Divination

Wonwoo cuddled a mass of gold and black fluff, just as big as himself. Dogs scared Wonwoo, with the notable exception of this one. The boy and his canine companion laid on the game room floor, hand caressing fur, the ways he would never do with any other dog.

Huge, black eyes stared back at Wonwoo.

“You know, I really wish I could be a dog, too,” he said to the Labrador-Saint-Bernese-mix. “Even if I can’t get any other kind of magic, at least that would be nice.”

Always trying to wear as much black as his otherwise pink uniform allowed, the boy brushed a few stray animal hairs from his jacket where they were clumping up. The dog growled softly and put his head down into Wonwoo’s lap.

“I don’t know if I should tell you this,” whispered the boy, more to himself than his furry friend, “but I could really use some advice. You see, a little while ago I noticed that… well, I’ve always been friends with…- um, but now I’ve realized that my feelings go beyond that.”

Slowly the long hairs of the animal’s coat, Wonwoo’s voice grew heavy. “It’s obvious he’s too good for me. I’m just a mundane and not a very interesting one at that. Half the time I feel like I don’t belong here. He’s never given me that feeling though. He was always so kind. That’s just how he is.”

Neither cuddle-buddy moved for a while. The comfortable silence making both sleepy. After a minute the boy could swallow the lump in his throat and continued. “There’s not much I can do. So I’ll just try to get over him. Anyway, I’m sure you have homework to do, and so do I, so I’ll leave you with that. Thanks for listening, Minghao. You’re a great friend.”

The heap of fur shifted back into human form as Wonwoo got up.

“Hey,” said the Chinese boy, “wanna play fetch?”

“Didn’t you- I just said I have homework.”

Minghao turned his head to the side in a decidedly canine fashion, tugging at his white sweater. “I can’t understand human speech when I’m shape shifted. Why, did you say anything important?”

“Um, no. Nothing. Thanks anyway. Let’s play fetch later. Bye.”

*********************

Mingyu’s head poked through the crack he had opened for himself, not daring to move the door farther into the room. The floor was littered with paper and he didn’t want to risk tearing or crumpling any of it.

In the center of the room, Hansol in his white second year uniform was sprawling on the bed scribbling yet another verse into one of the many notebooks he was surrounded by.

“Oh, Mingyu! Need anything?” The gold-chain-and-snap-back wearing boy gestured vaguely at the mess his poetic skills had turned the floor into.  “If it’s about something I borrowed, it may take a while to find it.”

“Nope, just here to ask if you’ve seen the Woozler. Is it save to enter his lair?”

Hansol chuckled. “I’ve brought him food. He got less sleep than usual but his mood was peachy.”

“Jihoon in good mood? That’s hard to believe.”

“Some rare herb has started blooming. He’s enlisted Seokmin to help harvest. Better ask the man what you need to know before he’s too busy brewing again.”

*********************

Timidly knocking at the potion’s lab, Mingyu waited for a response that never came. The room was pretty small. There was no way Jihoon hadn’t heard him.

With a deep breath he gripped the handle… and entered.

“Hello Woozles… no, I mean Jihoon. I’ll be gone in a second, I just nee-“

The pink haired boy in a jumpsuit was sitting at his desk amidst walls of overflowing shelves, harboring all manner of plant life, and bubbling cauldrons. The desk’s table cloth moved slightly were he sat.

Jihoon whipped his head around with a startled expression. “Oh, hey. What a surprise.”

Before the tall boy could advance, Seokmin climbed out from under the desk, just where Jihoon was sitting.

Now Mingyu was the startled one. What had he been doing under there? Had they…? Could it be that…? Jihoon and Seokmin? In here the whole time and no one suspected that they…?

“I-I’m so sorry,” stuttered the blushing Mingyu, “I should have knocked harder, I didn’t want to barge in you two two while… um, not that it’s any of my business and-“

Jihoon’s looked at the much taller boy as if he was looking at an idiot.

“Barge in on what?”

How could he be so nonchalant about this? Mingyu could barely force himself to make eye contact.

The pixie haired boy turned back to his table. “And close the door, the light levels and moisture in here require a careful balance. Also if you’re already here, you might as well join Seokmin.”

The broadly smiling boy from under the table gestured at the desk. “Come on, Mingyu. It’s fun, I’ll show you what to do.”

The school’s tallest wizard was flabbergasted. Not only were the boys unconcerned he had discovered their dirty secret, they wanted him to join.

“L-look, I never meant to-“

Jihoon groaned. “Will you stop sputtering nonsense? If you’re not here to help us harvest, you might as well state your business and leave.”

“Harvest?”

“Yes. This herb only grows in total darkness, that’s why I put it under the table. What did you think Seokmin was doing down there.”

Mingyu swallowed hard. “Nothing! Absolutely nothing! I didn’t think anything. Why would I think? You know me, I never think.”

“Too true,” Jihoon said with a chuckle.

“Aww,” cooed Seokmin, “don’t be so hard on yourself. Well then, see you.”

The always smiling boy vanished back under the table, to pluck more of whatever potion master Jihoon was growing there.

Mingyu shook his head to clear his mind of those terrible thoughts.

“Alright, I’ll make it quick. Please don’t ask any questions but I need to know if there’s such a thing as a love potion.”

Slowly spinning in his chair, Jihoon looked over the shelves of herbs and phials. “You need to know that for an assignment? I don’t remember getting one like that. Do you, Seokmin? No? Oh, right you’re not a wizard.”

With all of their dorm’s third years in one room, Mingyu couldn’t make them think his intent was purely educational. They knew the curriculum as well as he did.

“No,” said Mingyu, by now so embarrassed, he wished he was short enough to hide behind something. “I want to know for myself. Please don’t ask, just tell me.”

“Fine, I’m telling you there is no such thing. Not that I know.”

Jihoon spend all his time holed up in this very room. He was obsessed with creating magical concoctions and often didn’t see daylight for a week or two. Many mixtures required constant attention and care, but took over 24 hours to craft. Usually, multiple wizards were supposed to work on one potion alternatingly, but Jihoon insisted he could live without sleep.

Mingyu let his shoulders droop, about to slouch out of the room. If Jihoon didn’t know of a love potion, it certainly didn’t exist.

“…However,” the tiny herbalist said slowly, “now that I think about it. There is a potion that I might be able to alter for the desired effect. It won’t make that person love you - it just doesn’t work like that - but it will make them like you a lot more.”

“Please!” Mingyu yelled without thinking. Jihoon might make him beg for a while but just the thought of Wonwoo seeking his presence more often made any humiliation worth it.

To his surprise the potion brewer answered without hesitation or demanding compensation. His mood had to be exceptional.

“The formula you need is for the heart mending potion. Its main ingredient is chicken. The rest I forgot. Jisoo knows more about it then I do.”

**********************************

His legs crossed on the kitchen table, Jisoo removed a broken string from his guitar. Soonyoung and Seungkwan were attempting to make a pot of noodles big enough to feed the whole dorm.

“You’re not saying it right,” complained Seungkwan to the blonde boy, putting as much dramatic emphasis into his voice as possible to underscore his increasingly unquenched hunger.

“How would you know?” Soonyoung countered, “You’re not a wizard. It would work if you wouldn’t interrupt my incantations every five seconds.”

“I’m hungry. If we had the oven, the water would be boiling by now.”

“No, this is faster, now let me cast.”

“No, just use the oven!”

“Casting!”

“Oven!”

The boys struggled loudly as Seungkwan tried to wrestle the silver wand out of his hyung’s hand, the boys a flurry of white and pink.

Jisoo strapped a new string into his instrument just as Mingyu entered.

The tall boy ignored the tussle at the stove and went straight to his last hope, with his head hanging.

“Hyung? I owe you an apology. I didn’t take you seriously and for that I’m very sorry. But I’ve you would still help me, I’d be grateful.”

Jisoo looked back and forth between his guitar and the remorseful wizard, calibrating the string. “You’ve made a wise decision, my friend. I can’t be mad at you. Now, still interested in my recipe?”

“Of course. That’s why I’m here.”

Sparks illuminated the room as Seungkwan hit the wand against the pot. “Make the water hot. Work already you piece of…” he side-eyed Jisoo, “wood.”

“Stop!” cried Soonyoung, “You’ll break it. Give it back, you can’t use it anyway.”

Two pairs of hands pulled on the wand which sent sparks like a roman candle all over the room. The fighting boys dropped the wizard tool and took cover behind a table, while Mingyu jumped into the alcove between two cupboards. Tiny fireballs swirled across the place.

Jisoo casually opened the window beside him, anticipating the stench of ozone that stray magic produced.

“See what you’ve done you silly boy,” yelled Soonyoung.

But Seungkwan only had eyes for the soon-to-be-pasta-vessel. “Look, it worked, it’s boiling.”

Their hunger far out-prioritizing their ephemeral animosity, both boys jumped up and grabbed a noodle package each. Dumping the content into the bubbling water, they silently forgave all that was said and done.

Mingyu waited until Soonyoung safely tucked away his wand before reentering Jisoo’s reach. “Do you think you can find the recipe again by evening? I’d like to start-“

Jisoo pulled a neatly folded piece of paper from his back pocket. “Knew you’d come back to hyung.”

Half expecting the formula for a hearty broth, Mingyu unfolded the paper and glanced over the ingredients. Those were not things Jihoon had in store. Those he’d have to get himself. But first he had to ask the grumpy pixie for the alterations.

“Thank you, Jisoo. You’ve helped me greatly. If anyone needs me, I’ll be at the supermarket, buying chicken.”

Newly tuned guitar sounds accompanied the boy as he left Jisoo and the cooks, who had found a new reason to argue.