DAY FIFTEEN

Yeojin found herself having a pretty good time at the party.

Haseul had invited her out for the weekend, so she could see how the wizarding world operated when there wasn’t a total bully in charge of things. Yeojin had been unsure at first, but the truth was that she trusted Haseul implicitly.

A light, jazzy tune filled the large living room that took up most of the ground floor of Haseul’s house. There were at least two dozen people from all over Haseul’s neighborhood all hanging out and enjoying the free food. Haseul’s mom, a dark haired woman who didn’t look a day over thirty-five, was chatting up the guests. Yeojin sat in a corner and drank butterbeer, waiting for an opportunity to socialize.

The opportunity presented itself in the form of a boy around her age. He plopped down in the chair next to her and entwined his fingers behind his head in a highly exaggerated motion. Yeojin raised an eyebrow. “Hi?”

“Hello there! You look lonely in this corner. Mind if I join you?”

Yeojin looked around. Surely this was a prank?

“Um, actually--”

The boy cut her off and continued talking. “Great! My name’s Martin, so cool to see someone my own age around here!”  Yeojin winced as the boy’s voice elevated in pitch until it cracked midway through the last word. He seemed to lack any sense of self-awareness.

“Yeah, nice to meet you, Martin. I’m Yeojin.” Yeojin did her best to sound polite, despite the boy’s rudeness. That’s what her parents had taught her, after all. Yeojin looked around for any sign of Haseul, but the older girl seemed to have disappeared. “I’m waiting for my friend right now.” Martin nodded eagerly, his dark green eyes sparkling. “Oh, that’s cool. I can be your friend in the meantime!”

Yeojin pushed her eyebrows together. Why was this guy bothering her like this? Couldn’t he see she wanted nothing to do with him?

“Well, okay.” She relented and gave him the opportunity to speak. He took it without pause. “Great, so what do you like to do?”

Yeojin groaned internally. What kind of a question was that? It was so vague that she could answer almost anything and still be participating. Did he want a specific answer?

“I like dancing, I guess.” It was true, though she had to admit she wasn’t very good at it yet. She’d picked it up during her stay at Hogwarts and had been steadily practicing it ever since. Her dad clapped the first time she had danced for him and her mom.

Martin’s lips formed a small ‘o’ of surprise. He leapt to his feet and held his hand out. “Oh, well then we have to dance! It’s a party!”

Yeojin shook her head. She wasn’t confident enough to show off in front of so many other people. “You can dance. I’ll stay right here.”

He frowned, and his posture went from inviting to menacing in one swift move of the shoulders. “Hey, I thought we were friends? Don’t you want to make me happy?” His voice was sharp and accusing. Yeojin felt a burst of indignation explode in her chest, but she buried it and stood up. If he wanted to dance, so what? It’s not like it would kill her.

She got to her feet and was almost immediately swept up into his arms. She tried to protest, but all that escaped her lips was a truncated squeak. The boy smiled mischievously and spun both of them onto the dance floor. The unseen speakers were blaring something with a rapid beat and a dizzying guitar riff. The boy spun her away from him and into the center of the floor, where she whirled like a top. While she was trying to regain her bearings, the boy closed in on her and pulled her into his arms. I don’t like this.

“Hey, can we stop? I’m not feeling very well. Haseul is looking for me--”

“Well, I’m feeling great. Let’s keep going!”

He forcefully took ahold of Yeojin’s wrists and began tilting her up and down. Yeojin felt like she was about to vomit. She managed to hold it down long enough for the song to finish. Martin looked disappointed. She only felt relieved. Yeojin made her way out the back of the house. She had to get some fresh air. Martin followed her. Yeojin groaned in frustation. Couldn’t this guy take a hint?

“Wait a second! You said Haseul, right? Isn’t that the daughter of the lady that owns this place? Oh my gosh, she’s so pretty! Is she your sister? You look just like her. Just as pretty.” Yeojin blushed and turned her head away. She was pretty sure this guy was either a total jerk or just too dumb to realize he was making her uncomfortable.

He made her even more uncomfortable when he leaned in, placing both hands on the wall to either side of her head. She was trapped against the brick wall. He was looking at her strangely. She didn’t like this. She didn’t like any of it. “Um….”

He leaned in close, so close that their faces were mere centimeters apart. “I want to kiss you.”

Yeojin shook her head furiously. She really didn’t want anything to do with him. Also, kissing was gross and unsanitary. “No. Let me get out of here, please.”

As always, Martin refused to listen. He leaned forward until their lips were touching. Yeojin squeezed her eyes shut and squirmed as he forced her into a kiss. His lips were gross, and his breath smelled of garlic. Yeojin tried pushing him off, but her tiny arms were too weak  to muster up enough force.

So, she did the only thing that she could. She stomped on his foot. The boy yelled and hollered as he pulled away from Yeojin. He screamed at her, “You little mudblood bit--” He stopped suddenly. But there was something wrong with his voice. It was far too soft and high-pitched.

Yeojin opened her eyes and gasped when she realized what she was looking at. Martin was a girl! His hair was long and curly and ultra-feminine, hanging over a bright pink dress. He looked completely different. Martin looked down at himself in horror. “What did you just do to me?!” he squeaked.

“She didn’t do it to you. I did.” Haseul stepped from around the corner, wand in hand. Yeojin was sure that if the tip of the wand had been smoking, Haseul would have blown it away before reholstering it. Yeojin sighed in relief, her shoulders sagging.

Martin gasped. He looked absolutely terrified. Yeojin felt a little bad for the boy. “Haseul? But I was just--”

“You were just cornering my friend and forcing her into a kiss she didn’t want. You should always ask before you do things like that. And no means no, got it?”

Martin nodded, eyes wide and brimmed with tears. “Yes, I understand! Can you turn me back now? This is really uncomfortable.”

Haseul crossed her arms over her chest. “Well, then you know how Yeojin felt. Run along now.”

“B-but…” Tears dripped down his face. Haseul stepped forward menacingly, wand in hand. The boy screamed and ran away wailing. Haseul waited until he was out of sight before she burst into laughter.

Yeojin raised an eyebrow.

“What? Didn’t you see his face? He was so freaked out!”

Yeojin raised both palms to the air.

“Aren’t you going to change him back?”

Haseul quirked an eyebrow in her direction. “What he did was wrong. He deserves a little bit of a scare. And no, I’m not evil. The spell will wear off in about two days. Actually, it might be a week. It’s been so long since I used it last, I can’t remember.”

Yeojin nodded. She was trying her best to keep the smile off of her face, and she was failing. She had to admit, it was pretty funny watching the tables turn on that jerk. Finally, she couldn’t hold it back any longer, and a full-on giggle broke free from her lips.

“Oh god, his hair!”

Haseul wrapped an arm around Yeojin and the two of them laughed all the way into the house.