Chapter 12 

❝I wish to become human.❞

Krystal

"So... what movie do you want to watch?" Luhan asked, palms gripping the steering wheel of his Audi as I gritted my teeth on the passenger's seat. I gave him an arched brow, curling my lip in anger. He was actually serious about this movie thing??

"I don't want to go out with you" I replied as I attempted to escape the car. Before I could even open the door, it automatically locked and with a bit of his stupid magic, I was stuck.

"I told Lydia we're having a movie date." Luhan started the engine. "So that's what we're going to do."

I scoffed in disgust. "Date?" I rolled my eyes, turning my body towards him. "Dates are for people you’re interested in having a relationship with, in case you’ve forgotten...." I cupped my hands around my mouth, visualizing a megaphone to his ear. "I DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH YOU." I wore the hood of my sweater over my head; raising my flip-flops into a lotus position, exposing my legs with the short-shorts I was wearing.

 Not my best fashion statement outfit, but why even bother impressing HIM for our so-called 'date'?

"Sadly, everything I do has everything to do WITH YOU" Luhan emphasized the last part of his statement. He stopped at the red light, rotating his head at my direction. "So tell me... what movie do you want to watch?"

I sat in silence, contemplating whether I should answer his question or not. If I did answer, that would mean I’d be giving in to all his demands. When, technically, he just stated that everything I did pretty much concerned him... so, don't I always have the upper hand?? I gave a sly smile to myself, creating a plan.

"You want to watch a movie??" I sat back, running my fingers through my hair, taking off my hood, trying to hide my smirk. "Then, fine... let's watch a movie. Anddd, I know the PERFECT place."

I hope he enjoyed princess-related films.

Luhan

"Hooray!!" Krystal threw her hands up in the air as soon as she made me park in the dead center of the partly filled parking lot. "They're playing The Little Mermaid tonight!!" She clapped in joy, getting out of the car, propping herself on the hood of my car.

"Uhm... A Drive-In Movie theater?" I asked no one in particular as I exited my Audi. I scanned few of the other parked cars that faced a huge white screen. The Little Mermaid? This was not the 'movie date' I had in mind. First of all, I didn't even intend for this to be a date. It was more of a tactic for me to extract more information from Krystal. I wanted to know more about her past, and then conceive a way to use it against her.  Second, out of all the movies in theaters now... she HAD to pick this one.

I’ve had my fair share of granting wishes to mermaids, and this mermaid-to-human story was overly cliché, in my opinion.

"You said you wanted to watch a movie, correct? So, this is a place to watch movies and here we are, watching a movie" Krystal claimed, arranging the varieties of food she made me buy for her at the concession stand. She took the bucket of popcorn and placed it in between us. "Have you never been to a drive-in theater before?"

I shook my head, "I don't think I've ever had a master taking me to these kinds of places before." Actually, this may be the first time that any master of mine has taken me out for the purpose of just 'going out and having fun.' My masters would usually take me places to point out a wish related to it. So, wait a second... did this mean Krystal was going to wish for something tonight? I mean, this place is ancient… Maybe she was going to wish to restore this place? Wait. Of course not, this is Krystal Park we’re talking about... Maybe she just wants to revisit an old memory here. Time traveling was a wish I could grant...

"Why did you take me here instead of just taking me to a regular movie theater?" I asked as she started to adjust herself, laying her back on the front shield of my car, looking towards the screen. "Do you maybe have a certain memory to reminisce that you would like to relieve again or…?" I left the question hanging since her change in facial expression told me that she knew where I was going with my sentence.

"If this movie date thing was your way to get me to wish something by using your charms, then I think you should think twice." She waved her hand in front of my face as she started biting into what looked like bread on a stick. "I do owe you for taking me out of the house since... you know..." She turned her head towards me. "She-who-must-not-be-named was there." Krystal took another bite of her bread and diverted her attention back to the screen that rolled some commercials.

I crooked my head in confusion at the girl facing me. What kind of a character was this girl? One time, she'll be a sassy . The next, she'll go on and become a crybaby. Then another time, she'll be... human. I sat back against the windshield, shaking my head, which was becoming oddly light, as if I was getting dizzy. Krystal was definitely like no other master I’ve had, that's for sure. And yes, I’ve had stubborn difficult masters before. Yet somehow, I always found my way around them and returned home in a reasonable period of time. Sometimes those took extreme tactics and magic that may or may not interfere with the balance of fate and nature. I would use those tactics on Krystal, but the length of my stay here was now turning into under the average of "reasonable" amount of time a genie usually stayed with its master.

Besides, I found it fun to mess around with Krystal, trying to... figure her out.

Krystal

"So you find me charming, huh?" Luhan smirked. He snapped his finger as a pillow appeared on his hands, placing it behind his head for more comfort.

"Just eat your Corn Dog and shut up." I picked up his corn dog, throwing it at hit his head; it bounced off and landed into the bucket of popcorn. "The movie is starting now."

As the commercials started to play, I held the straw of my drink and took a sip. I turned to check my surroundings and caught Luhan staring at the corn dog I had thrown at his head, now in his hand.

"What the hell are you staring at that for?" I yelled in a hushed tone. "I didn't poison it or anything, if that's what you’re wondering." Luhan kept his mouth shut, not retorting. I sat up in such a quick matter that I startled Luhan a bit. "Is this your first time trying a-a corn dog, Luhan??" I stifled a laugh behind my hand, seeing the serious look on his face, inspecting the food on the stick.

"T-this doesn't really have corn and dog meat in it... does it?" He sniffed the food carefully as I held my stomach keeping my laughter.

"You've lived for how long now and served how many masters and you've NEVER had one of these pieces of heaven before??" I snatched the stick out of his hand, wagging it like a pendulum in front of him. "Come on now... You have GOT to be pulling my chain." I hovered the corn dog above my lips. "Or... Wait a second, is this supposed to be some kind of I-should-feel-sorry-for-you tactic and then lead me into some sob story where I find out that you--HEY!" Luhan dove at my direction, biting off a chunk of the corn dog. I gasped, surprised at the sudden action. If I didn't know any better, it seemed as if he was aiming to kiss me; watching him chew with those luscious lips though... I wouldn't mind it if he did.

ONLY BECAUSE OF THAT DAMN, GENIE HUMAN-ATTRACTING CHARM; NO FEELINGS ATTACHED WHAT SO EVER.

"It's good" Luhan nodded in approval. He took a sip of his drink, taking the corn dog he had bitten out of my hand. He took another bite, "REALLY good."

"Why the hell did you do that?!" I wiped the untraceable saliva that might have gotten on my hand or arm from his ferocious bite.

"You talk too much," he casually replied as he lay back on the windshield again, twirling the corn dog around like a wand. "Maybe it's your turn to shut up so we can watch the movie, hmmm?"

I gawked at him in awe. Did he just tell me that I talked too much? Did he just tell me to shut up? I let out a faint "ha" under my breath, returning to my previous position on the windshield. What was his problem anyways? One time, he'll be flirty with me. Another time, he's controlling and bossing ME around. At rare times, he was... human, in a way; in a way where I didn't see his genie intentions, where his actions left me confused. Instead, I had a feeling that maybe... just maybe... He was doing it for himself. And if that was true... Did that mean he was... growing interest in me?

Was I... growing interest in him??

A shiver ran through my body, thinking about the thoughts that had just crossed my mind. Me, interested in him?! Ha. In HIS dreams...

I suddenly felt a heavy piece of fabric fall on top of me, putting my world in a blackout state for a few seconds. I pulled the fabric away from my face, finding that it was a pink, fleece blanket. I gaped at Luhan who was facing the screen and shrugged.

"If you get sick and end up sleeping all day and night to recover, I can't get any wishes out of you."

I rolled my eyes at his statement but wrapped the blanket around my body, regardless of his excuse. He didn't ask for me to "wish for a blanket", huh? That’s a first... Maybe he did it because he cared for my well-being and he actually--NO. What the hell was I thinking?!

"So, have you and Jay made up yet?" I craned my head to the left, noticing that Luhan was creating another corn dog out of his magical hands. "It seemed like it when you were hugging him earlier. But then again, that could be your horrible acting skills as well."

"Pssht, horrible acting skills?" I kept my eyes glued to the screen as I watched Ariel singing with the sea creatures about living Under the Sea. "Excuse me, but I--"

"Eh-eh-eh" Luhan interrupted me. "Stop avoiding questions by talking about yourself and just answer my first question."

I huffed in defeat. Ugh, he got me there... "No, I haven't made up with him, alright?" I grabbed the tub of popcorn and placed it on my stomach for easier access.

"Why not?" Luhan was adding fuel to a small fire of hatred that was igniting in the pits of my heart. He wasn’t a psychologist to be asking these types of questions. Luhan had NO business in it, but since his obligation as a genie was to twist my words and force a wish out of me... I decided to answer it simply, but straight to the point.

"Because that's his punishment for talking about our past: 2 days of semi-communication from me, then we’re back to normal as if it never happened." I stuffed my mouth with popcorn to keep myself from answering anymore of his impending inquiries.

It was an argument routine that Jay and I always sustained when we were mad at each other. Jay would usually be the reasonable one, being the first to apologize, even when it was clearly my fault. He had the courage to admit his mistakes and sometimes, he would face the consequence for others, just so everything could go back to normal.

"Noona... I-I told Appa that it was all me... that I broke the vase..." Little Jay with his mushroom haircut said to my elementary student self.

"Y-you said what?"

"I told him that I broke the vase, okay?" Jay's beady little eyes focused on my Hello Kitty dress as he opened his arms, wrapping it around my legs.

"Why would you do that?"

"Because I don't want you to be mad at me anymore!" Jay looked up at me with his tear-streaked face. "I just want Krystal Noona to be happy all the time!!"

"Well from what I see of the situation, it's in a way... both of your faults," Luhan broke my sudden momentary flashback. "Therefore, you two should apologize to each other."

"Both of our faults?" I sat up quickly, almost causing the tub of popcorn to almost tip over. "Why am I at fault? Jay is the one who opened his mouth about the past when I specifically told him not to do that, unless it was necessary."

"Yes, but part of your past is his past too. Especially since your half-siblings and--"

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" I held my palms in front of Luhan. "How do you know we're half-siblings?!" No one at school knows. Not even my best friends or my own boyfriend knew that. No one was supposed to know whatsoever.

"Jay told me last night" Luhan revealed in his it's-no-big-deal tone. I clenched a big chunk of the blanket that still covered me. How much information had this Genie boy pulled out from my brother?

"What else did he tell you??" I gritted my teeth. I was building up evil energy from the Ursula scene that was now playing on the screen.

"Oh well, a story or two, here and there..." Luhan was testing my anger, taking a bite of his third corn dog. "You know, if you're really interested in knowing what he told me... you could wish to travel back in time or a realistic flashback and--OOMPH!"

Luhan

Did she just stick a corn dog in my mouth to shut me up?

"You talk too much" Krystal reasoned while giving me a small smirk. Using my own words against me, huh?

When she turned to face the screen again, I pulled the corn dog out of my mouth, taking a bite out of it. What was with this girl and her past? I know as a genie I shouldn't be so interested in it since what matters most is the present. And as of present, my mission was to grant my master’s wishes. But for some reason, I didn't want to force it out of her using magic. For some reason, I wanted her to tell me frankly why she was avoiding to reveal her past.

For some reason though, I actually cared to... know more... about her.

"Would you stop staring at me?" Krystal puffed without even having to turn her head the slightest bit. "I know I may be a sight to see, but please keep your eyes on the screen."

I let out a small laugh, shaking my head. Nonetheless, I focused my sight to the screen; it was now the part where Prince Eric finds Ariel. I haven’t debunked any GOOD information on her that would do me an advantage thus far. Maybe it was time I pull out a soft tactic to coax it out of her.

"Let's play game" I announced while keeping my eyes on the screen. I could sense my master's glare land upon my figure, analyzing my challenge. "We ask questions about each other. If the one being questioned answers--" I placed the last corn dog in between us. "Then he or she gets to scoot towards the corn dog, but if the one being questioned doesn’t answer, then the one questioning gets to scoot closer. Whoever gets to the center first, wins the corn dog for him or herself." I shifted my gaze towards her. "Deal?"

Krystal laughed at first. After a while, to my surprise, she nodded, agreeing to the game. We scooted on opposite directions of the car’s edge to start. I signaled for her to ask first.

"Hmmmm..." She tapped her chin, considering possible questions. Then she snapped her finger and pointed at me, "How many girlfriends have you had in the past?"

So these were the things that have been on her mind, huh? I smirked; I knew how to divert this into my favor. "Too many to count, to be honest," I scooted a bit. "My turn?" She nodded. "How many boyfriends have YOU had in the past?"

"Too many to count, to be honest" she mimicked me as she scooted as well. "Speaking of girlfriends... anyone you are interested in at school right now? Other than mwah, of course." Krystal flipped her hair playfully, pointing to herself as "mwah" in her statement.

I tried to keep myself from smiling as I decided to play around with that pretty little brain of hers. "I will kindly decline answering that question." I saw Krystal's brows scrunch.

"Wait, what? Decline?" She asked in confusion as she scooted towards the middle. I was definitely getting to her now. "So you do like somebody?!" She feigned a gasp, bringing her manicured nails above her lips, then positioned it on her chest. "It's me isn't it?" She fluttered her eyelashes. "I'm sorry, but I already have a boyfriend and it's not you."

"I thought it was my turn to ask," I raised a brow, without acknowledging her statement. We both knew that we were dallying at this point, but the next question I was going to ask... well, let's just say that things were going to escalate rather quickly.

I was going to win that delicious piece of food on the stick.

"Speaking of liking people... Why do you not like Lydia?" I saw the playful smile on Krystal's face turn sour. I could tell she was struggling to decide whether she should answer or not. I had her in the bag.

"Because--" I saw her slowly moving towards the corn dog, cheating her way through the game. "Because--”

"Eh-eh-eh!" I scooted myself closer to the middle, using my long arms to push her back a bit. "You didn't answer my question. You don't get to move."

Krystal sighed, "I should have known this game was going to go THERE. Fine, two can play at the game..." She propped her elbow under her head and turned her body, facing me. "My question to you is...why do you care??"

"You’re my master. It's my duty to know things about my master in order to grant wishes that are proper to his/her particular situation" I partly lied through my teeth; partly because that was the original intention of a Genie. We we're created to help. The Sea Witch had stated more than a few times herself that we were poor, unfortunate souls. She said each wish we offered came with consequences thereafter; whether good or bad, it didn't matter.

I pushed myself towards the goodness of the stick, making me one step closer to it. It was now Krystal's turn to push me. "Yah! Why the huge scoot? Cheater! Move back!!" She tried to nudge me again, but my well built upper body made her shoving useless.

"I considered my answer to be worthy for such a question, so... I deserved the large scoot." It was my turn to flutter my eyelashes. "If you would have answered that question about Lydia, then maybe, I would have allowed you to scoot closer as well."

She displayed a frown on her face then sighed. Was she going to finally say it? She opened , contemplating whether she should say something, but with her quick reflexes, she snatched the corn dog. Not quick enough though, since I had grabbed her wrist before she could succeed.

Krystal

I looked at his hand that gripped my wrist, then back at Luhan. Damn it, I should have known that he would have these kinds of reflexes.

He was Mr. Perfect-Genie-Boy, after all.

"Krystal, why do you not like Lydia?" Luhan dared to ask, holding my gaze. I couldn't tell if he was putting some kind of spell on me, but I was on the verge of spilling everything to him. The look in his eyes... it didn't contain the hazy look that he usually had when he controlled people. So for once, was he actually being sincere about the question? What was this feeling in my stomach? Were these... butterflies?!

"I-It's not that I-I don't like her in t-that way" I found myself mumbling quietly to Luhan. "It's just... I just..."

"Just what?" He asked in a low whisper that matched my tone. His features slowly grew in size as I realized that he was actually getting closer. I felt my personal bubble being gradually penetrated; the walls that I had built up for myself were starting to crumble down. What was it about this guy that was making me want to reveal everything to him? Maybe it was his Genie charm that was coming into play... Before I knew it, I felt a sudden pain in my chest start to form.

"I-I don't want Lydia to replace Omma. I don't want Appa to forget Omma. I don't want to forget Omma..." I found myself looking down, holding in tears. "I'm afraid that Lydia will take Appa away from the only other person that still remembers Omma the way she was. If Appa forgets about her, I'm afraid that she will slowly fade from me too. A-And I don't want that to happen." This wasn’t the usual fake tears to hide my true feelings. No, these were real tears...

Luhan broke open a side of me no one ever had.

The grip around my wrist loosened, I pulled my hand back dropping the corn dog back to its container. As I was about to bury my face on my knees, I felt a hand caress my cheek. I looked up and Luhan was gazing at me, wiping away my tears. He was dangerously in close proximity right now; such close proximity that I was getting this funny feeling in my stomach. A weird, yet soothing chill ran over the places where Luhan was wiping my tears with his thumbs.

"You know, just because your Appa is dating Lydia, it doesn't mean that he's trying to replace your Omma" Luhan said as he slowly pulled me into a comforting hug, my face dug unto his chest, allowing me to inhale that intoxicating smell of his. "If anything, he's just trying to find someone just as good as her to try and get back the love that your Omma gave him when she was still alive." I felt him pat my head. "Besides, moving on doesn't mean that one is completely over that person. Sometimes, it just means that you’re finally strong enough to pick yourself up to continue to live." He retracted slightly and used his fingers to lift my chin to face him. He wiped more of my tears away. "Life never stops moving forward, it’s just your choice whether you want to move forward with it or not." As if his words weren't enough to throw my body into complete overdrive, a certain song in the movie was now adding to the effect.

Was Kiss the Girl really playing at this moment?!

"Krystal, you should probably give Lydia a chance." He wiped the last of my tears. "By the way, Jay tells me that she's not like the other women your dad dated before." He held out his pinky. "Promise me... you'll try to get to know Lydia a little more? Open up to her and all..."

I stared at his pinky then back at the small, sensible grin he was giving me. I nodded as I watched my pinky connect with his, our thumbs touching. When I looked up, he still had that grin on his face. This time, he gave me a wink. He leaned in and gave me a kiss on the forehead. My eyes widened at the sudden move.

I guess he wasn't too shy to kiss the girl.

Officially Posted on

August 22, 2015
 

Author's Note 

Long time no talk, eh? 

Well, just wanted to stop by & say thank you for reading my story! (: It really means a lot to me for readers new & old to be giving support to my crazy imagination xD 

All right, anyways...if you enjoyed the 5 chapter update don't forget to leave a comment & an upvote if you haven't yet. Thanks for reading & hope to see you again soon! 

PS Here's more of my works if your interested: 

Now Playing (OC + EXO Boy)
Diary of an Innocent Girl's Lies (Krystal + Sehun + Kai) 
Ride or Die (OC + Kris + Suho)