Chapter VIII

“GOOD MORNING, LOVER BOY!”

“AAAAAAAAHHH!”

As soon as Jongin opened to the door to his house, wondering who in the world would be ringing the doorbell at five in the morning, he let out a high-pitched screech because Sehun was standing there; wings and sparkles intact.

“You scared the sweet potatoes out of me! I thought I saw some kind of mutated mosquito! Can’t you hide your wings like the other day we met?”

“You broke my wand, remember? I can’t disguise myself. I have the ability to hide my wings and sparkles, but it consumes a lot of my energy, so I’m only going to use it when we stalk Luhan.”

“Ok… so why are you at my house already? School doesn’t start for another two hours. Actually, how do you even know where I live?”

“Followed you home yesterday.”

“Creeper.”

“I’m here to live with you! Isn’t that exciting?”

“NO. DON’T COME IN HERE. NO—SEHUN! GET OUT! SEEEHUUUUN!”

“So where did you live before?”

“Some apartment across town. I could still be living there actually, but my Earthly currency is limited so freeloading off of you saves me the expense. Sorry I came early though, just thought the sooner the better.”

“Oh…”

Sehun and Jongin were quietly eating cereal at the dining table. As much as Jongin tried to push Sehun out, the fairy was dang stubborn. There really wasn’t anything he could do.

“So um… let’s discuss this homework of yours? I am quite curious why you’re stalking Luhan.”

“He was the guy I was assigned to. I’m here in the human world for my Human Observations class. Each fairy was assigned to a human, and we would have to list down their reactions on various stimuli.”

“Question: why did you disguise yourself as a girl, instead of a normal human boy?”

“Because the so-called ‘fangirls’ are normal here, are they not? So being a girl would allow me to get close without arousing suspicion. But anyways, here’s my dilemma: whenever I follow him around, all he ever does is smile. Like seriously! I’ve stalked him everywhere, except the restrooms of course, and he was always happy.

A kid bumped into him, but he smiled.

His books fell on his foot, but he smiled.

Someone accidentally spilled milk on his bag, but he still freakin’ smiled.

Obviously, I’m not getting anything done on my checklist.”

“He must be a really optimistic guy. What other reactions do you need to see?”

“Hmmm… there’s him in pain, in sadness, in shock, weirded-out, boredom, embarrassment, and the list goes on. I need you to be the person to generate all these reactions from him.”

“How would I know what to do?”

“Don’t worry; just follow whatever I say.”

REACTION 1 [Pain]

“Ok,” Sehun began. “Smiling and laughing are two reactions I’ve already covered, both related to happiness. Now, we have to see his face contort in pain. I’m guessing he didn’t feel hurt when the books fell on his feet because those were probably light. If I’m not mistaken, he’ll be coming around this hallway in ten minutes for his next class. Casually stick your foot out and trip him. If that doesn’t work, find another way to cause him pain. I’ll be at the corner, acting like an innocent bystander.”

Jongin frowned. “I don’t know… Luhan never did anything bad to me. Tripping him is kind of rude.”

“Do you want Kyungsoo or not?”

“…”

Soon Luhan had arrived at the hallway, and Jongin was whistling nonchalantly as he stuck his foot out and tripped Luhan. Unfortunately, the boy only expressed pain in a matter of seconds that neither Sehun nor Jongin caught it.

“I’m so sorry,” Jongin apologized.

“No problem! It didn’t hurt so much, really” was Luhan’s enthusiastic reply, accompanied by a bright smile.

Merrily, the Chinese male went on his way. Jongin bit his lip. This seems harder than I thought it would be.

In the span of three days, Jongin had managed to trip Luhan more than six times, ‘accidentally’ slammed doors at his face, stepped on his foot, flicked a spoon at his eye, hit him with spit balls and pushed him down the hallway with a wet floor. But the guy kept on smiling! Jongin was starting to get irritated; he briefly contemplated pushing Luhan down the staircase. He didn’t pursue that of course, since it was too violent and Sehun was laughing his head off at Jongin. Finally, the tanned male reached success due to a mere accident. He saw a soccer ball at the field, and decided to take out his irritation on the ball. Jongin kicked it pretty hard, and by chance Luhan passed by and got hit right at the face. Needless to say, the boy was knocked down; lips trembling, a bruise on his cheek, and a tear rolling down as whimpers escaped. Sehun gave Jongin a thumbs up and started to scribble down notes, all the while taking a few pictures of Luhan’s pained expression. Jongin internally shouted for joy, but when everything sunk in, he immediately regretted what he had done. He visited Luhan at the nurse’s clinic, and apologized; bringing with him a can of soda as a peace offering. Luhan laughed at the silly boy, and waved him off, saying it was no big deal. Accidents happen.

“Thank goodness we got that over with, I’m hoping no more pain-related items are in your checklist,” Jongin said to Sehun as they were walking back home.

“Don’t worry, you actually did a good job. You covered both pain and sadness in that one accident. Next up, shock!”

REACTION 2 [Shock]

“I don’t like this…”

“But you like Kyungsoo.”

“When are you going to stop using that against me?”

“I don’t know. Now go out there, and make me proud!”

Jongin, in all his Star-Wars-Darth-Vader glory, entered Luhan’s classroom during lunch hour, wielding a toy light saber. It’s a good thing Jongin was rich or he wouldn’t be able to afford this stuff.

Everyone’s jaw dropped, but Luhan was too busy eating and chatting away with a friend to notice “Darth Vader” walking towards him. Once in front of the Chinese, Jongin coughed to catch his attention. Luhan turned his head, and his eyes grew wide at the sight.

“Luke, I am your father.”     

Luhan’s jaw dropped. Sehun caught it all on camera.

REACTION 3 [Weirded-out]

“That wish candy better be worth all this.”

“Go on my little one, be free! Fly off the coop!”

“Shut up!”

Jongin didn’t know where Sehun got Luhan’s address, but here the tanned male was on an early Saturday morning in a chicken costume holding his ipod and a speaker. He knocked at the door of the apartment, and a Luhan in pajamas came out, utterly confused because Just what?

Jongin placed the speaker and ipod down after choosing a playlist.

Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO

Shake it Off by Tailor Swift

All about that Bass by Meghan Trainor

Wolf by EXO

No Mercy by BAP

MAMACITA by Super Junior

The chicken proceeded to shuffle in place, and did other dance moves for each song. Why in the world a chicken was dancing in front of his door, Luhan didn’t know. He watched silently, eyes wide, lips in a straight line and eye twitching every once in a while. Apparently, the chicken was running out of dance moves and settled on jumping jacks, push ups and pretending to be a mime. Luhan mumbled a “maybe I’m still dreaming” and slammed the door close, with a click of the lock.

REACTION 4 [Boredom]

This was going to be a tricky one, but leave it to Sehun to figure something out. Luhan took soccer very seriously, as it seemed, and was in charge of the soccer try-outs. Sehun made Jongin attend, but instead of showing skills in soccer (which Jongin had none), he juggled (which he was surprisingly good at). Everyone laughed at him, thinking it weird he came to the soccer try-outs juggling. Everyone except Luhan.

The Chinese didn’t just look bored, but he was piercing Jongin with a judging stare that made the tanned male uncomfortable.

“Are you done with your sick joke?” came Luhan’s harsh tone, which made the other students flinch, and Jongin drop all the balls he was juggling.

“Y-yes sir.”

Luhan proceeded on a one-hour sermon about the importance and beauty of soccer, and Jongin reminded himself never to get on this guy’s bad side ever again.

REACTION 5 [Embarrassment]

Luhan’s birthday soon came, and girls were flocking to him like flies to a light bulb. Jongin fidgeted nervously as he held a bouquet of roses.

“I will kill you, Sehun. I will kill you.”

“I’m pretty sure if you kill me, there will be no Kyungsoo for you.”

After gulping for the nth time, Jongin managed to swallow his pride and walk in the classroom. He approached Luhan’s seat and gave the male the flowers. Then he kneeled on one knee, and took out a piece of paper from his pocket.

"I love thee, as I love the calm
    Of sweet, star-lighted hours!
I love thee, as I love the balm
    Of early jes'mine flow'rs.
I love thee, as I love the last
    Rich smile of fading day,
Which lingereth, like the look we cast,
    On rapture pass'd away.
I love thee as I love the tone
    Of some soft-breathing flute
Whose soul is wak'd for me alone,
    When all beside is mute..."

Jongin kept on going, as Luhan’s cheeks heated up quickly in embarrassment. The people in the classroom took out their phones to record everything. It was a hit in Youtube within a few hours, and during dismissal, Luhan called Jongin out to reject him because he wasn’t gay.

“YES! We finished it all!” Sehun shouted out with glee.

“Great… because I don’t think my reputation could get any worse,” Jongin replied.

The tanned male and the fairy were sprawled on the living room floor, eating from a huge bowl of popcorn while watching television. Sehun’s assignment was completed. He and Jongin caught all the reactions needed from Luhan, and Sehun finished the necessary paperwork.

“I really owe you big time, Kim Jongin. But then again, you broke my wand so I guess we’re even. Admittedly though, I don’t think I could’ve been successful just doing things on my own… So I guess what I’m trying to say is… thank you. For everything.”

Hearing someone thank him, Jongin couldn’t help but smile. It’s been a while, he thought, since anyone had ever spent this much time with him. A real person who had lived with him, and although was a total jerk and nagger, was still company all the same. Sehun may have made Jongin act like a fool, but still, this was the most attention he had ever gotten since Kyungsoo’s absence.

“Would you look at that, you actually know how to smile.”

“Just give me my wish candy, fairy boy.”

Sehun snickered and sat up. He reached into his pocket and handed Jongin the wish candy. The tanned male sat up as well, unwrapping the sweet glowing treat. He ate it and soon it melted in his mouth. Sehun took out the Wish Index, and had it scan Jongin with a familiar blue light. It started beeping.

“Ok. The wish candy analysis has been processed. Wish granted,” Sehun smiled. “Looks like Kyungsoo’s not so imaginary after all.”

Jongin bit his lip. He could hardly contain the excitement. “W-well, nothing’s happening. W-where is he?”

Sehun chuckled. “You won’t see him yet, silly. All wishes take time for the fairy headquarters to cater to each one. You have no idea how many wishes there are in a day; what’s important is that you know it’s granted. I’m guessing you’ll see your Kyungsoo sometime this week.”

Jongin calmed down a bit after hearing that, but he could still hear his heart beating; pulsating at the thought of Kyungsoo.

“Finally… after all these years, my prayers are answered…” Jongin’s eyes were getting teary, but he held them back. He’ll cry when he gets to hold a short boy with wide eyes and welcoming warmth. “A real friend to love me.”

“I guess you have two friends now.”

Jongin looked at Sehun in confusion. “Two?”

“Yeah. I’m your friend too, aren’t I?”

Jongin’s jaw went slack. “R-really? You call me your friend?”

“I actually much prefer the term ‘my minion’ or something like ‘my slave,’ but I’ll be nice and call you my friend,” Sehun laughed.

Jongin tackled the fairy down with a really tight hug. “Thanks Sehun…”

“Don’t mention it. Now, tell me about yourself. I never did get to know you.”

“But don’t you have that Wish Index of yours? Shouldn’t you already know a lot about me?”

“It only gives me people’s wishes and a brief background as to why they made the wish. It doesn’t give me a biodata, hahaha.”

“So… you want to know why I was lonely?”

“Yeah. If you’re willing to share.”

“Thank you. I would love to.”

The night was spent exchanging stories. Jongin shared to Sehun about his childhood, about Kyungsoo, and about how he never got the love he yearned for. The fairy patted the guy at the back, concern on his face, and reassured him that things would be different now. Sehun shared about the fairy world too. As it turns out, rainbow-colored hair was normal there and it was true that fairies used pixie dust. Magic wands were composed of pixie dust, which is what gave it the power to grant wishes. Pixie dust came from a lake in the fairy world, flowing abundantly; produced by hope, love and happiness coming from the human world.

“Whenever your wishes come true, it’s actually us who are behind it.”

Sehun continued to discuss how each wish was registered in all Wish Indexes and the fairy headquarters’ main computer. They proceed to locate each person and grant the wishes; whether through the use of wands, or by hiding wish candies among normal looking ones. Each wish was granted in the most natural way possible, making it seem that there was no magic involved.

When fairies graduate, they will be given their honorary wands—much sturdier than apprentice wands, and held more pixie dust. Also by that time, the ability to hide wings and sparkles would come naturally and take no energy at all. Graduated fairies were free to roam around the Earth as long as they wanted to, should they choose the profession of being undercover fairies. Some of them even had families with humans already. You wouldn’t know since their wings and sparkles are hidden. Fairies could be everywhere, right under your nose.

As Sehun continued, Jongin couldn’t help but smile. Not only because a new world was opened to him, but because a new friend was given to him as well.

***

Author's note:

One last chapter to go guys~ Thanks again for staying with me :D

P.S. the poem's title is "I Love Thee" by Eliza Acton.