(Jiyong’s POV)

 

To fulfill my duty as a genie, I am on my way to trail one of my candidates again. This time, I’ll be trailing the only girl candidate that I have, Dara.

 

Hhhmmmm. Why do I get the feeling that she isn’t the one? What if she’s the one? But what if she’s not the one again? Should I just trail my other candidates instead? What if she’ll turn her head this way and notice me? But what if she’ll never notice me and my other candidates will? Should I take Top’s advice that the only girl candidate of mine will never be my contractee? And if she won’t be, why do I get the feeling that I should still stay here? Why am I so desperate to have her as my contractee? Is it because I’ve been surrounded by men to the point that people around me suspects me that I’m gay? Or is it for a change that other than men surrounding me, at least a girl could be one of my friends? Aiisshht! Why are there plenty of questions running in my head? And why did I ask myself again? Why the hell did I do that again? And why am I still asking again? Yaahh!!!! Stop it!

 

Okay. You might think I’m insane for I asked a question yet I answered it with another question and yet again I answered it with plenty of questions after another question but just so you know, I am no insane person. I am simply a no-average, perfect, handsome, single, wild and young genie.

 

No, I am not conceited for I am merely stating the fact. Although I may look like old as of now, I am still the “no-average, perfect, handsome, single, wild and young genie”. And just to remind you, I am not in my mid 40s for I am just in disguise.

 

‘ Should you know that it’s a genie’s duty to disguise himself/herself when he/she is trailing his/her candidates. Also, genies cannot disguise themselves the same to their other candidates. Their disguise must not be the same for two or more candidates but they must remain the disguise that they made during their first trailing of their candidates. And when a genie is in his/her disguise, he must not reveal himself/herself obviously to his/her candidate during the trailing period or else the candidate shall be eliminated. ’ (storyteller: this part shall be explained further during the next few chapters of the story)

 

Okay, back to the part where in I am trailing one of my candidates. As of now, she is just roaming around the market place taking some freebies, eating those free tastes, testing those test me products, and buying NONE.

 

What the hell does she intend on doing here?  We, I mean she is just looking around the market place just for those stuffs? Does she not know how embarrassing it is for her not to buy any of those she took, tasted, and tested? Can’t she see the reaction of those salespersons? Oh my goodness has the word etiquette been a non-existent in her dictionary? I hope that she won’t notice me for I won’t stand a chance being embarrassed in front of others. Well, that’s if she’d be my contractee. Hope not.

 

Time check, it’s already 9:58 a.m. yet she’s still here. Why did she come here anyway? Oh yeah, she’s here to try out those free things and leave those salespersons hanging.

 

I still have 32 minutes before trailing time runs out.

 

‘ In our guidebook, it is a must that a genie must trail his/her candidate every weekdays with a different candidate per day and that he/she must trail her with exactly one hour, no more no less. ’ (storyteller: this part shall be explained further during the next few chapters of the story with further, organized and better explanations)

 

And now, she’s walking to the shop with a banner that says, “GET A CHANCE TO WIN TWO TICKETS AT LOTTE HOTEL JEJU”. Well, that is ssoooo unexpected. Of course, the unexpected part is for her to enter a shop where it requires something to buy in order to have something other than being free. See, it is, indeed, unexpected.

 

Increasing the distance between us, I sat at the bench just across the entrance of the shop. Since I’ve got nothing else to do other than trailing her, I just propped my right elbow on my right thigh with my right thumb under my chin and started staring at her.

 

Stare. Blink. Stare. Blink. Stare. Blink. Stare. If you’re wondering that this stare-blink routine of mine is both tiring and boring, then, you’re obviously correct. Imagine the no-average, perfect, handsome, single, wild and young genie doing this over and over again every weekday for my candidates.

 

Doing this 1-hour per day and what more is the fact that I’ve been wasting 5 hours of my time every week for nothing and the mere fact that I’ve been doing this since 2 years, 3 months, 2 weeks, and 5 days ago with my 21 candidates, including her, has been the worse. Oh God. I’ve wasted more than 339 hours of my life. Those hours could sum up to 14 days! I could have done so many things within 14 days. And surely, those 14 days would double up if my good-for-nothing candidates of mine would just ignore me trailing them. I mean, how could they not notice my presence? Are they that numb or acting numb? Okay, now I’m taking back with what I said that I’m currently trailing should not notice me.

 

Oh please, I don’t want to waste anymore of my hours or simply, my life. I’ve already made a history for having the most candidates, 21 candidates to be exact; and a history that most of my candidates are men when it should have been the other way around because usually when a genie is a he, most probably, most of his candidates should be shes and when a genie is a she, most of her canditates should be hes – but of course, that does not guarantee that when a genie is a he then his contractree is a she, and the other way around; another history wherein it took me more than 6 months before a candidate of mine should notice me because all of the genies with their contractees here had taken only less than 1 month before their candidate notices them.

 

Oh no. I am so ashamed of myself for being so indistinct. Am I that indistinct or is it because my candidates are just plain blind? I’ve already made sure that my candidates are the only ones who could see me but why the hell are they not noticing me? The people between around us are the only ones who could not see me for it is a must that only our candidates could see us.

 

Okay, back to where we are. My elbow now becomes numb for I’ve been propping my elbow and stares at her for 9 minutes with no break. Okay, be calm Jiyong. 23 more minutes and I’ll be back to my world and again waste another years of my life. So here I am standing because I’m so tired of sitting, my eyes still locked on her so if ever she’ll glance here, she should know that I’ve been here doing nothing other than staring at her.

 

Oh, she’s now on her way to the door. Is she done doing her shopping? Or shoplifting? I don’t see any shopping bags around her. Oh yeah right, I won’t because the only things she’s been carrying around are the freebies.

 

But wait, I see her looking at me NOW. As in, she’s looking at me but with confusion on her face. Finally. A smile on my face crept on my lips. I should probably make a nice and grand entrance, ey?

 

---

 

I waved my right hand at her and gave her a big smile. Sensing that she’ll do that as well, I immediately walked to her direction. I put my hands inside my pocket so that I could execute my planned grand entrance. I snapped my right thumb to my middle finger then a truck, 500 meters away from me, popped out of my right side running at probably 100-120 miles per hour.

 

I can’t help but feel so proud of myself for I can see her tensed face from here. That’s not the only thing you’ll feel when you’ve officially become my contractree, Dara.

 

As the truck was about to hit me, I, again, snapped my fingers so that I can give her the taste of what “I had the time of my life” really means (The Time by Black Eyed Peas).

 

Inside me, I can’t help but laugh at her. Gotcha! She’s been turning her head right and left to check whether this is really happening or not. Also, the most obvious moment when a person pinches herself to check whether she’s dreaming or not is now being done by her. Well, well missy. You’re nowhere near from being in a dream. As I was nearing towards her, the smile on my face widens. I don’t know why but the only thing that I have in my mind is to play with her right now.

 

I am now standing in front of her still with a smile on my face. The sweat on her face is so obvious that the inner me is now rolling on the floor. Why the heck is she sweating  like that?

 

By now, I can sense that she is so nervous. I knew that she’d be like that. Who wouldn’t be tensed if a no-average, perfect, handsome, single, wild and young genie stands in front of her disguises as a still no-average, perfect, handsome, single, wild and ‘aged’ genie? Of course, none.

 

As she was looking back and forth to double check if this is really happening, I can’t help but laugh inside me because she could have turned her head 360 degrees. I know it’s kinda gross, but hell, it’s no gross for me for it’s funny.

 

“Ha-have we met before? Oh, sorry. Hi uncle?” She asked with a scared tone.

 

Me, her uncle? More like your genie Missy.

 

This girl is really something. With that thought, I flashed her my widest grin and returned back to my original form.

 

To give her a good impression of my, I calmly told her, “Hello Dara. It’s a beautiful today isn’t it?” And in no time, I can feel the pain in my right cheek and see the shock on her face. Did she just hit my handsome face?

 

“What did you just do?” I asked as I was touching my right cheek to restrain its not-so painful ache. Yes, it is not so painful. But hell, does she not know the word hospitality? And another hell for hitting my handsome face.

 

(Dara’s POV)

 

Oh my ghad. Oh my ghad. What did I do? What have I done?

 

“What did you just do?”

 

“I .. I..” What to say? What to say? Can I say that ‘I’m nervous you see’ or ‘my fist has a mind of its own’ or ‘your face is so pretty that it needs a something ugly on it’? Wait. What did I just thought? “What the hell?”

 

“I. BEG. YOUR. PARDON.?!” He asked reiterating each word clearly.

 

Wait. What the? What did I just said? “Um. What is it again that I said?”

 

I can see the irritation from his face that he calmly or sarcastically said, “Oh nothing. You just hit me for no reason. Then I just asked you why did you do then you answered by simply saying ‘what the hell?’”

 

Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my. Why did I blurt out the ‘what the hell?’ part. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid mouth of mine. The inner me is hitting its head to remind her of how stupid it was to do something out of nowhere. “I’m sorry. I was just thinking,” I said smiling at him. Oh my ghad. That response is so plain stupid. I shouldn’t be saying sorry to him. It’s his face fault for being so flawless.

 

“It’s okay. No worries. I can understand. I understand that you hit people for no good reason then return the favor by asking them as if nothing happened.” He said with a reassuring look that he’s really okay.

 

“Oh really?” I asked with a surprised look on my face.

 

“OF COURSE NOT! Are you plain stupid for not even sensing my sarcastic way of talking to you?! Are you that dumb that you can’t even say ‘hello’ to me that you ended up punching my face? And are you that ignorant for not knowing what you just said and did? HUH?!”

 

hmmm.. I still can’t grasp what he said because he was shouting loudly at me and saying stuff so fast. ‘You’, ‘stupid’, ‘you’, ‘dumb’, ‘you’, ‘ignorant’, and ‘huh’ are the only words that I heard and think about. Hmmm. You stupid, you dumb and you ignorant. Wait! Did that person insulted me? “Am I correct that you were saying that I’m stupid, dumb and ignorant?” I asked to be so sure of it.

 

He clicked his tongue showing how irritated he is then calmly said, “Yes, I did. You see, I was just praising you. So, you’re welcome.”

 

“Ohh.. Thank you.” was all that I could say. And without thinking, I immediately slap his cheek. It’s the left this time so I can balance the cheekers he has on his right cheek. Hehe. Payback time. I nonchalantly said “And now, you’re welcome.”

 

He is now holding his left cheek to ease its pain and glaring intently at me. After a minute or so, he closed his eyes and sighed deeply. “Dara, if you have nothing good to say, please stop hitting people. It’s kinda turning off you know?”

 

Wait just a minute. Did he just insult me, AGAIN, and turn off? “Excuse me mister.. mister…” I was about to respond to him with all my might but who is he again? “Um, who are you again?” “Dara, it’s Kwon Jiyong. Call me Jiyong,” he calmly replied.

 

I continued what I was supposed to say but I immediately snapped out of it for he was supposed to be my uncle. “Wey—we—wait! What happened to my uncle?”

 

“Your what?!” he asked with a surprised look on his face

 

Now, I started hitting his chest screaming, “give me back my uncle you random magician.” Take that. And this. And that. And this.

 

He raised both of my wrists with his right hand then he asked with insult written on his face “I’m a what? A ma-ma-magician?”

 

I was surprised by his sudden hold of my wrists that my gasps came out from my nostrils. Just like that, he released my wrists and started laughing. “Ya! What’s funny?” Why do people love to laugh early in the morning?

 

I started tapping my right foot for him to notice how irritating it was to watch him laughing for 10 minutes – if the time still works. Hmm.. time, time, time. What is wrong again with the time? With a snap in my head, I immediately faced him holding his shoulders and said, “What happened?”

 

He now stops laughing then raised an eyebrow and said, “If it’s about your uncle then the uncle you saw awhile ago is the person you’re currently talking to.”

 

Confusions runs in my mind for I really don’t know what’s he talking about. First, it’s the random person who seems to be my uncle. Second, he was supposed to be hit by a truck. Third, the time stopped. Fourth, my uncle turned into Jiyong. Fifth, he’s telling me that he’s my uncle. Is he? He looks so young. Sixth, I’m so confused. Seventh, my head hurts because of it. Eight, it’s his fault, right? “Are you.. ah.. uhmm.. this.. umm.. young.. joking?” was all that I could utter.

 

He tapped my head with his right hand and looked straight into my eyes. He’s now smiling and started saying, “Let me start by telling you what and who am I supposed to be.”

 

That’s weird. I already know who he is. He is Jiyong, right? He just said it a while ago. Also, he clearly said that he’s my uncle, or sort of like that.

 

“I’m nowhere near being you uncle. Can you not see the there-is-no-resemblance between us? I am hot and you are not,” he said as a matter of fact.

 

“Why you-” I was about to say something but he cut me off by his sudden action. He took my right hand and kissed it. “Let’s start over again by introducing myself,” he said then winks at me.

 

What’s he up to now? Is he going to court me? Wait! We barely know each other and.. I.. I’m still not prepared.

 

“Sorry it’s at its best if we take things slowly and know each other well.” I said confidently and hide my nervousness. Of course I would be saying that. I wouldn’t want him to expect something if the feeling is not mutual.

 

“‘Take things slowly and know each other well’ with what?” he asked raising his brow with confusion.

 

“Should you know that it’s a man’s duty to know the lady well before courting her,” I said with my arms crossed in front of me.

 

As he was scratching his head vigorously, he said, “Aisshtt!!!! What should I do to you dweeb?”

 

“Know me first, Mr. Jiyong.” Duh, isn’t it obvious? Can he not read in-between the lines?

 

“Ignorant ! Snap out of it! That’s not what I meant,” he howled at me.

 

Hey, hey, hey, hey. He insulted me again. “Ya!! If you have plans on courting me, it would be best for you to look at the dictionary and know what courtesy means.”

 

“Stop overthinking,” He paused then continue saying, “you’re the one who should know me.” Huh? Reading my confused state, he chuckled lightly then breathed loudly and calmly said, “I’m your genie.”

 

Wait. Let my brain register what he said. ‘I’m’ means that he’s someone; ‘your’ means he’s supposed to be someone for me; ‘genie’ means that he came from the lamp and he’s supposed to be the blue bloated thingy or person or something like that. I’m right, right?

 

Since I don’t know if my brain functions well today, I started banging my head at the nearest wall my head could reach. My. Brain. Needs. To. Function. Well. I said in between. I feel so stupid, dumb, ignorant, and the insults he’ll about to say. Those insults were clearly true so my poor head needs to be repaired. 

 

---

 

 

“Ow.. ow.. ow.. ow..” I whined after the realization that I really do look liked stupid, dumb, ignorant, , etc..

 

“You done?” he asked as if in he’s in his worried state. Oh please. Laugh now. I know that look on your face. It’s no first time for me. In fact, I already saw that not long ago.

 

I immediately sat down, hugged myself, and hid my head as if in a figure of curling my self so as to think clearly. I need to create a long list as to what are the supposed-to-be-applications so that I could formulate as to whom to blame for this.

 

Think Dara. Think. First, he was saying something as if courting me but he’s my uncle. Second, he said that he isn’t my uncle. Third, he’s confusing me. Fourth, he kissed my hand as if courting me. Fifth, he was throwing loads of insults. Sixth, I rejected him. Seventh, it turns out that he was nowhere near courting me. Eight, I looked stupid, dumb, ignorant, and that time. Ninth, he says that he’s my genie. Tenth, I’m not that stupid, dumb, ignorant, and to believe. Eleventh, thinking about the ‘tenth situation’ why did I hit my head if I’m really not? Twelfth, so I really am that stupid, dumb, ignorant, and . Thirteenth, I know it’s not my fault. Fourteenth, whoah, what I list. I’m already in my fourteenth. Fifteenth, that’s it. The bottom line is that it’s Jiyong’s fault.

 

As I raise my head, I gave him my dagger strares. Oh yes mister, it’s your fault!

 

Standing and retaining my composure, I raised my hand and pointed my pointing finger to bridge of his nose. He’s now cocking his eyes at my finger. Challenging him, I said, “stop making fun of me. I already admit that I ‘LOOK’ stupid, dumb, ignorant, and . So tell me, what sort of proof that you’re a genie or” *fake cough* “my” *fake cough* “genie?”

 

Eyeing me, a smirked formed in his lips. “Challenge accepted.”

 

What now? He’s doing NOTHING at all. “So?”

 

“‘So’ what?” he asked me innocently. Oh my God. “The proof?” I asked with my brow raised.

 

“Make a wish,” he requested.

 

Oh no I won’t. I already looked stupid, dumb, ignorant, and several times. I had enough of it. I have no plans on adding up some more. “Wish for what? I’ll wish so that I would more look like stupid, dumb, ignorant, and after wishing?”

 

“Quite but no. How could I take your challenge if you are not wishing? Don’t you know the typical work that genies do?”

 

“Take my challenge? Weren’t you the one challenging me after I have challenged you? And what do you mean by ‘typical work that genies do’?”

 

“I’m taking it but you’re the one who’s not even wishing. Requesting a wish from you isn’t a challenge Dara. We, genies, fulfill the wishes of those who wish.”

 

“Me, wishing? So that I’d look even more stupid, dumb, ignorant, and ? Spit it out Jiyong. I have no plans falling to that stupid, dumb, ignorant, and trick of yours.” I’m getting furious about this. The time has stopped, we’re the last man standing here, and the end of the world is nearing, what more could possibly go wrong?

 

He exhaled loudly and said, “Stop overthinking Dara. How could a genie perform his obligation if this person in front of me isn’t wishing? Genies are meant to fulfill an audible wish and not to read your mind’s wish.”

 

“How could I overthink when I’m stupid, dumb, ignorant, and , huh?” I scowled at him. Can he not grasp that I have no plans to fall for his tick? Aisshhht. Who’s stupid, dumb, ignorant, and now, huh?!

 

Raising his hands as if in defeat and said, “Okay, sorry. You ARE NOT stupid, dumb, ignorant, and . Wish now or the genie in me can’t take your challenge.”

 

“Apology DENIED. Mr. Jiyong, I can see the inner you, you know. I won’t fall for his trick. And you, a genie? Oh come on. I know the world will end any minute now – if there’s a minute.” Double crapping me, ey? Challenged accepted.

 

“Dara, I’m a genie. Did you not watch the cartoon Aladin? I’m recommending that to you. You should know what Aladin did for Genie to fulfill something.” He said sighing.

 

“Mr. Jiyong, you’re in no place to tell me that. For your information, that Disney Movie is my favorite next to my most favorite Disney Movie,” I said crossing my arms and giving him deadly stares then added, “YOU are the one who’s supposed to be watching that, just so you know.”

 

“Just so you know, I’m not asking if it’s your favorite or not. I was recommending it to you if you haven’t watched it. And again, I am recommending you to watch it AGAIN.” He as well is now folding his arms and eyeing me. Copy cat.

 

“I’m glad to watch it again. To be honest, it has been playing in my mind the moment you mentioned the word Aladin and –” I was cut off because he pointed his pointed fingers on my forehead. “WISH.NOW.” He said glaring at me.

 

Uh-oh. Should I just give up or take on the challenge? “Ya! Stop overthinking!”

 

Sighing, I gave up and defeatedly said, “Hand it to me.”

 

“Hand it to you, what?” he asked confusingly.

 

“Ah-ha! I knew it. I won! Boo yeah!” I said while circling him around while jump-skipping. “Admit it Jiyong, you’re nowhere near being a genie. You’re just a quack like quack doctors.” Who’s stupid now, huh? Obviously, I was asking for the lamp.

 

Who needs to watch the Aladin now, huh? Of course I’ve watched it SEVERAL times so I know what a genie looks like and have. This quack genie in front of me surely is failing the part wherein he has to hand me the lamp and be blue or red or anything that is not humanly colored.

 

“That’s it. You called me a magician – which is an insult to our kind, and now you’re calling me a quack. What’s next?” he asked raising his brow then sighed and continued blabbering, “Me being the blue, fat whale-looking creature, and the me coming from a stupid lamp? Just so you know, we, genies are nowhere near being a whale and living in a stupid lamp.” He said as a matter-of-factly

 

I gasped. Oh my, he knows what I’m talking about. Bowing my head so he can’t see the defeat in my face, I said, “nope, that’s not it. I was just hoping you’d at least float.”

 

“You should have told me sooner. That’s so easy,” he said while floating.

 

The me here is looking at him at a no-awe-faced at all. I’m not surprised at all. With a smirk on my face, I told him, “heh! I knew the world would end soon.”

 

Swimming through the air, he stopped and looked at me confusingly. “Huh?”

 

“Don’t worry Jiyong. I could also do in a minute or so before the world ends. It will not only be you who’s going to defy Newton’s Law of Gravity.” I said confidently at him.

 

Walking through the air towards me, he shoved his hands in his pocket and looked straight at me then said, “if it’s comes to this. Then I shall DEFY the rules in our world.” Afterwhich, he cocked his head on my forehead then continued saying, “What do others have that you don’t. Say something and I’d gladly offer it to you?” Uh-oh. He looks so serious.

 

Waiting for my reply, he moved 2 steps backward still his hands in his pockets then began looking at me from head to toe, from toe to head, and do it over again. Huh? What’s he up to this time?

 

Folding my arms in front of me and raising my brow, “what is it this time?”

 

Then a smirk formed on his lips, not just wide but way too wide – CREEP – and said, “I know now. I’m offering something that shouldn’t be done while the person isn’t even wishing something.”

 

I rolled my eyes, “You’re way better compared to a genius. And thank you for you’re generous offer.”

 

“Why thank you Dara. That is so blunt of you,” he said as he was raising his left arm.

 

Suddenly, he.. he.. “Ya! What’s wrong with you?!” I removed his hand.

 

“Nothing’s wrong. I just noticed there’s something wrong with it.”

 

“Something wrong?! Something wrong?! I see nothing about it,” I said angrily at him. He was obviously teasing me.

 

“That’s why I said there’s something wrong,” he continued teasing me then said straightforwardly, “There’s nothing. So obviously, something’s wrong.”

 

I was about to punch him but he flew in the air. “Ya! Come back here! Wait ‘til the world ends and I’ll be giving you a flying kick.”

 

“hahahaha! Want me to do something about it? Wait, I’ll just do it so you’ll realize that it’s wrong to mess with a genie.”

 

I immediately covered my chest to protect it against from his horrifying plan, “STOP.IT.” I gritted my teeth to reiterate those words.