Chapter 19 – Get the Heck Away From Me

“She is not to be punished!”

Hyoyeon and everybody else turns towards to sudden intrusion. Hyoyeon’s eyes widen when she recognizes the fairy who is hurrying towards them. She is one of the wise fairies and is no doubt, Seulji’s ticket out of trouble.

“Stop!”

Hyoyeon’s father sighs and speaks patiently, “We were not about to punish her. But she has broken many rules and needs to know that there are consequences.”

“We’ll take charge of her.”

“You can’t just take her and cover up the whole matter.”

“The wise fairies are gathering as we speak. We will discuss it in private.”

“Very well. Just remember that even the wise fairies aren’t above our rules.”

The wise fairy frowns. “We are wise enough to know that, but thank you for your care and concern.”

Hyoyeon watches as Seulji is led out by the wise fairy and turns to her father right after they leave. Seulji had maintained an impassive look while leaving but Hyoyeon had seen a glint in her eyes and knows that she must be smirking on the inside.

“Daddy!”

“I know. I know. We’ll have to leave the wise fairies to deal with her. They must know of things that we don’t.”

“But Daddy!”

“Hyoyeon, you’d better go back to Yuri and Jessica and make sure that they’re alright.”

“Okay…I’ll go…”

Hyoyeon pouts as she leaves but she knows that her father is probably right. Just like the human world, things can get a little shady in her own world too and she needs to let the wise fairies deal with it. Besides, she has friends to tend to. Yuri and Jessica. They should be alright but she’d better check on them to be sure.

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I hold her hand all the way to the beach. It’s the very first place that I want to bring her to because it’s where we met. And by the shy smile that she has on her face, I think she’s with me on this. We walk along the sea, shuffling our feet through the warm sand, listening to the waves coming to shore and luxuriate in the breeze that caresses our skin.

For a long time, we are quiet. Seated on the warm sand at a secluded part of the beach, we simply hold hands and stare at the waves rolling in. My hands aren’t resting though. My thumb is tracing circles on her hand and my free hand is busy with her bare leg. I don’t know why but I can’t stop touching her. The urge to touch her is so strong that I can bear to lift my hands from her skin at all.

My hand is rubbing her calf, squeezing it gently, as my other hand releases her hand to move up her arm to her shoulder. Her legs are propped over mine and her head is resting on my shoulder. We are as close as can be but it’s not enough for me. The more I touch her, the more I want more of her. It feels a little unusual but I can’t figure out whether it’s a good feeling or not.

In a matter of minutes, my arms are wrapped around her and she’s sitting on my lap. My lips seem to have a mind of their own as they pucker up and press on her cheek. Once they start, they don’t stop and I find myself laying my lips on her over and over again, eventually landing on her lips. She kisses me back at first but as my tongue begins to make its move, she retreats and tries to stop.

“Yuri.”

I take no heed on her call and keep on laying my lips on hers, muffling her attempts to speak.

“Mmph…Yu…ri…s…stop.”

I ignore her once again and press my lips even harder, my hands locking around her to keep her close. She pushes both palms against my shoulders in an attempt to push me away but I have my body back and I’m stronger than her.

“Yuri…there are people…mmph…around…”

I hear her pleas for me to stop but a part of me refuses to listen. A part of me wants her so badly that I’m willing to take on the next base right here and now. My hand makes for her thigh and that’s when she shrieks and slaps my hand away real hard. It hurts and I yelp, the pain freezing and stunning me for a moment. She scrambles out of my arms and gets on her feet, a distance away from me.

“What’s wrong with you!” she screams at me and kicks her legs, sending sand into my eyes unwittingly.

“Argh!” I scream and shield my eyes from the flying sand which dampens my urges even further.

“Get the heck away from me!”

“Why?!”

“You’re…you’re a ert!”

“I’m not!”

“Yes you are!”

“I’m not!”

“You won’t stop kissing me!”

“That doesn’t make me a ert!”

“You’re most definitely acting like one!” Sica stands akimbo and frowns.

“Am I? What did I do?”

“You won’t stop kissing me and your hands are all over me. We’re at the beach, Yuri. There are people around but it seems as though you’re going to devour me right here in front of everyone.”

My brows furrow as I think about it. Sica is right. I hadn’t stopped when she asked me to. But I had been too consumed by my feelings for her…my…need to…

Oh my gosh.

“What’s happening to me?” I ask no one in particular as I try to understand why I’m feeling so hot inside. I look at Sica and feel the heat increasing again. It starts from my belly and unfurls, spreading through my body to my limbs and it’s a matter of time before my mind is set on getting my hands on her again.

Sica eyes me warily and backs away when I get onto my feet and approach her.

“Yuri…?”

“Sica…I need to kiss you so bad.”

“No, no, no. You’re not acting normal. Something is wrong with you.”

Sica is backing further and further away and I’m taking longer strides to close the gap between us. My legs are longer than hers and she soon realizes that the gap is closing because she turns around and runs for it.

Run? Sica? Sica is running?

My overheated mind dismisses the uncharacteristic behavior of Sica and commands my legs to chase after her. Yes. Something is going on with me but I have no idea what the problem is and how I ended up this way. In a corner of my mind, the name ‘Seulji’ pops up but it isn’t strong enough to become the focus. No. Every fibre of my being is focused on touching Sica again. All I want to do is to be intimate with her. I need to be intimate with her. I need it so badly.

“Sica! Stop running!” I yell as I chase after her but she doesn’t slow down. But the problem doesn’t just lie with her, I realize. The problem lies in the fact that I can’t stop chasing her either. What’s going on?!

Oh gosh. Is Sica right about me? Am I turning into some ert? Is this a side effect of all the spells I’ve been under? But if I’m affected, shouldn’t Sica be affected too?

I’m trying to understand why I can’t keep my hands off Sica while chasing her when she runs right into Yoona and Seohyun.

“Unnie! What’s wrong?” asks Seohyun as Sica runs behind her and holds on to her, fear showing in her eyes.

“Don’t let Yuri come near me,” gasps Sica, thoroughly out of breath from the running.

“Why not?” asks Yoona, casting questioning eyes at me and Sica.

By this time, I’ve caught up with them and am looking keenly at Sica. She’s always been attractive to me but right now, she’s oozing appeal and all I want to do is tear her clothes off and get down and dirty with her. Oh yeah.

A corner of my mind is stricken by the dirty thoughts running through the rest of my mind but it is quickly relegated to the back, out of mind, out of sight. I launch myself at Sica only to be stopped by Yoona.

“Yuri unnie, what’s going on between you and Jessica unnie?”

“Nothing. All I want to do is kiss her.”

Yoona giggles. “Unnie, you’re too blunt. Look, you’re scaring her.”

I grin and fake a left before dashing to the right, effectively dodging Yoona’s bodywall and lunge for Sica. Seohyun is too quick for me, however and manages to block me from reaching for Sica. Meanwhile, Yoona has scrambled back onto her feet and is pulling me away from Sica.

“Sica, I want Sica,” I yell as I struggle against Yoona’s grip.

“Unnie! Get a grip!” grunts Yoona as she uses all her strength (which is a lot) to stop me from going after Sica.

BOOM!

A prone figure appears on the ground right in the middle of the mess of scuffles but no one even stops to look. I’m still trying to get my hands on Sica and Yoona is trying to stop me while Seohyun is putting herself in front of Sica to protect her from me.

“Fridiguseu!” a frantic shriek rings out and suddenly, all of us are standing straight, arms and legs straight and frozen. Only then do I notice Hyoyeon’s presence and everybody else’s dishevelled state.

“People! We’re at the beach!” Hyoyeon hisses in a panicked state, her eyes wide open as she looks at our surroundings. “We can’t draw too much attention to ourselves.”

“Tell that to Yuri. She’s the one who needs to know this,” growls Sica.

“I’m sorry!” I hiss, “I’m trying to stop myself but I can’t!”

“What are you talking about?” Hyoyeon asks, looking puzzled.

“Yuri is acting like a ert.”

“I don’t know why!”

“You can’t stop yourself?” Hyoyeon asks as she walks up to me, putting her hand on my shoulder.

I pout and shake my head.

“Hmm…I feel something. Wait.” Hyoyeon glides her hands over my shoulders and arms, reaching down to my hands and grasping them. “Mmm…I think there’s some sort of spell left in you.”

“What spell?” I gasp.

Hyoyeon closes her eyes and breathes deeply for a moment before snapping her fingers in what must be a moment of enlightenment.

“Libidinis is the spell!”

“What?” we chorus.

“Seulji must have cast it on you when she last saw you. It’s a spell that invokes desire. And that must be the reason for that strange look in her eyes today. She must have been gloating over this, that horrible cousin of mine.”

“It’s good to know all that but what I really need to know is how we can get this spell off me before I scare Sica away from me.”

“Hyoyeon, I want my Yuri back. If I don’t get her back, I’m going to break your neck,” Sica spits her words out so menacingly that even my bones quiver.

“Okay, okay. Don’t worry. I’ll check my e-book of spells now.”

“Can you unfreeze us first?” Yoona asks. “Just leave Yuri frozen.”

“Good idea.”

Hyoyeon pats everybody else’s head and mutters ‘tabesio’ each time she does, undoing the spell that she cast on them. Sadly, I’m left frozen because of the threat I pose to Sica and all I can do is pout.

“Don’t worry, Yuri unnie,” says Seohyun kindly, “Hyoyeon unnie will get you back to normal soon.”

“She’d better, if she wants to live,” growls Sica who is standing so close to Hyoyeon that she’s almost breathing down the fairy’s neck.

“Y-You’re making me nervous.”

“Hurry up, fairy.”

“Okay, okay.” Hyoyeon taps frantically at her phone and I can see drops of perspiration forming on her forehead from the pressure that Sica is putting on her.

And to make matters even more complicated, two cheerful voices greet us as we await Hyoyeon’s spell.

“Hey people! What are you all doing here?”

I turn to look and it’s none other than Taeyeon and Tiffany. They’re holding hands and wearing bright, cheery smiles as they approach us. Everyone swarms over to them, and I would do the same if not for a tiny problem.

I’m still frozen by Hyoyeon’s spell!!!

Luckily for me, Yoona notices my predicament and nudges Seohyun over to stand beside me. She throws her arm around my shoulders and together, we manage to look somewhat natural.

Meanwhile, Jessicais busy waggling her eyebrows at Tiffany. “Why you sneaky girl. When did you close the deal? Why was I not informed?”

“There’s no deal. We didn’t close any deal. We’re holding hands because it’s cold.”

Taeyeon puts on a blank expression and blinks innocently but everyone boos at once.

“Taeyeon, that is the lamest thing I’ve ever heard,” says Jessica with a laugh. “I mean, seriously, do you expect us to believe you?”

Taeyeon breaks into a wide grin as she shakes her head and Tiffany blushes.

“Alright, alright. I just asked Tiffany to be my girlfriend and she said yes. Okay? Are you happy now?”

“I’ll be happy so long as you keep your cheesy lines private,” Sica jests and everybody giggles.

“Oh, that is only the tip of the iceberg, Jessica,” Taeyeon laughs and Tiffany slaps her arm as her blush deepens.

I smile at the sight but a pang in my heart hits me and I realize that I want this for Sica and myself too. I sigh inwardly at the longing for us to have a normal relationship like Taeyeon and Tiffany. When will we be truly free from spells and troubles?

“Psst. We need to get out of here,” Hyoyeon whispers to us amidst the cheer and laughter, breaking my thoughts. “Now.”

Sensing the urgency in Hyoyeon’s voice, I turn to Yoona for help and she nods. There is not better person to come up with something than Yoona.

“Hey, we should leave the lovebirds alone to enjoy in private. Let them go, peeps,” says Yoona, almost immediately.

“Yes, we shouldn’t disturb the couple on their date,” adds Seohyun, for good measure, and sure enough, they get the hint and bid their goodbyes to the lovely couple.

We smile and watch Taeyeon and Tiffany as they continue their stroll down the beach, hand in hand, all smiles and as soon as they’re out of earshot, Sunny asks, “So what’s the plan now?”

“We need to go to Yuri’s place now,” Hyoyeon replies.

“Have you found a way to break the spell already?” Jessica asks, looking anxious.

“I have, but I need to ask Yuri a few questions in private.”

“What for?”

“There are different spell breakers. Depending on what you have or have not done, the spell breakers will vary.”

“What she has or has not done?” Yoona chimes in, her curiosity at large as usual.

“For example, has she held hands with anyone, or kissed anyone after the spell was cast on her.”

I feel a foreboding sense of dread right there and then but I can’t help asking, “What if the answer to both questions is yes?”

Hyoyeon turns to me sharply, eyes wide with alarm. “Who did you hold hands with? Who did you kiss?”

“Sica, of course,” I answer without hesitation.

I spot Sica blushing at my unabashed answer and my lips are about to curl up into a wide grin when Hyoyeon kills it with two simple sounds that have never sounded as ominous before:

Uh oh.

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