleared . “Um, hate to be that person, but I really do gotta get this work done.”

“I’ll go get my backpack now,” Nayeon stood up. “I’ll see you around Jeongyeon. Mina, I’ll see you later.”

“See you,” they both replied, and Nayeon turned to collect her backpack, which she’d left behind the book cases in her moment of desperation and dread. She’d find out if the spell worked later, she supposed. Until then, all she could do was wait.

“How is your pursuit going?” Sana asked when Nayeon got back from school, collapsing on her bed.

Nayeon sat up suddenly, not wanting Sana to know that she might’ve just gotten Mina to fall for her instead of Jeongyeon. “Great! How are things going with Dahyun?”

“Great!” Sana repeated, smiling. "She was just over to watch a tv show, actually." Sana said nothing more but Nayeon was so flustered and frustrated by recents events that she didn't pick up on Sana's sadness. 

Nayeon made a slight face. She hated how well things seemed to be going for Sana. Nayeon simply nodded and hummed in response. She quickly grabbed her laptop and tried to take her mind off of the epic failure that had just occurred with her foolproof plan. Nayeon was hungry, but she was too scared to leave her room. She dreaded the possibility of bumping into Mina if she left to get a snack. She didn’t know how exactly the spell would work, but she didn’t want to raise any suspicions, especially not with Jihyo in the house. Instead, Nayeon suffered of hunger as she attempted to get schoolwork done for a few hours. 

“Are you going to eat dinner?” Sana asked, getting up from her bed. Nayeon was under her comforter with her laptop in front of her. It was 7:00PM, their normal dinner time.

Nayeon shook her head. “No, you guys eat without me. I’m not feeling great.”

“Alright, well I’ll try to save you some leftovers but no guarantees since I’m starving tonight,” Sana winked and was gone.

About a half an hour later, there was a knock at the door. A sense of dread rushed over Nayeon. Please...don’t be….

“Nayeon?” A soft voice called on the other side of the door. It was Mina’s by default, being so soft unlike Jihyo or Sana.

“Yes?” Nayeon called back. “You can come in.”

The door opened slightly and Mina’s head poked into the room. She had a plate in her hands, along with some silverware and a napkin. “Hey, I just came to check on you. Sana said you weren’t feeling too good.”

“I’m doing okay, just feeling a little down that’s all. Thanks for checking up.” Nayeon couldn’t help but feel super awkward under Mina’s gaze.

“I brought you a plate just in case you got hungry later. It picked out all your favorites.” Mina entered the room and gently set the plate on Nayeon’s desk. Nayeon sat up and smiled at Mina as best as she could.

“Thank you.” Truthfully Nayeon was extremely happy with Mina's kind gesture, considering how hungry she was.

Mina stood for a moment, not quite knowing what to say. “Well, I’ll leave you to your rest,” she finally said, quietly. She turned around and began to walk towards the door.

“Mina?” Nayeon blurted out, and Mina quickly turned around, looking at Nayeon with wide eyes.

“Really, thank you, and sorry about earlier today...with the cupcake.”

Mina smiled. “It’s not a problem at all. You’re clumsy but it’s cute.”

You’re clumsy but it’s cute.

It’s cute.

Cute.

On that note, Mina was out the door, closing it softly behind her. Nayeon’s head was spinning. Now, it’s possible that was all entirely platonic. Mina was nice. Doing something like that was totally in character for her. But that final comment...was it an “it’s cute” in a friend kind of way, like Sana so often threw around? Or was it an “it’s cute” as in you’re cute kind of way? Nayeon had a really, really bad feeling about this.

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This chapter is a bit shorter than usual, but I hope you all still enjoy it. Looks like Mina is developing a bit of a crush on Nayeon...what will this mean for Michaeng? And what about Sana's spell, do you guys think it will actually make Dahyun fall in love with her? You'll find out next chapter!