Summary: What would happen when Minjoo accidentally gets trapped to be Yujin’s genie?

Word Count: 24469

Hashtag: #JinjooFiesta_MagicShop

 

Magic Shop

 

“Would you like to come over to me~” Minjoo sang softly as she continued pulling the feather duster along the tall shelf to get rid of the dust that has piled up. She then picked up the vases beside her and placed them on the shelf, arranging them in a way that was aesthetically pleasing in her eyes. Once she was finished, she took a few steps back to admire her work. Not bad, she thought, giving herself a pat on the shoulder, pleased with how it looked overall. 

It was the first day since the opening of Minjoo’s shop, or technically, the reopening of the shop. The little shop was previously owned by Minjoo’s grandfather, one of the most well known wizards within the magic community. Unfortunately, he passed away before Minjoo even learned to walk so Minjoo didn’t have any memories of him. The only thing he left to her before he passed was this very shop. 

That right, Grandfather was a wizard, making her a half witch as unlike her mother, who was a pure witch, her father was just an ordinary human with no extraordinary wizard abilities. The two found each other when they were only teenagers. Her mother told her that her father had accidentally walked into one of her magic practice sessions while hunting in the forest. Her father swore that he thought that was his last day on earth. It took a lot of begging for his mother to not vanish him from existence, not that she knew how to anyway at the time - which her father only found out months later- as she was only a young witch. She made him swear that he would not tell anyone about what he saw, to which he agreed. However, Minjoo’s father, being the stubborn human that he is, kept on coming back to the forest, in hopes that he would see her again. 

At last, his effort was worth it. A month later after the incident, Minjoo’s mother did go back to the forest to practice again. This time, Minjoo’s father voluntarily showed himself to the young witch and explained that he just wanted to watch her practice as he found it fascinating. Though hesitant, she agreed, ended up laughing every time he claps and cheers for whenever she successfully casts a spell. From there, their relationship began to bloom into a beautiful one. 

Of course, with every relationship, there will be bumps along the way. A relationship between a human and a person with magical blood is a rare and unusual one, therefore it was not at all surprising that Grandfather was against it. However, it was not that he wanted her to marry a wizard, but rather he was afraid that Minjoo’s father would end up exposing the magic world, risking his one and only child’s life. But just like how he promised Minjoo’s mother during their first encounter, he did everything he could to convince him and made a vow that he would never allow anything to happen to her, so far as taking a blood oath with Grandfather. Soon after, they had Minjoo, their precious half witch daughter. 

The little shop left by Grandfather was filled with random items, ranging from trinkets and jewelleries to collectable china vases and ancient books. At least, to the human eyes. To a person of magic blood, everything in the shop contains some sort of magic power. When Minjoo reached the age of 13, her mother decided that it was time to reveal to her their family secret. As she was born a half witch, Minjoo’s parents decided that it was best to live in the human world until she was mature enough to understand their families’ situation. She recalled how her mother called her to sit with them in the living room and started telling tales of an incredible wizard who sacrificed himself in a war between the people and the wicked, who later turned out to be Grandfather. Little Minjoo was amazed, of course. Her mother then revealed that he had left his shop under Minjoo’s name, which she would only takeover once she turned 18 years old. Finally, the day that she has awaited for so long has come. 

She continued cleaning the shop, taking note of creases and corners, making sure everything was perfectly in place. Minjoo has always enjoyed the process of cleaning. She finds a sense of calmness to it, the soft sound of the broom as it sweeps, watching the window becomes clearer as the dirt leaves it. As the shop was cleaned, her surroundings felt lighter and brighter, becoming a place that was filled with warmth and comfort as the morning sunlight invites itself in through the glass window and bounces off the vases’ surface. To Minjoo, the cleaning process was like a metaphor, the dirt and 

dust representing problems while the appliances represent answers to solve them. The end result represents what Minjoo wishes to achieve in her life, light, well-organised, and happy. 

While arranging the books on the shelf, the doorbell suddenly rings, making her jump with fright. She turned around to see a girl, dressed in a simple white t-shirt and black denim shorts, walking into the shop. She had dark brown hair that went down just a little past her shoulder. Judging by her looks, Minjoo believed that she was around the same age as her, though the backpack on her shoulder indicated that she’s younger as it had a highschool logo on it. 

Realizing that she has been staring for too long, Minjoo quickly regained her posture. She can’t mess up with her first customer now, can she? Minjoo took a deep breath and began greeting her. 

“Goodmorning! Welcome to MJ’s Magic Shop. How can I help you?” Minjoo said, placing her hands in front of her as she smiled warmly at her first customer. 

“Ah, hi!” The girl stuttered. “I’m not looking for anything in particular, actually. Just came in because the store looked interesting. Do you mind if I look around?” She continued, scratching the back of her head. 

“Of course you can look around!” Minjoo answered, “If you need me, I’ll just be here arranging the books.” 

The girl nodded her head and mouthed a ‘thank you’ to Minjoo before she began wandering in the shop. Minjoo quickly turned away from her, releasing a deep breath that she was holding. That was alright. You can do this! She motivated herself. Once she relaxed herself, she turned back towards the bookshelves and continued rearranging the books. 

As she continued her work, she secretly peeked at the girl who was now at the trinket section, picking up a trinket one by one, admiring it before placing it back where it belonged. Minjoo wondered how the girl managed to end up in this area. You see, the shop was placed just slightly outside of the city. Grandfather thought that it was best for it to be further away as having the magic shop in the city might bring too much attention, the wrong attention, increasing the risk of the magic world to be exposed to the world. 

Like said, to an ordinary human, the goods in the shop might seem like a bunch of random items put together into one place. However, to a magic user, most of the items 

actually have magic in them, if used properly. Thus, in order to prevent any incidents of humans accidentally activating the magic within any of the item, Grandfather had taken the initiative to deactivate the magic in every single one of it before he passed away. Though, the shop does have some equipment that humans use to make “magic” to pass the shop as a “magic shop” to the humans, including playing cards, magic toy kits, and more. 

Nevertheless, Minjoo was never taught how to deactivate the magic within the goods. In fact, nor was her parents. Grandfather never taught any of them how to undo the deactivation spell. Her mother recalled Grandfather’s words being, “Eventually, you will find out how the activation spell works. When that day comes, you might want to learn how to deactivate it.” Minjoo wasn’t sure what that meant. But if Grandfather said that she’ll find out eventually, then she’ll wait for that day to come. When that day comes, she’ll finally get to learn how to use the items in the store and perhaps have some fun with it. 

Wanting to break the silence, Minjoo decided to start a small talk with the girl. 

“So... I noticed that you’re using a school backpack. Are you a highschooler?” Minjoo asked. 

The girl was startled by the sound of Minjoo’s voice, immediately turning around towards Minjoo with a hand on her chest. Minjoo realized that she had scared the girl. 

“I’m so sorry!” Minjoo apologized. “I didn’t mean to scare you! I just wanted to start a small talk because it was so quiet.” She bowed towards the girl, silently scolding herself for making such a mistake. 

“No, no! Please get up. I’m fine,” The girl stated, quickly walked towards Minjoo, ushering her to stand up. 

“Sorry... This is actually my first day operating the shop.” Minjoo continued, smiling apologetically at the girl. 

“It’s fine, really.” She assured Minjoo. “For your question, yes. I am a highschooler.” The girl answered, placing her right hand in the pocket of her denim shorts. 

“Don’t you have school right now?” Minjoo asked some more, relieved that the awkward tension between the two had diminished. 

“I do... But, I didn’t feel like going.” The girl answered, shrugging her shoulders and looking to the ground as though she was avoiding the shop owner’s eyes. Minjoo wanted to ask further, as she felt that there was more to her answer, judging by her body language. However, she decided not to, seeing that she only just knew of the girl’s existence and it wasn’t her place to ask. 

“I get you. Studying all day can be quite boring.” 

The girl looked back at her, a glint of amusement in her eyes. “Exactly! How old are you, by the way? You seem a bit too young to run a shop by yourself.” 

“I’m just turned 18 years old actually. I graduated high school last year.” 

“Ah, so you’re only one year older than me then.” The girl stated, beginning to wander around the shop again. “This is a pretty interesting shop. Though, I don’t really get it.” The girl said, catching Minjoo’s attention. She picked up a playing card from the counter and inspected it. “From the front, it looks like there is a number of magic related stuff. But the more I look around, the more I realise that there’s not much, or at least, enough to call this a magic shop. It’s more like an antic store if you ask me.” 

Minjoo chuckled in response to the girl’s words. “I suppose you’re right. There really aren't many magic toys in here. I’ll call the supplier to bring in more.” 

“However, you’re wrong on one part.” The shop owner continued, “This is indeed a magic shop.” 

“How so?” The younger girl questioned, tilting her head to the right. 

She seems an interesting one, Minjoo thought, entertained by the girl’s inquisitiveness. Perhaps, I’ll play around for a bit. 

“Well, magic doesn’t necessarily mean tricking people with toys and equipment like the ones you watch on televisions.” Minjoo responded, slowly walking closer to the younger girl. She picked up the box of playing cards that the girl previously held and took out a card. A queen of hearts. She pondered for a moment before continuing, “Magic is about creating wonders.” 

She took a step back and snapped her fingers. Just like that, the card had disappeared from her hand. The girl’s eyes widened at the sight, and even more when Minjoo gestured for her to put out her left hand. 

“Magic is about believing the impossible is possible.” 

The young shop owner snapped her fingers again before reaching towards the girl’s right ear, of course not before pausing and looking at the girl for approval, to which the girl nodded slowly in response, and pulled out the same card that disappeared. The queen of hearts. She then folded it into a small rectangle and placed it on the girl’s hand, gesturing to her to close her hand. After tapping soft on her hand, Minjoo asked the girl to reopen it, revealing that the folded card had turned into a small red heart origami. 

“Magic can just be the little excitement that one gets when they see something unexplainable.” 

Minjoo took the little origami and threw it in the air. From a red heart, it puffed into a little yellow butterfly, fluttering around before landing onto one of the sunflowers that Minjoo had placed in a vase in front of the glass window. 

“Quite simply, magic is all around us. You just have to believe that it’s there.” 

The girl was amazed, to say the least. A shocked expression on her face, slightly agape and eyes widened at what she had just witnessed. She walked towards where the butterfly was rested and stared at it in disbelief. 

“H-How did you do that? It was a card before!” The girl exclaimed, still unable to process the magic that happened. She stood up abruptly and looked around her. 

“Does that mean everything in here is magic?!” 

Minjoo laughed at her response. This is exactly one of the reasons why she loves magic. It’s not just the ability to create something with her magic that Minjoo loves. Minjoo also loves the reactions that she receives whenever she does something unexplainable to the humans. She loves to see the little twinkle in their eyes; a mixture of excitement, disbelief, happiness, a simple and short performance like just now enough to take a person away from their daily lives for a short period of time. 

“Like I said, magic is all around you.” 

The girl picked up a small pot and looked at Minjoo. “Does this have magic?” 

“Yes.” By simply adding water and a piece of DNA, let’s say a strand of hair, into the pot, a person may be able to look at what the owner of the DNA is looking at in real time. 

The girl picked up a vintage necklace. “Does this have magic?” 

“Yep.” Anyone who wears the necklace will be bound to the owner’s words and only the owner can take it off the wearer. Quite dangerous to be left out in the open, now that Minjoo thinks of it. She made a mental note to keep it in the storage room later on. 

The girl continued picking up random items in the store and asked whether it contained magic, to which Minjoo, who was now leaning over the counter and watching the younger girl, simply hummed in response, indicating a yes. 

“Woah...” The girl whispered in amazement. The girl was surprisingly naive and innocent for her age, Minjoo thought. She was already so easily amazed by Minjoo just 

telling her that the things contained magic, not even knowing whether they truly do have it. 

“What’s that?” The girl suddenly asked, pointing at the shelf. A glint of gold flashes in the ray of sun coming from behind the row of books, catching the girl’s attention. She walked towards the shelf and tiptoed in an attempt to reach for the thing. Succeeded, the girl pulled out a lamp. 

“Woah! It looks like the lamp in Aladdin!” exclaimed the girl as she inspected it carefully in her hands. 

Minjoo was surprised. She doesn’t recall seeing any lamp in the shop when she was cleaning, let alone the one that the girl was holding in her hands. She walked towards the girl and signalled for her to hand over the lamp to examine it. 

“Huh,” Minjoo said, “How did I never see this before?” The lamp was small and gold in color, made embossed with a beautiful floral design. The stopper had a chain that was linked to its handle, though, it was not actually removable. Minjoo wondered why she has never seen it before, given its beautiful and alluring design. But then again, it was placed on top of the shelf that was too tall for Minjoo to reach. The younger girl was also taller than Minjoo so it was not surprising that the girl could see it. 

“It really does look like the one in Aladdin! I wonder what would happen if you rub it...” The girl said, her voice lingering with curiosity as she stared at the lamp. 

“Well, do you wanna give it a go?” Minjoo asked, looking at the curious girl. It should be fine, Minjoo thought. After all, Grandfather already deactivated everything in the shop, and this would include the lamp. Thus, there would be no harm in letting the curious girl rub the lamp. As the saying goes, “Curiosity killed the cat.” 

“Really?’ The girl asked excitedly, a surprised smile plastered on her face. Minjoo placed the lamp in the girl’s hands and nodded her head, gesturing for her to go on. The girl quickly collected herself and took a deep breath. Carefully, she held the lamp in her left hand and rubbed it with her right then quickly closed her eyes. 

As expected, nothing happened. Minjoo turned around to cover up her laugh with a cough after seeing the girl’s disappointed face. The girl rubbed it a few more times, and again, nothing happened. 

“That was extremely disappointing.” The girl blurted, staring at the lamp sadly, earning a laugh from Minjoo, unable to hold it in anymore. 

“That’s too bad.” Minjoo responded. “Let’s put it back up now, yeah?” She took the lamp from the girl and placed it on the shelf at her eye-level. Minjoo turned to see that the girl was still sad that the lamp didn’t work the way she expected it to. “Aww, don’t be sad,” 

Minjoo comforted her, softly placing her hands on both her shoulders. “Maybe the next lamp you find will work.” 

Out of nowhere, the lamp that she had placed on the shelf started shaking violently, making the two girls immediately pull back in fear. The lamp continued shaking for a while as the two girls stared at it, not knowing what to do. Minjoo was beyond shocked. She definitely did not expect this to happen. Everything was supposed to be inactive! Yet, somehow, here was the lamp, working perfectly. 

Suddenly, the stopper popped open, a cloud of white smoke coming out of it. Wasn’t the stopper unremovable when Minjoo inspected the lamp? How is this happening? It began wrapping itself around the two girls, blurring their visions. Minjoo felt herself slowly being lifted off the ground as the smoke continuously swirls around her, creating a small tornado. 

After what felt like hours, the swirling finally stopped, the white smoke slowly landing Minjoo back on the ground. Although somehow, Minjoo felt much lighter than before. “Airy” even, if that’s the right word. 

“Hey, are you okay?” Minjoo panicked, bending down to be at eye-level with the younger girl, who was now sitting on the ground, leaning against the shelf as she stared at Minjoo. She looked extremely horrified. 

“Y-yes, I’m fine.” The girl stammered. “The real question is, are YOU fine?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“I think you need to take a look at yourself in the mirror,” she responded, pointing at the mirror behind the shop owner. 

Minjoo was puzzled. She quickly turned around, following the girl’s instruction and looked at herself in the mirror. 

At first glance, one would think that nothing was wrong, just a normal girl with normal human features. But as Minjoo stared at herself longer, she noticed that something about her was off. Very off. She wasn’t actually... “opaque”. Her body was somewhat fading in and out, and with every movement she made, it left a trail of smoke which slowly disappeared into thin air. Minjoo then took a step closer to the mirror and hesitantly touched her face, a sigh of relief escaping her lips as although she was basically a cloud of smoke, she could feel the texture of her skin and was still a “solid” like before. 

Keeping her calm, she walked towards the back of the shop, where her little study room was located. She ran her finger across the books of her bookshelf, stopping when she 

reached the one that she was looking for. She pulled it out, placing it on her study table before taking a seat. She then began flipping through the book. 

The younger girl, however, was still outside, dazed and confused at the shop owner’s reaction to what had just happened. She clearly remembered how the shop owner was lifted up by the white smoke that came out of the lamp. So how was she so calm? Especially after realizing that she had turned into smoke! She hurriedly recollected herself, standing up then heading straight where the shop owner went. Pushing the curtains aside, she popped her head in to see her reading a book. 

“According to this book, the lamp is called ‘The Falling Fool’.” The shop owner said abruptly, startling the younger girl. “It says here that, whoever rubs the lamp will become its owner, and whoever touches the owner afterwards... will be trapped as their genie.” 

“What?!” The younger girl exclaimed. 

Minjoo flipped the page, another relieved sigh escaping her lips as she read the next lines. “There’s more. ‘However, the owner will only get 5 wishes which will all end when the clock strikes midnight on the 7th day since its activation. Once the time runs out, the genie will be released and the owner will forget everything that has happened throughout the 7 days’.” There were a few rules listed below. However, she pushed the book aside and rested her head in her hands, needing time to take it in. 

“How is this happening to me on my first day?” Minjoo groaned in frustration. Everything was supposed to go perfect for her today, having waited patiently for 5 years to finally be able operate the shop and call it her own. She even worked hard to convince her parents that she was ready to be independent and live on her own, now proudly owning a cozy studio apartment just above the shop which her father helped renovate. 

Minjoo turned to the girl, analysing her from head to toe. Her first impression of the girl was that she is naive and innocent, so what’s the worst that could happen? Other than the fact that perhaps she was pretending to be innocent to cover up her true psychopathic self. Or maybe she knew the true secret of the shop all along, that it was really a magic shop and wanted to take advantage of it. Minjoo never saw that lamp and she swore that she checked every bit and corners of the shop! It could just be that the girl brought the lamp in herself and wanted to trap someone! Minjoo cursed herself for being so gullible, making herself an easy target to be someone’s genie. 

She felt a tap on her shoulder. She instantly pushed her chair back and stood up, drawing out her wand that she hid behind her cleaning apron. Minjoo daringly took a few steps forward while the girl took a few steps back until there was no more room for her to go any further, her back already against the wall. Minjoo pressed the point of her wand against the girl’s chest and stared her down, intimidating the younger girl who now had her eyes shut tightly and her hands raised in front of her. 

“Who are you? Tell me your purpose here!” Minjoo demanded, pressing her wand harder and harder against the girl with each question. 

“M-My name is Yujin. Ahn Yujin.” The girl answered nervously, her heart quickened in its speed. “I swear I don’t know anything! P-Please don’t hurt me...” She continued, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks as she begged for mercy. 

Seeing the girl so vulnerable, Minjoo snapped out of her rage. This must’ve been what Mother felt when she threatened Father in the forest. Frightened, helpless, confused, how could Minjoo hurt her? She sighed deeply and pulled back her wand before stepping back and leaning against the table. 

“Well... Then I guess I’m your genie now.” Minjoo said, rubbing her temple. The girl opened her eyes and slowly looked up to the shop owner, sniffling while wiping the tears away with the back of her hand. 

“C-Can you please tell me what’s going on?” The girl asked, her face still pale from Minjoo’s threat. “I’m so confused. W-What do you mean you’re my genie?” 

“It means exactly that.” Minjoo responded, picking up the book. “According to this, you get 5 wishes which I, your genie, have to grant and will end at midnight on the 7th day, starting today.” 

“You’re going to grant my wish... like how the genie did in Aladdin?” 

Minjoo rolled her eyes at the girl’s response. Clearly this was going to be a difficult challenge for the shop owner. “Yes, just like how the genie did in Aladdin.” Minjoo pulled out an extra chair in front of her table before taking a seat on her own, “Sit down. And wipe your face with this,” Minjoo pushed the box of tissues, “I need to process this and I can’t do it with you distracting me with your crying.” 

The girl followed her order, grabbing a piece of tissue before sitting down. After a while, she finally calmed down and was breathing normally again. She looked around the room while the shop owner continued flipping through different books for her research regarding the lamp. 

The study room was nothing to wow about. A simple wooden study table and two chairs right by the window. The room was being lit with just a lightbulb on the ceiling and the table light. The main feature being the fact that every wall was covered with bookshelves that were stuffed with different books. She squinted her eyes to read the titles. History of Enozi, Potions & Spells, Encyclopedia of Curses. Her eyes widened at the last one. 

She then looked back at the table and noticed a picture frame of a man. Who is he? He must be someone important to the shop owner if she had it on her table. She stared at it 

longer and realized something. She looked back and forth between the picture and the shop owner and confirmed her suspicion. They looked quite similar to each other. Perhaps, it was her father. 

The picture frame was suddenly snatched away from her vision, breaking the young girl’s train of thoughts. She snapped her head towards the owner like a deer caught in headlights. 

Minjoo cleared . “So there are a few things that we need to take note.” The girl nodded her head, listening attentively. 

“Number 1, to make a wish, the owner must start their sentence with “I wish” and the genie must say “Granted” for it to come true. 

Number 2, the owner cannot wish for more wishes. 

Number 3, the owner cannot wish for the genie to be set free. 

Number 4, every wish will be reversed at midnight on the 7th day. 

Number 5, the owner will forget everything that happened throughout the 7 days. 

Number 6, the owner cannot wish for their memories to be retained.” 

“Got it?” Minjoo asked, raising her brows at the girl in front of her. Though she was not pleased with rule number 1, she was relieved to see rule number 4. At least there won’t be any chances of this girl blabbering to people about what happened. 

The girl nodded. She raised her right hand. 

“What? A question?” 

She nodded again. 

“Go on then. This isn’t a school, you know.” 

The girl opened into the shape of an “o”, then awkwardly smiled, lowering her hand to the back of her head. She cleared before continuing. 

“What is your name?” 

Oh. That was not the question that Minjoo thought she would ask, considering the fact that the girl was literally surrounded by magic-related books, the fact that Minjoo just told her that she was trapped to be the girl’s genie for the next 7 days or maybe the fact that you could actually see the chair through Minjoo because she was basically a cloud of smoke! Nonetheless, she answered the girl’s question. 

“My name is Minjoo. Kim Minjoo.” 

“Nice to meet you, Kim Minjoo. My name is Ahn Yujin. Though, you already know that from just now,” Yujin responded, nodding her head towards the wall where she thought she was going to die. She stuck out her hand and looked at her expectantly. Minjoo tilted her head to the side and furrowed her brows. 

“Not a fan of shaking hands I see. Noted.” Yujin pulled back her hand. 

Minjoo scoffed. Again, what was wrong with this kid? She opened to speak. 

“Do not expect for me to be friendly with you. Thanks to you, I’m trapped as a genie! Not only that, out of all days, it just had to happen on the first day of my shop opening!” 

Yujin raised her hands up in defence. “To be fair, you were the one who told me to rub the lamp! I was just doing as I was told.” 

That caught Minjoo’s tongue. She let out a deep sigh. “I suppose you’re right.” Yujin smiled, happy that the shop owner admitted her fault. “But I still meant what I said. Don’t expect me to be friendly with you, got it?” 

“Yes, Minjoo.” 

“Don’t call me by my name as well.” 

“Yes... Genie?” 

Minjoo shook her head. It had not been a day but she was already exhausted from the girl’s shenanigans. “God! Just... Nevermind! Just tell me your first wish so we can get this over with already!” 

Minjoo shut her eyes and prepared herself for the worst. With a 17 years old highschooler like her, her wish was sure to be outrageous. She was glad that she graduated already. 

“I wish...” 

Here we go, Minjoo thought. 

“I wish to have ice cream together with you at one of the famous ice cream shops in the city.” 

“What?” Minjoo blurted out. 

-- [DAY 1] 

Wish #1: I wish to eat ice cream together with you at one of the famous ice cream shops in the city. 

Using Minjoo’s new genie magic, the two were now at Machi, one of most popular ice cream chains in Korea. Since it was a weekday, the shop was quite empty with only four other customers in the shop. Minjoo was seated at the corner of the store, flipping through her journal while Yujin was at the counter ordering her ice cream. 

Fortunately, Minjoo managed to discover some more details about the lamps in other books and copied it all down into her mini journal before leaving her shop. To her relief, she found out that her new body was temporary, lasting only for an hour before going back to her usual solid self again. She also found out that she can't walk beyond three meters from the lamp so Yujin had to carry it with her in her backpack. The lamp was basically a leash while Minjoo was the dog. 

"Ta-da!" Yujin said, placing the tray on the table. "I wasn't sure what you like so I got you this new flavour they have called Walnut Maroo. You can switch with mine if you don't want it. Mine's Brown Sugar." 

"That's fine." Minjoo replied, scooping a spoonful from the ice cream and tasted it. curved into a smile, enjoying the flavour and texture of the ice cream. They continued eating their ice cream in silence. Unable to stand the tension, Yujin decided to break it. 

“You know, I’m gonna forget about everything that happened anyway. Wouldn’t it be better to get to know each other?” 

“Why would I wanna waste my breath doing that?” Minjoo responded. 

“Well,” Yujin shrugged, “You’re gonna be with me for the next 7 days. Wouldn’t you at least want to know the person you’re basically stuck with? Come on, let’s play 20 questions!” 

“Fine.” Minjoo answered, knowing that the girl wouldn’t stop bugging her until she got her way. “But let’s make it 5 questions.” 

“Good enough!” Yujin exclaimed and clapped her hands. “I’ll go first. What is your favourite color?” 

“Red. My turn. What is your favourite?” 

“Blue! What is your favourite food?” 

“Steak. Yours?” 

“Spicy tteokbokki. What is your hobby?” 

“Watching movies. Yours?” 

“Jumping ropes! What is your favourite song?” 

“You, Clouds, Rains by Heize. Yours?” 

“Oh, that’s a nice one! My favourite song at the moment is Angel by Chancellor.” 

Yujin furrowed her brows, unable to rack her brain with any more questions. She then looked at Minjoo and pouted. This is not how she wanted it to go. “Yah, this is no fun! You should ask me questions too!” Yujin complained. 

“I did, didn’t I?” 

“I mean, you should come up with your own! You’re just asking me the same questions that I asked you. That’s not fair!” 

Minjoo groaned. “It’s not my fault the questions that you’re asking are boring! But fine. I’ll ask you a question.” She pondered for a moment before saying, “Why is your first wish to eat ice cream together? I mean, you could literally have anything in the world right now and this is what you decided to wish for. You can do this any day with one of your friends.” 

“I don’t have any friends.” 

Well, that was a mistake, Minjoo thought, the girl’s answer completely silenced her. She awkwardly let out an “oh” before quickly taking another scoop of ice cream then looking away. 

“Eh, it’s fine!” Yujin responded, waving her hand in front of Minjoo to get her attention. “I’m used to it already. You don’t have to feel bad.” 

“I-I never said I felt bad!” Minjoo retorted, looking down at her ice cream. Yujin put her hands up in defence and laughed at the shop owner’s reaction. “Alright, alright.” 

Minjoo thought to herself for a moment before letting out another sigh. She sure did a lot of thinking and sighing today. 

“I’ll be your friend,” Minjoo mumbled under her breath. 

“What? I can’t exactly hear you if you’re gonna keep hiding your face like that, you know.” Yujin said, leaning closer to her. 

“I said,” Minjoo repeated, looking up from her ice cream. “I’ll be your friend.” She immediately looked away to hide her flustered face. Again, what was the worst that could happen? The girl seemed harmless and it was only going to be for 7 days. Besides, she genuinely felt bad for the girl. Friends, though for Minjoo may not be her number one priority in her life, she does know that having some around is good, especially at this age where the emotions are still not exactly developed and you’re still still trying to discover yourself. Minjoo herself did not have many friends but she does have a couple around that she’s close enough with to bring them out ice cream. 

“Oh....” Yujin responded, unsure of what to say. 

“What? Do you not want to be friends?” Minjoo said defensively, now starting to regret her decision. 

“No, no! It’s definitely not that! Of course I want you to be my friend!” Yujin quickly responded to calm the girl down. “I was just surprised, that’s all. Here I thought I was gonna have to make a wish for you to be my friend. You didn’t even allow me to call you by your name in the shop, remember?” 

“A-Ah right.” Minjoo recalled, face getting red again. “Well don’t make me regret my decision.” 

“I won’t! I promise.” 

Yujin picked up her spoon and played with her food. She coughed, clearing before speaking. “So, since we’re friends now, can I ask you more questions?” 

“Go ahead. But don’t push it.” 

Yujin nodded and asked, “Is it true? What you said at the shop?” 

Minjoo was puzzled at the question. “What do you mean?” 

“That magic is all around us.” 

“Ah, that.’ Minjoo tilted her head. “Yes, pretty much.” 

“So the trick that you did with the card and turning it into a butterfly... That wasn’t just an illusion? Some tricking the eyes thing?” 

“Nope.” Minjoo replied, popping the ‘p’. 

Yujin gasped, eyes widened as she covered with her hand. “Does that mean you’re a?...” 

Minjoo was amused by the girl’s reaction. Despite already knowing what she was going to ask, Minjoo continued. “A what?” 

Yujin leaned in towards Minjoo, gesturing for her to come closer. She cupped Minjoo’s ear before whispering, “...that you’re a witch.” 

Minjoo pulled away from Yujin and playfully gasped. “How did you find out?!” She whisper-shouted before laughing. “Yes. Yes I am.” She’ll forget about it anyways. 

“I knew it! That explains the books that I saw in the study room! It also explains the whole thing that went down in there. You know, the whole “What’s your name? Tell me your purpose here!” Yujin said in a lower pitch, using her ice cream spoon to reenact Minjoo threatening her with her wand. 

“I definitely did not sound like that!” Minjoo argued. “Don’t try to make fun of me! You, on the other hand, were like “I don’t know anything! Please don’t hurt me!” Minjoo reminded her, pretending to cry then wiping the imaginary tears under her eyes. “You should’ve seen yourself! You had snots all over your face. It was so gross.” 

“Hey, you would’ve reacted the same way if you thought that you were in my shoes! I seriously thought that was the end of me!” 

“Please. I wasn’t even planning to do anything serious to you.” 

“And how was I supposed to know that? I didn’t even know you existed until today!” 

The two glared at each other, creating an impromptu staring contest. Yujin however began to crack under the pressure, trying her best to hold in the smile that was threatening to form on her face. Minjoo, seeing this, ended up breaking into a fit of laughter, with Yujin following after. 

“I won!” Yujin exclaimed, raising her right first into the air. 

“Sure you did.” Minjoo responded in between her laughter. 

Yujin gazed at Minjoo and smiled fondly, revealing her dimples. “So this is what it’s like to have friends...” She thought, unaware that she just said it outloud. 

Minjoo, hearing this, smiled to herself. An idea suddenly popped into her head. 

“Hey. Hurry up and finish your ice cream.” Minjoo said. “I want to show you something.” 

-- “Wow! That’s amazing!” Yujin exclaimed, staring at the hummingbird flying above her. The two were now at the park that was just a few minutes walk away from the ice cream shop. They were in a secluded area, surrounded by trees so that no one could see them. Minjoo was sitting down, leaning against the tree while watching Yujin who was trying to chase the bird. Minjoo had turned a pebble that she found into a hummingbird, performing the same magic that she did with the card in the shop. 

“How did you do that?” Yujin asked in between breath, panting from running around. She plopped onto the grass beside Minjoo to catch her breath. 

“Magic, of course.” Minjoo shrugged. 

“That’s so cool. I want to be a witch too.” Yujin said, now lying down staring at the sky. “Can you tell me more about yourself? Like were you born a witch or did you train to become one?” 

“I’m a half witch, to be exact. My mom’s a pure witch while my dad’s a human.” 

“So the picture frame on the table, that was your dad?” 

“No,” Minjoo replied. “That was my grandfather. He’s also a pure witch. Though, he passed away when I was still a kid so I never got to know him. The magic shop was the only thing that he left me.” 

“I see. You must really look up to him.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“I could see it in your eyes, the way it changed when you started talking about him.” 

“Ah... But you’re right. I do look up to him a lot. I wish he was still here so I could get to know him more.” 

“What about your parents? Where are they now?” 

“They’re at Enozi now. The magic world where my mom’s originally from. We moved there when I turned 13, but I decided to move back here to care for the shop. My apartment’s just above it.” 

Yujin nodded her head, taking in all the new information about Minjoo. The two then stayed quiet, enjoying their time at the park with only the sound of birds chipping and leaves rustling in the wind could be heard. 

“Hey,” Yujin suddenly said, facing Minjoo, “Have you watched the movie ‘Tangled’?” 

“Of course I have. What about it?” 

“Well... You know the gecko that Rapunzel carries around with her?” Yujin asked. 

Minjoo immediately understood what Yujin was trying to say. “First of all, it’s a chameleon. Second, is that a wish?” 

“No. It’s a request from a friend.” Yujin replied, grinning at Minjoo. 

Minjoo turned to Yujin. “No.” 

“Pleaseee.” 

“Yujin, no. Chameleons aren’t easy to take care of, you know.” 

“Another type of animal then! Here, I’ll look for one!” Yujin said. She took out her phone, mumbling ‘pets that are easy to handle’ while typing on her phone. “Look! It says here that leopard geckos are easy to take care of!” 

“They also eat crickets.” 

“I can take care of it I swear! Please, Minjoo,” Yujin got on her knees and begged, staring at Minjoo with puppy eyes. “I always wanted a small pet to carry around like Rapunzel.” 

That was the first time Yujin has ever said Minjoo’s name out loud. Her face started turning red upon hearing it. She turned away and mumbled, “Alright.” 

“Yes! Thank you, Minjoo!” Yujin yelled out in excitement. “I can’t wait to have my very own pet!” 

“Go find a rock or something. It needs to be about the same size as the gecko.” 

“Got it!” Yujin replied, immediately getting up and going in search. After a while, she came back with a rock about the size of her two fist. “Is this okay?” 

“That should be fine.” Minjoo nodded. “Now show me a picture of the gecko that you want. I need to really imagine it for it to work.” 

Yujin pulled out her phone and showed Minjoo the photo of the gecko. Minjoo stared at it for a moment, gathering all the details she needed. She then placed her hands on the rock and closed her eyes. After fully picturing the gecko in her mind, she snapped her finger. 

“OH MY GOD!” Yujin shouted. Minjoo instantly opened her eyes, concerned that something went wrong, only to see Yujin crouched down while gawking at the gecko in amazement, like a child staring at a huge teddy bear. The gecko was yellow in color with irregular black spots all over its body. 

“It’s so cute...” Yujin whispered. She placed her hand flat on the ground, palms facing up, right in front of the gecko. “Come on,” Yujin softly said, encouraging it. For a moment, it stared at Yujin’s hand almost like it was hesitant. It then started crawling towards her and got onto her hand. Yujin slowly lifted her hand up and stared at it in awe. 

“I’m gonna name you... Colors.” 

Minjoo watched as Yujin smiled fondly at the gecko while softly petting it. This is a precious moment, Minjoo thought. Perhaps it was a good idea, not that Minjoo would admit it out loud. 

“You do know that it can’t actually change colors, right?” 

“I know. But colors make me happy. He also makes me happy. So I’ve decided to name him Colors.” 

That’s cute. 

“We need to go to the pet shop! We need to buy food, a cage, toys---Oh! Do you think we can find some cute gecko clothes for it?” Yujin rushed, excitedly going on and on about her new little pet. Minjoo smiled at the sight. 

“Alright, let’s go then.” Minjoo said as she got up and dusted the grass off of her. “There’s a pet store just around the corner if I’m not mistaken.” 

“You hear that, Colors? We’re gonna get you some cool stuff!” Yujin said, putting Colors on her shoulder. “Let’s go!” 

Minjoo and Yujin began their walk to the pet store. Yujin continued talking to Colors, pointing at different things and describing them while Colors stayed on her shoulder, its head bobbing up and down like he actually understood every word the girl was saying. 

On the way, they walked past a school, where lots of students were out on the basketball court, having their rest time. 

“Look over there, Colors! That is a school where people study. Though, I don’t really like going to school. The people there aren’t exactly friendly.” 

Minjoo overheard this. That was new, Minjoo thought. Then again, with Yujin not going to school this morning and her telling Minjoo that she didn’t have any friends, Minjoo expected that that was the reason. Though, it couldn’t be that bad right? Minjoo wondered. 

Minjoo’s train of thought was however interrupted by the sounds of loud laughters coming from beside her as the three were approaching an alley behind the school. They stopped in their tracks to listen to their conversation. 

“Where’s my money, Wonyoung? I told you I need it today, didn’t I?” 

“I-I told you, I don’t have any more allowance this month. I g-gave it all to you last week.” 

Upon hearing that, Yujin pulled Minjoo to the side and hid behind the boxes by the wall to secretly watch what was going on. Yujin peeked from behind the boxes to see a girl being held up by the collar against the wall by another girl while three more girls stood behind her. The girl, who Yujin believed was Wonyoung, was crying while the rest just laughed. 

“Oh my. How forgetful of me!” The girl laughed, followed by more laughter. “Do you think that’s my problem? You should’ve found ways to get more money,” said the bully. 

“Please,” Wonyoung said in between her sob, “I’ll give you more money next month, I promise. Please just let me go...” 

Yujin was furious, and so was Minjoo who was also watching the whole scenario. Even Colors, who was still on her shoulder, was aggressively crawling back and forth on her shoulder. 

Yujin, unable to watch the girl cry anymore, turned to Minjoo. “Can’t you do something to stop this? Change the brick over there into a snake or something and scare them away!” 

Minjoo shook her head. “I’m sorry but I can’t change it unless I touch it first. I also left my wand back in the shop so I really can’t do anything.” 

“Well, then.” Yujin said. 

“I wish that the girl has the courage to stand up for herself and stop the bully.” 

Minjoo looked at her. “Are you sure you want to use your second wish for this, Yujin?” 

“Yes, I’m sure.” Yujin answered, her voice laced with firmness. 

Minjoo nodded her head and looked back at the bullies. 

“Granted.” 

Wish #2: I wish that the girl has the courage to stand up for herself and stop the bullies 

Out of nowhere, the girl who was just crying started laughing hysterically, making the bullies look at her in confusion. 

“Are you sure that you won’t regret it if you hurt me, Heejin?” Wonyoung questioned, tilting her head to the side while looking at the bully. The scared girl was no longer the same person as she smirked at the bully. 

“I’m sure you know that I come from a rich family. Have you ever wondered what my family does for a living?" 

"N-No. Why should I care anyway?!" Heejin exclaimed. 

"Just think about it. My family is one of the richest one in this school. Heck, maybe even the richest one in this town." Wonyoung continued, "Why would my family be here, in this small town, if we didn't have some business to take care of, huh?" 

"What are you trying to get at?" 

“Hmm,” Wonyoung raised one brow and rubbed her chin. “Have you watched Itaewon Class? Where Geun-won's dad forced Sae-Ro-Yi's dad to quit his job? Or where Geun-won killed Sae-Ro-Yi's dad?" 

Heejin instantly let go of Wonyoung's collar and stepped back. Both her and her group started to look scared at Wonyoung's change in demeanor. Wonyoung however didn't stop. 

"I've been very nice to you, Heejin, ever since I moved to this school. I let you and your followers push me around, take my money, make fun of me in front of everyone." Wonyoung paused. She took a step towards Heejin and smiled. The look in her eyes however suddenly turned colder, evil almost. 

"What do you think my father would do to you and your family if he found out that his precious, only child is being bullied in school?" 

"Y-Yah!" Heejin uttered, “Stop it!” 

“Why? Are you scared now? Why don’t you just hide behind your little minions?” Wonyoung nodded at the three standing behind the girl who looked just as scared. She laughed at the sight. 

Wonyoung then leaned in and whispered to Heejin, 

“Run.” 

Just like that, Heejin immediately bolted out from the alley, the other three following after. Yujin and Minjoo quickly bent down behind the boxes to avoid themselves from being seen. Once the bullies were out of sight, the two stood back up. Yujin peeked over from behind the wall again to see if Wonyoung was okay. The girl was smiling to herself before suddenly snapping out of it, holding her head as she looked around, confused as to what had just happened. 

Yujin was glad that her wish worked out well. “Let’s leave now,” she whispered to Minjoo. However, as she stood up, she accidentally knocked over one of the boxes, causing the rest to fall over as well. The two looked at each other with wide eyes. 

Wonyoung instantly turned her head towards the direction of the noise. “Who’s there?!” She yelled, walking towards the boxes. 

Without wasting any more time, Yujin and Minjoo quickly got up and ran away, leaving the confused girl behind. 

“Huh, that was weird.” Wonyoung said. “I feel like someone just took over my body. Oh well then, time to go back to class.” She checked her watch and gasped. “I’m gonna be late!” 

--- 

“Did you see the look on that girl Heejin when Wonyoung threatened her? She was so scared!” Yujin said, holding her belly while laughing loudly. 

“Yea,” Minjoo said, laughing along with Yujin, “I didn’t know Wonyoung was going to threaten her. I was expecting for her to just throw a punch or something.” 

“Now, now. Violence is never the answer. Threatening to destroy your whole family, however, is.” 

“Of course it is.” Minjoo chuckled. “By the way, you got everything Colors need right? Where is he anyways?” 

“He’s here.” Yujin replied, pulling down the pocket of her flannel to reveal the yellow gecko. She had put it on after complaining that it was getting cold. She then opened the bag in her hand. “And, yes. I got the food, the cage, and some decorations for the cage.” 

“You got the live crickets too?” 

“Yep!” 

“Gross.” Minjoo said, shuddering at the thought, earning a laugh from Yujin. 

The sound of her stomach rumbling however interrupted their conversation. “Ah, speaking about food, I’m starting to get hungry already.” Yujin patted her stomach. “I just realised that we didn’t even have a proper lunch yet other than ice cream.” 

“We’re literally talking about live crickets.” 

“Yes. Gecko food. Food.” Yujin shrugged. 

“That’s disgusting.” Minjoo grimaced. “But you’re right. Do you like sushi? There’s a small sushi shop just a few shops away from my place. The sushi there is pretty good.” 

“Sure! Let’s go. I’m starving already. I think talking about the live crickets really got to me.” 

“Yujin, that’s disgusting!” 

--- They arrived at the sushi shop that Minjoo mentioned and took a seat in the booth. “Ah, I can’t wait to eat. Are you going to order or get the ones on the belt?” Minjoo asked the younger girl. 

“Um...” Yujin looked at the belt, “I think I’ll order instead. I wanna have a meal.” She picked up the menu and started flipping through it. 

“Alright. I’m going to have the ones on the belt.” 

A girl walked over to their table. “Hey, Minjoo. Haven’t seen you in a while. How’s the shop going?” 

“Hey, Nako.” Minjoo greeted her, “The shop is fine. I finally got the rearrangements and cleaning down. Though, I am experiencing some difficulties at the moment.” Minjoo shot a pointed look at Yujin, who awkwardly smiled in return. 

“Well, if you need anything, just hit me up, alright?” Nako told her. 

“Thanks, Nako. I’ll definitely keep that in mind.” 

Nako looked over to Yujin. “And who’s this?” 

“Oh, right! This is Ahn Yujin.” Minjoo introduced. “She’s my friend.” 

Upon hearing that, Yujin smiled, still not used to someone calling her a friend. She looked at Nako and waved shyly at her, “Hi, I’m Yujin.” 

“No need to be shy!” Nako told her. “My name’s Nako. I’m the co-owner of this sushi restaurant.” Nako introduced herself, smiling warmly at Yujin and sticking out her hand. Yujin shook her hand and returned the smile. 

“Anyway, are you guys ready to order?” 

“Just one hot green tea for me, please.” 

“Hot green tea for Minjoo, got it. What about you, Yujin?” 

“Ah, make that two hot green teas. I would also like one of the Salmon Steak Set, please.” 

“Two hot green teas and one Salmon Steak Set.” Nako repeated their order, jolting down on her notepad. “It’ll be out in about 10 minutes. Enjoy your day, guys!” The waitress then walked away, leaving the two alone again. 

“Oh! Tobikko is coming up behind you. It’s one of my favourites. Do you mind grabbing it? It’s the one on the purple plate.” Minjoo asked. 

Yujin turned around to get the sushi. “Is it this one?” Yujin asked, picking up a plate. 

“No, no. I said purple plate. The one right next to it.” 

“Ah, sorry!” Yujin apologized. She placed it back down and picked up the plate beside it then handed it to Minjoo. “Thank you!” Minjoo said to her. 

After exactly 10 minutes, Nako came back to the table with a tray in her hands. “Here’s your hot green tea,” Nako set the cups in front of the two, “and here’s your Salmon Steak set. Enjoy!” The two girls thanked her before digging into their food. 

“You know,” Minjoo began, breaking the silence. “What you did for the girl at the alley was really kind of you. I don’t think anyone would want to spend their second wish helping a random stranger. I think that’s very admirable.” 

Yujin blushed at the sudden praise. “Thank you,” she responded. “Though, I didn’t do anything much. I know what it feels like to be in her shoes, when someone makes you feel less about who you are as a person. It’s not exactly the best feeling in the world. If I was her, I would definitely appreciate it if someone came and helped me.” 

“Why didn’t you just wish for the bullies to go away instead?” 

“Well, one of the rules of the wish was that it’ll all end on the 7th day, right?” Minjoo nodded. “Then, if I wished for the bullies to go away, they’ll just come back later on. If I wished for the girl to stand up for herself, at least the bullies won’t dare to mess with her again.” 

Yujin continued. “I never really understood why people bully. Most of them just come with their group of friends and bully others just so they could look strong and untouchable. But in reality, aren’t they the weaker ones? They target those who are weaker than them, deliberately make fun of them, call them horrible names, some even to the extent where they physically hurt the other person and for what? Just so they wouldn’t be called the weaker ones? They had to go THAT far, lowering someone else’s self-esteem so much just so they could feel better about themselves? I especially despise those who bully and say that it’s because they come from a problematic home. How da