“Aren’t you a little old to be going to the circus?”

Jonghyun peered over the edge of his couch, where he was loungin. The laptop perched on his stomach wobbled dangerously and he put a hand on it to keep it from falling. In the hallway stood his sister Sodam, looking down at a colorful ticket in her hand. Jonghyun had bought it earlier that day when he had taken a break from studying to go for a walk and get an ice cream. On his way back he had passed a booth from where a short, round, funny-looking man had called him over and convinced him to buy it. It was for the circus that had arrived a few days ago and taken up residence in the Dome; a theatre building standing proud on a cliff out in the water.

“Aren’t you a little rude entering without ringing the doorbell?” Jonghyun answered his sister, eyebrows raised. She grinned at him. “Besides, I heard the circus is an experience for everyone regardless of age. It’s magical apparently.”

Clearly skeptical, Sodam raised her eyebrows and he shrugged, his eyes moving back to his laptop. His last paper for the semester was waiting for its final sentences to be completed. He had been staring at it for half an hour but, still, nothing came to him.

“Also, I don’t really have anything better to do,” he said absentmindedly, erasing a word he thought wasn’t needed. “I’m free once I finish this and all my friends are out of town.”

“Anyway,” Sodam said and held up a plastic bag, shaking it a little, “mom told me to bring you a piece of her strawberry pie.”

Jonghyun perked up at once, eyes shining, and she laughed as she toed off her shoes. Depositing the laptop on the coffee table, he pushed off the couch and followed her into his tiny kitchen. He watched eagerly as she put a small, plastic box on the counter and opened it, letting the smell of freshly baked pie fill the room.

“Thank you! I love you noona!” Jonghyun said happily as he took out a fork and stuffed his face.

Sodam laughed again, though her nose was wrinkled.

“You know, mom was the one who made it.” She narrowed her eyes. “And I heard that you haven’t called her in a month. What’s with that?”

Jonghyun stopped chewing, lowering his fork.

“Shorry,” he said through a mouthful of pie. “Ah wash tho bushy wih shool.”

Looking mildly disgusted, Sodam grabbed her own fork.

“Swallow before you talk,” she admonished and took a piece of the pie.

Jonghyun pulled an ugly grimace at her, which earned him a smack to the head. Then Sodam sighed, took a last bite, and put her fork in the sink.

“I have to go, I just did mom the favour of coming out here to check up on you.” She made her way back to the hallway. “My boyfriend is taking me to dinner and I’m about to be late.”

Jonghyun waved his hand absentmindedly, still concentrating on the pie that was almost finished. She sighed again.

“Call mom, will you?” she called as she put on her shoes.

“Yeah, yeah,” Jonghyun mumbled around the last piece and threw a glance at the clock. “I’ll do it tomorrow, I need to leave for the circus in an hour.”

Sodam rolled her eyes and opened the door.

“You really should grow up a little.”

“Don’t wanna!” Jonghyun said defiantly and stuck out his tongue.

She laughed before waving and closing the door behind her. Jonghyun shovelled the last of the pie in his mouth and threw the used fork and plastic box in the sink. Then he heaved a sigh and trudged back to the living room where he sank down onto the couch again, finishing the last part of his essay. His chest felt a little lighter as he attached the final product of his arduous labour in a mail to his professor and pressed send. Closing his laptop with a resolute ‘click’, he stood and stretched before making his way to the bathroom for a well-needed shower.

Jonghyun was what one would consider a normal young man, whatever normal meant. He was in his second year of university, open program since he still couldn’t decide what he wanted to do in the future. He had enough friends to never feel lonely, had had two girlfriends during high school, and his family was made up of the standard dad-mom-daughter-son-format. When he was accepted to the university close by, he had moved to this small, seaside town where the air always carried the salt from the sea, where the waves crashing against the cliffs was the background music wherever you went, and the houses clung onto the cliffs and hills for dear life. After finding a small apartment in a tiny building at the center of town, he left his family home in the town just twenty minutes down the highway to begin his life as a student.

And he loved it. He loved the way the small seaside town was more like a big village where everyone at least recognised each other if they didn’t know one another. He loved the smell of the sea that would come in with the breeze as he opened his window and how it never really became cold, even in the winter. He loved that the main means of transport was by bicycle or tram and that you could tour the entire town by foot in about an hour and a half. All in all, it was Jonghyun’s haven.

Humming to himself, he smiled at his reflection as he fixed his hair in the mirror.

The most exciting part however, was that now a circus had mysteriously appeared in town. It looked more professional than any circus he had ever seen, but that might have been because this particular group wasn’t set up in a colourful tent out in some field with caravans upon caravans behind it. This group of people had bought the large, shiningly white theatre dome that was standing on the cliff furthest into the sea, only reachable by the bridge connecting it to the mainland. It was a modern building with glass walls surrounding the entrance hall, spanning the radius of  a little over half of the bottom floor. Polished white stone covered the rest of the building, and everything stood proudly on a round plateau artificially created just for the Dome. It had been abandoned for years as no theatre group had had enough money to use it, and there weren’t that many that travelled through town anyway.

But now, every night, there were lights shining in the lampposts lining the bridge and the entrance halls were dimly lit, radiating a welcoming and warm glow. People had been talking about it for days and tonight was the premiere show for the circus company that no one had seen or heard arrive.

Jonghyun was excited to say the least, his limbs jittery as he exited his apartment complex. People were buzzing about the streets, some greeting him warmly and others sending him a small nod. An electric anticipation hung in the air, energy humming in the spaces between the bodies in the crowd. Though the small seaside town was happy the way it was, it couldn’t be denied that everyone was looking forward to seeing the mystery of the circus unfold. It was as if they all knew something amazing, if not magical, was going to happen tonight and many nights to come.

Lanterns lit up the bridge leading to the Dome, fighting the fading light as the evening sky rolled out, and Jonghyun’s breath came quicker as he crossed. Families and couples surrounded him, chattering away. He heard a few calls of his name but something had him unable to tear his eyes away from the Dome. A strange feeling of foreboding twisted his stomach and had his heart beating in his chest like the wings of a hummingbird. It was almost as if he were pulled towards to the Dome and he could only follow, helpless. When his senses came back to him he found himself in his seat high up above, looking down at the round stage in the middle. It was surrounded by platforms of seats, almost mimicking the cliffs outside, and the stage seemed to shine in the dim light. It looked small from where he sat but he didn’t mind.

It wasn’t long until the lights dimmed even further and the buzz of the audience died out. Everyone held their breath and turned their gaze to the stage in anticipation.

“Ladies and Gentlemen! Children and adults!” A deep voice boomed dramatically through the air in the now pitch-black dome. “We welcome you to the first ever show of Cirque Fantasia!”

And then the show began.

A/N: Here's the prologue, guys! :D I felt a bit exited since I finished my other story and ended up writing this today, haha >_< Not much happened though :/ However, the next chapter has a bit more in it!

I hope you enjoyed it anyway! And I guess I'll see you next chapter! (whenever that is...)

Love!

Bye~!<3