Irene didn’t have a particularly boring life, but she didn’t have a spectacular one either. She’s been in med school in the US for two years, and lives with her girlfriend Seulgi. Irene didn’t really know when it happened, but she started losing passion for everything she once loved. Music, dancing, the sky, Seulgi… She didn’t necessarily want to end things with Seulgi. Other than the fact that Irene feels like everything is dull, their relationship is solid, and they take care of each other. From a realistic stand point, Irene doesn’t think she could pay rent by herself either. But when they kiss, she doesn’t feel that warm fuzz in her chest anymore, and when Seulgi smiles, the butterflies in her stomach stay dormant. Irene is worried she’s fallen out of love with her, but realizes she’s fallen out of love with everything. She tried journaling about it, hoping writing her thoughts down would help her figure out what is happening. If it was the stress of med school, and paying rent. Or if she was homesick. Or if maybe something more serious is going on in her mind. She even contemplated that she might be cursed. She couldn’t figure it out.

It’s finals week, and Irene just left her last test of the semester. She decided to take the summer off to try her hand at being a photographer. Her job at the local medical lab paid enough, but she was hoping to spark something inside her again. She missed feeling passionate.

On her walk home, she passes a building with a neon light blinking in the window: Fortune Teller. Painted on the window said “First reading is free.” Irene shrugs, thinking a little fortune telling never hurt anyone. Fortune telling could be seen as cheap therapy without the commitment, right? It’s weird though, Irene has made this walk hundreds of times, but never saw this fortune teller before. Maybe it’s new, she thinks to herself.

Irene walks inside, squinting her eyes as they adjust to the dark room. The lobby has three cushions on the floor for people to wait, but no one was there. A curtain blocked the view of the next room over, but it didn’t block the fog and incense smells coming from it. Irene has never been to a fortune teller before, so she just takes a seat, hoping the fortune teller will have seen her come in with her mind’s eye.

After about five minutes, a small woman walks into the lobby. She’s wearing mystic looking clothing, and lots of rings. She looks like a stereotypical fortune teller you see on TV, but unfortunately for Irene, this woman is far from ordinary. She looks Irene up and down. Then scoffs, “I can already tell why you’re here. Make it a little easy for me next time. I didn’t spend years studying the arcane arts, and honing my clairvoyance for you to show up with the answers written on your face practically in black marker.”

Irene stands up as the woman is talking, and apologizes. She really didn’t know whether to be offended or not, so she just waits for the woman to begin speaking again. But she doesn’t. She sizes up Irene again, and then gestures to follow her, leading Irene to the back room.

They sit across from one another, a wide shallow bowl in between them. “So you’re here because you don’t love anything anymore, right? Lost your fire? You aren’t appreciating what you have.” The woman begins throwing things that look like herbs and powders into the bowl.

Irene never saw this happen in fortune tellings on TV. It was more like she was making a potion. Maybe the woman is a witch, too. Irene feels like she should maybe be afraid that this woman is going to use magic on her to punish her for not loving anything anymore, or something. The woman swiftly takes a knife to her hand, and bleeds into the bowl of the mixed herbs, and powders.

A strange smell fills the air as the woman begins mixing it all together. “What you need is a little blood magic, honey. Nothing a simple fortune telling can do for the situation you’re in.”

Irene is feeling extremely weirded out by this woman performing blood magic before her eyes. She half expects a spirit to rise from the bowl, but she doesn’t do anything. At least something is happening that isn’t completely dull.

“Now give me your hand.”

Irene holds out her right hand to the woman. The woman takes her hand, and rubs a horizontal line of the blood potion across her palm.

“Tomorrow, everything will change, and it is up to you to make the right decisions to help you love again. Now go, I’m a busy woman.”

Irene stares at her hand in shock, as the line starts fading into her skin until it completely disappears.

When she gets home, she sees Seulgi brought her flowers, and left her a note.

Hey babe, I won’t be home tonight. Wendy and I are going to finish writing that song I told you about! We’re going to pull an all-nighter so we can have it done by tomorrow. Can’t wait for you to hear it <3 I made spaghetti for you before I left, it’s in the fridge. XO, S

What did Irene do to deserve such a kind girlfriend? When Seulgi is kind like this, she wishes she could feel the warmth of Seulgi’s heart, but instead she just feels massive guilt. She wonders why she even loves Irene. I mean, she would probably be better off with Wendy, they’re best friends who write love songs together, after all. Irene is also pretty sure Wendy has feelings for Seulgi, but I mean, how could one not? She’s beautiful, talented, and comes completed with an amazing personality as well. And she ended up with ungrateful Irene.

Irene heats up the spaghetti in the microwave, and sits in the living room to watch TV while she eats. She turns on a random channel, mostly just wanting background noise so she isn’t sitting in silence. She knows she should feel nervous about this blood magic stuff, but the only thing she feels is a small twinge of excitement that maybe, things will go back to how they were.