The producers had finally updated Seungwan with their progress. According to Sungjin, the song was coming along well, and they just had to add a few more stylistic touches. They should be done by the end of the week. The managers had already contacted her with information about the release date, and upcoming promotion schedules after that. In a few days, she would need to start filming a music video for "Day 1" which was going to be released as a single. Until then, she had some time to relax. The calm before the storm.

Too bad she had no idea how to spend it. She was thinking about taking Joohyun out, she still owed her a date after all, but there was no fair in town, no traveling art exhibit. The day just seemed very mundane. Mundane was okay, though. Mundane with Joohyun was almost never just mundane. So there they were, sitting on the couch doing nothing. The most un-mundane mundane thing to do. Even Seungwan found herself running out of words to describe how much of a nothing they were doing.

Joohyun sighs, stretching like a cat across the cushions. "If this is what everyday existence in this era is like, maybe I don't want to exist."

"That's an awfully depressing thing to suddenly say. Are you really that bored?"

"Does a thief go for back pockets?"

Seungwan raises one eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Yes, they do," Joohyun says, letting out another disappointed sigh as she sinks deeper into the cushions.

Seungwan watches as Joohyun rolls over, twisting like a toddler throwing a silent tantrum. "You know, with all of your years of living, you act surprisingly childish sometimes."

Joohyun cranes her neck, the crown of her head pressed against one of the pillows, peering at Seungwan upside down. "You'll find that there's an inversely proportional relationship between magic and maturity sometimes." Her world flips right side up as she rolls around, now resting her chin on the pillow.

Seungwan is left slightly bewildered by the genie's statement. "I now realize that I should not have tried so hard in math class to never use it in my career and simply forget it all."

"Tell me about it. The only reason I remember is because one of my masters practically used me as an accountant to keep track of all of his wealth." Joohyun scoots closer to Seungwan, apparently not having stretched nearly far enough. Her next target of conquest on this couch crusade was Seungwan's lap, which she rested her head on as if it was one of the pillows that she had just thrown onto the adjacent chair. Seungwan wanted to point this out.

"I don't remember being a couch cushion."

"Oh really? I couldn't tell." Joohyun pinched Seungwan's thigh in demonstration of her following argument, "You're just as soft."

"You're missing an important distinction." Seungwan pinches Joohyun's cheek in retaliation. She receives a pained expression and slap on the offending hand, but continues, "Couch cushions don't usually fight back."

"Now that I think about it, it would be better if you were one. No talking, no pinching, just comfort."

Seungwan crosses her arms. "So I'm not comfortable then?"

"I didn't say that. Just that you should talk less."

Defiantly, the singer starts shifting her legs uncomfortably, provoking dissatisfied groans from the genie. "I was right. You would surely be better as a couch cushion."

It was this banter, this enthusiasm that made these simple moments so enjoyable. Even when the genie was dim, even without a magic lamp, she still managed to bring light into Seungwan's life. Of course, Seungwan's favorite part was the rebellion.

So with that statement, Seungwan gets up, receiving pouts from the foresaken genie. 

Starting towards the kitchen, Seungwan says, "Won't fighting with me get boring?"

Reluctantly, Joohyun stands, following as she replies, "That's the one thing I could never get tired of."

Their slippers soon find tiled floor, Joohyun taking her usual seat by the island as Seungwan walks to the other side. "Well, I feel like there are other things to do. I, for one, like to check the fridge when I have nothing to do."

"That doesn't sound very healthy."

As she pulls open the refrigerator door, Seungwan grins, "Never said it was." Her smile quickly disappears, replaced by a concerned frown and furrowed brow.

Joohyun watches her mood swing like an audience watching a botched magic trick. "Something the matter, Seungwan?"

The singer stares into the fridge, seeing a sad assortment of goods. They were at the end of the supply that Joohyun had went out to get the previous week. Even Seulgi's large stash of oranges had almost run dry, only three left. Her grumbling stomach granted her new motivation. This could be an opportunity. Seungwan turned to Joohyun. "Want to do some more boring things with me?"

The fluorescent lights of the local grocery store were blinding. A quiet bustle of people and the beeps of checkout scanners added strange ambience to the pop hits played over the speakers throughout the store. Seungwan and Joohyun were making their way through the aisles, on the hunt for one of the pasta types with the name that Seungwan couldn't pronounce. 

Joohyun eyed what they already had in their shopping cart, a new pan ("To replace the one that Seulgi broke literally the day before she moved out!"), spinach ("To go with the pasta! I don't like it very much, but I think my mother would kill me if I didn't put some green thing on the plate."), and a carton of eggs ("For future breakfasts!"). There were quite a few miscellaneous items under the food, a couple bags of potato chips and an assortment of candy from peach rings to whoppers. Interesting selections, likely driven by Seungwan's empty stomach's cravings. Joohyun needs to remind her to never shop when hungry.

As Seungwan stooped down to check the boxes on the lower shelves, biting her lip in adorable, and arguably unnecessary concentration, Joohyun sparks a conversation. "So your idea of a fun thing to do was take me out to run errands?"

"I thought I introduced this whole trip with the word boring somewhere in there," Seungwan says pointedly, almost sarcastically. Spotting the proper pasta, Seungwan's smile widens, pulling it from the shelf with flourish. "May I present..." She does a weird flamboyant hand twirl. "Con..." Squinting, she brings the box closer to her face, trying to read the label, "Conchee glee?... Conchiglie pasta!" The singer grins with triumph. "I like this type because the sauce sticks to the pasta well." Her bravado makes her look like a toddler presenting at show and tell.

There were so many things to pick apart here, Joohyun just couldn't choose what to make fun of first. Her horrible pronunciation? Her weird display like a failed bird mating ritual? Her insistence on finding this very specific shell-shaped pasta for it's sauce-adherence properties? If Joohyun didn't find every aspect of this interaction too shockingly cute, she would've picked on them all. Instead, she wordlessly takes the box from Seungwan's hands and places it in the shopping cart as a stranger steps into the aisle. It was the genie's duty to protect her master from any more potential instances of embarrassment, after all (though there was definitely a side benefit in sparing herself from the perils of secondhand embarrassment). 

As they move on to the next aisle, Joohyun continues talking. "I didn't really pin you to be the cooking type, what with all of the takeout you've ordered for us these past few weeks." 

"I wouldn't say that I'm really big on cooking. It's kind of time intensive, especially if I'm really in the zone with songwriting," Seungwan answers honestly.

"So what I'm hearing is that you're a bad chef and going to poison me with your weird pasta shape."

The singer just chuckles. "Why don't we find out then? If you get poisoned, it was entirely unintentional."

Joohyun pulls a face, nose wrinkled in disgust at the idea of food poisoning. "Those don't sound like great odds. Why don't you just wish for a meal? That's been working out pretty well on the very rare days you're not ordering something."

"Felt like doing something special is all," She shrugs. "Nothing wrong with a little effort sometimes." They make their way to the produce aisle, freezers cooling the air at the edge of the supermarket. 

Joohyun feels her hands growing numb, tucking them into her sweater as Seungwan rifles around for parsley. "You're so weird. Magic at your fingertips and yet you don't use it that often. Why is that?"

"Strange change of topic for the grocery store, but I guess I'll indulge you. I don't really see the point in using magic for things that I can accomplish myself sometimes. It's like I'm not really living if everything is done for me." Seungwan breaks her focused searching, turning to Joohyun. "Is it weird to want to live authentically?"

Joohyun considers Seungwan's response, before slowly nodding. "I guess not. Do these little things give you joy?"

"They do, especially when I can do them with someone I enjoy being around." Seungwan doesn't look at Joohyun as she says that, simply sliding the herbs into the produce bag. She can't see how that threw Joohyun off guard. She can't see how Joohyun is blushing.

But the singer turns around quickly, sneakers squeaking across the linoleum. Joohyun averts her eyes, pretending to count the tiles underneath their feet. Seungwan edges closer to her, Joohyun watching her white sneakers firmly plant themselves within the borders of each white square, advancing like a knight across a chess board, intentions of taking the queen. The sneakers stop in the tile directly in front of her. Checkmate. 

Seungwan pitches up her voice, drawling out, "Joohyun~"

She whips around, scrambling for a reason to avoid looking into Seungwan's eyes. "What's next on the list? Did we need milk? We should probably head on over to the dairy --" The genie feels a hand wrap around her wrist, fingers slowly curling around the space right above the silver bracelet. The heat from her cheeks seems to spread to the rest of her body. She definitely can't turn around now, thoughts running every direction. They still at the feeling of Seungwan gently placing her chin on the genie's left shoulder.

She can almost see Seungwan's pout from the way she's speaking, imagining the jut of her bottom lip and puffed out cheeks. The singer always remarked how she was the least cute person that you could ever meet, but Joohyun thought that she was wrong. Seungwan gives out a low mumble, chin bobbing on Joohyun's shoulder with every syllable, "You aren't going to tell me that you enjoy being with me too?"

Joohyun nervously laughs, "And why would I say that?"

The weight of Seungwan's head disappears. Her hand doesn't. "So you don't then?" The fingers tighten, as if in an attempt to convey more sincerity, more insecurity.

"No, I..." Joohyun looks down at the hand around her wrist. She considers a joke to break the tension, before rejecting the idea. It would be okay to tell her the truth. "I do. I enjoy being with you."

She feels a tug on her arm. "How do I know you mean it if you don't turn and tell me?"

Joohyun rolls her eyes. "And you call me childish."

"Humor me?"

Slowly, the genie pivots on her heels, feeling the friction of her flats across the floor. She still can't manage to look Seungwan directly in the eyes, eyes focusing on her gold necklace as she says, "I enjoy being with you."

"Hmm..." Seungwan brings her hand to her chin in mock contemplation. "Not convinced."

"Oh come on, Seungwan, let's just go get that stupid milk." Joohyun utters as she turns back around, now frustrated and still very embarrassed. She takes the first step in the direction of the freezers across the large room, but is stopped by a weak pull on her arm.

"I wish for you to tell me the truth."

"Okay, fine. The truth is you're being kind of annoying right now, Seungwan," Joohyun prods. 

Seungwan smirks, "Tell me something I don't know. But that's not really what I was hoping for." She takes an infinitesimally small step forward, closing the gap between them by a centimeter, a millimeter even. Though Joohyun couldn't approximate with that much accuracy, what she did know was that her heart was beating that much faster. Seungwan's eyes flash with amusement, knowingly. "Could you use magic, Joohyun? A sort of truth potion wish?"

The genie raises her eyebrow, the suddenness and oddity of the request shaking her from her stupor. "You're really going to waste a wish like that?"

"That's only if you see it as a waste. I don't. I wish for you to tell me the truth about how you feel about me." Seungwan thinks for a second, before tacking on, "How you feel about me in general, not only right now. I already got the answer to that one." She looks smug, like she just evaded some sort of magical loophole. She probably did, actually.

Joohyun doesn't see a way out of this. "Whatever suits you, master. Your wish is my command." She snaps, the engravings on her bracelet turning a dim blue. Seungwan waits patiently, bracing herself for some more pointed statements and snark.

Magic courses through Joohyun, heart calming, nerves steadying. She feels artificial confidence, driving the truth off her tongue, forgetting the sensation of Seungwan's hand around her wrist that is shooting flames up her arm. "I do enjoy being with you. I like you far more than you think. I really do..." Joohyun pauses, "...like you, that is." She soon turns indignant, pressing a finger to Seungwan's chest. "So stop asking me about it and know it!"

"Wow, Joohyun." Seungwan now dons a megawatt grin, giving Joohyun's arm a playful squeeze before she lets go. "Almost sounds like a confession."

The magic fades, blue light dissipating until the bracelet returns to its original cool silver. Joohyun crosses her arms. "Are you happy now? You just wasted a wish on four sentences."

"Correction: four very good, very worthwhile sentences, Joohyun. And yes, if you're still wondering," Seungwan slides her hand into Joohyun's as her other clasps the edge of the cart, finally dragging the pair toward the dairy section, "I'm very happy."

After grabbing everything they need, and a few extra items of junk food, they head toward the checkout line. Passing by the display of flowers near the entrance of the store. Joohyun lingers by the stand for a minute, admiring the assortment of roses, chrysanthemums, and daisies. Her eyes were caught on a particular set of flowers, striped carnations. The tinges of pink along the edges were captivating, like an ideal example of beautiful imperfection. So it was spring after all.

Seungwan takes notice of the soft smile gracing the genie's face, lips instinctively curling upward. She doesn't acknowledge it verbally, but not without remarking internally how good Joohyun would look with a flower in her hand. 

With the beeps of the scanner and a polite interaction with the cashier, Seungwan swipes a card to end their grocery escapade. Joohyun waits at the other end of the conveyor belt, collecting the bags and neatly placing them in the shopping cart. She notices rice cakes come down the belt, fish cakes, and green onions following. Ingredients for tteokbokki. Joohyun doesn't remember placing them in the cart. Throwing a questioning look at Seungwan, she gets a response. "Thought you said you liked it. Maybe I can show you my mom's recipe one of these days." The genie can only nod, silently much more appreciative of this seemingly small act than she lets on.

They roll the cart past the automatic doors, Seungwan happily humming a song that Joohyun doesn't recognize. The air is slightly cool, day just past the peak of noon. The parking lot of the plaza was nearly empty, most people having already returned to work following their lunch breaks. 

Abruptly, Seungwan brings the cart to a halt. "Hey, Joohyun, do you mind waiting a second? I think I forgot to get something. I'll run in real quick." Seungwan gestures at the store as she begins to backpedal toward the automatic doors.

"Wait, I thought we checked off everything on the list. I mean," She starts shuffling through her pocket for the note she wrote down. "I can check, I have it right here!"

But Seungwan isn't listening, simply waving off her comments dismissively. "Oh, don't worry about it. I swear I'll only be a second."

And with that, she disappears behind the entrance's tinted glass, leaving Joohyun in front of this near empty parking lot. She watches a mother buckle her child into the car seat, leaning down to kiss their forehead. She watches a person struggle to stack all of their groceries in their trunk, frustratedly clicking the door before they hear the rustle of falling bags, leaning against the back of the car and slumping as they sigh. Then she hears footsteps behind her, the perfect cadence of a 4/4 time signature. She knew it was Seungwan. As the genie readied herself to turn around, Seungwan stopped her.

"Wait! Before you turn around, I just want to keep it a surprise, just for a little bit."

"If you surprise me with some cabbage you forgot to buy, I think I'll kill you."

Seungwan laughs airily, and Joohyun imagines the smile on her face. "Then I guess my life is spared." Joohyun hears a few more footsteps, accompanied by a hand on her shoulder. "Seungwan?"

She almost thinks the singer's hand is shaking. Unconsciously, she brings up her own to place on top of Seungwan's. Her hands were cold from the refrigerated grocery store environment. Were they trembling from the cold, or was it nerves?

"I just wanted to say that I know we haven't been together for very long, but I'm glad you're with me. And I'm sorry that I can't be better, more interesting, more organized. I'm sorry that I'm annoying and that I'm weird and scattered, that I'm not some cool pirate or crime lord or art curator like your past masters. I'm sorry that I don't even know how to make proper wishes, sorry that I waste your time." Joohyun imagines Seungwan's habit, knows from the faint scent of vanilla that she's ruffling her hair, scratching the back of her neck nervously.

Joohyun wants to stop her, wants to turn around and wrap her in her arms and tell her to shut up. Be quiet, Seungwan. You're wrong. Wrong about everything. 

She shifts to turn around, to do just that, but is interrupted yet again.

"Wait, wait." Seungwan's voice comes out shakier than she intended. "This is so weird to be doing in front of the grocery store. I'm sorry for that too. I didn't mean for this to turn into such a mess. I'm sorry." Joohyun wants to tell her to stop saying that. There's nothing to apologize for. She can only manage a light caress of Seungwan's hand, thumb tracing circles. Seungwan takes that as a cue to continue. "I wanted to say thank you. For everything. I know that being a genie is like, your whole job, but it still means so much to me. You should know that I think of you as more than that. You mean so much to --" Seungwan removes her hand without finishing that statement. "I should probably just stop talking. You can turn around now."

So Joohyun does, confronted with the view of Seungwan holding a bouquet of flowers, striped carnations, the pink dancing around the rim of each white petal. The sunlight was filtering through the slats of the supermarket awning, leaving Seungwan striped with sunlight, like the flowers she was holding. She looked so soft, nervous, her feet shuffling ever so slightly, one hand fiddling with the seam of her coat pocket as the other hand clutched the stems of the flowers, knuckles white. "I saw you looking at the flowers earlier, so... so here it is. I- I didn't quite know which to get but I saw you looking at these ones in particular. I thought they were pretty," Seungwan stammers. 

Even with an awareness of all that magic could do, Joohyun finds this is more than she could wish for. She realizes for the first time why Seungwan was so special. She made her forget she was a genie. And so for the first time, Joohyun gave in to her desires.

Nigh leaping forward, she embraced Seungwan, enveloping herself in the scent of fresh laundry and vanilla that she had been craving. 

"Hey, watch out for the flow--" Seungwan moves the bouquet out of the way as Joohyun wraps her arms around the shorter's torso, hugging her tightly. Her arms are still awkwardly thrown to her sides, clearly caught by surprise from Joohyun's sudden affection. "And I always thought that Seulgi was the only one to give bear hugs," She laughs.

"Won't you shut up, Seungwan?" Joohyun buries her head in the crook of Seungwan's neck. 

"I must talk too much, huh?"

Joohyun can't help but give a sardonic retort. "Yeah, you really know how to run your mouth."

"Sorr--"

Joohyun backs away for a second, loosening her hold on Seungwan as she presses a finger to her lips. "Don't you dare apologize again." Seungwan looks on the verge of instinctively responding with another apology, but Joohyun's glare shoots her down. "Now listen to me. I don't care about you being like my other masters. It's impossible to compare you." Seungwan looks slightly dismal, as if her fears of being uninteresting had been fulfilled with the single statement. Joohyun catches her face fall, quick to correct her assumption. "You're better." The light returns to the singer's eyes, and Joohyun's snark returns. "You'd think that making me tell the truth via magic would've been enough to assuage your concerns." Seungwan lips purse. "But I can see that's not the case, so..." Joohyun leans in, voice growing quieter, words fragile enough to break. "I really meant it when I said that I enjoy being around you. You might not think that this is most exciting life, but I don't think I've ever needed one. I've had more than enough." She takes Seungwan's free hand, pressing it to her chest, heart thrumming through her sternum. "I find that every moment with you is an adventure. My heart beats twice as fast as it ever did on the high seas. I exist with you."

"How did you know to grant that wish of mine?" Seungwan's eyes risk a glance at Joohyun's lips, feels pulled closer to them in the gravitational field labeled Joohyun, an astronomical phenomenon. But like a stray asteroid with too much velocity, she flings out of orbit. Seungwan pulls back and out of Joohyun's grasp, using awkward laughs to fill the void that her anxiety created. "Maybe you should get that checked out then. I could take you to a doctor, or something." 

Joohyun just lets a low chuckle escape, still a little flustered herself, and honestly slightly impressed with her courage. She takes the bouquet from Seungwan's hands, being careful not to crush the flowers as she holds the bundle close to her chest. "If I had a real heart problem, I think I would've died a long time ago." 

Seungwan smiles. "I'm glad you didn't, then." Her face lights up as inspiration strikes. "If you did, you wouldn't be able to learn the reason why I exist."

"Oh really, what's that?" Joohyun asks, partly curious, partly unbelieving.

Eyes with a playful glint, Seungwan places one foot at the base of their momentarily forgotten shopping cart, arms poised on the handle. She then brings one arm down, using it to gesture toward Joohyun. "Step onto the ledge in front of me and hold onto the handle."

Joohyun shoots an incredulous look. "Let me get this straight. You want me to ride this shopping cart?"

"In short, yes." Seungwan receives more confused, doubtful expressions from the genie. Exasperated, she exclaims, "Just trust me!" 

Before Seungwan starts making puppy dog eyes, Joohyun cautiously steps onto the cart, wrapping her small hands around the red bar. Suddenly, she feels Seungwan's hands attach themselves to the handle, one on either side of her own, enclosing her.

"Hold on tight!"

Seungwan starts running, before pushing off with just a single foot. They're headed straight for the yellow bumps that line the edge of the sidewalk, Joohyun tightening her grip in anticipation for what's sure to be a rocky trip.

"This is my favorite part!"

The ground underneath them transitions from gray stone to yellow plastic, the wheels of the shopping cart bouncing with every blister. The sensation radiates upward, as if Joohyun had put her feet on the electronic foot massagers they put at rest stops in theme parks. She feels grounded, flighty, all at once. The ride doesn't stop there however, Seungwan continuing to push them down through the parking lot in the direction of her car. Joohyun closes her eyes. She doesn't think about how childish this is, doesn't think about the onlookers who probably thought that they were crazy. She forgets her fear of speed, forgets her inhibitions. All she can manage to do is let herself get lost in the breeze that the singer was generating, lost in the warmth of Seungwan's arms surrounding her. Together, they soar across the asphalt, and Joohyun almost gives into the urge of letting go, spreading her arms out like the wings of a falcon in a jet stream. She doesn't, though. This was already enough thrill seeking for her. Instead, one hand is clutching the bouquet and handle simultaneously, careful to not let go. One petal. Two petals. Three. Wisps of the pastel colors flit around, suspended in air behind them, a puppeteer's work dangling on strings. She doesn't let the disappearance of stray petals faze her, almost like leaving behind a blazing trail of the season, petals caught aflame. Too soon, she feels Seungwan drag her feet along the ground, slowing them down as easily as applying brakes to a car. The hands of the grand designer let go. The petals, once suspended, drift to the asphalt, staining the black mix of minerals and petroleum white and pink. Though it ends, Joohyun feels like this is a new beginning.

As they stopped, they were breathless, chests heaving up and down in pace.

"Was it fun? Isn't it a great reason to exist?"

Joohyun doesn't have the words to reply. If she did, she would probably say that if she had any wish at all, she would wish for a lifetime to exist with Seungwan. Instead, all she can say is:

"Yes. It is."