Chaejin stared around the dimly lit room filled with candles and really strange scents. One of the scents was beginning to bother his nose, and he felt as if he was about to sneeze. Twitching his nose, he smiled at the reason he was in this strange shop in the mall: Kim Seyong. His friend had paid for the woman to read his palm and tell him his future. 

Chaejin shook his head, thinking it was somewhat silly to be there, in the first place. No one could actually tell you what your future held, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to know about Seyong, anyway. They were too close. 

While his friend was distracted, Chaejin walked over to a shelf that had several bottles of fake potions on it. He was curious about what he would find, so he read each of the bottles. The bottles ranged from sleep potions to potions to make you smarter. He thought that many of them were silly or useless, and the aphrodisiac was flat out embarrassing. However, there was one that drew his attention: a love potion. 

Picking up the glass bottle carefully, Chaejin read the label. 

‘Do you need love? Give this to the person of your dreams, and they will be instantly hooked.’ 

Chaejin sighed, still thinking that it could be silly to buy it. Turning the bottle over several times in his hand, he finally made up his mind and walked over to the counter to buy it. There wasn’t any harm in trying, even if it was a fluke. It wasn’t very expensive, so an experiment like this one wouldn’t hurt his wallet. It wasn’t as if he was actually expecting it to work. Paying to the fake potion, Chaejin slipped it into his backpack. His friend would never know he bought it. 

Once they were on their way back to Seyong’s apartment, Chaejin listened patiently as his friend told him all about his future. As much as he tried to stay interested in the conversation, his mind was wandering to the potion he had just purchased. He wanted to try it out. 

Walking into Seyong’s apartment, Chaejin waited until his friend had settled on the couch to go get a glass of water. While in the kitchen, he dropped two drops into his friend’s water, smiling when the water remained clear. This was the test to see if it would work. He wanted his friend to fall in love with him, and no one else. Once he walked back into the living room, Chaejin smiled at Seyong. “Here you go. I’m sure you’re just as thirsty as I am.” Chaejin took a large sip from his own water, feeling as if he stomach was tying itself into knocks. 

“Thanks!” Seyong grinned at him before taking a drink of the cool liquid. “I’m so thirsty.” He turned to his computer screen, beginning on his homework. 

“You’re welcome,” Chaejin offered a small smile, still curious about whether it would work or not. “I need to go, but I’ll stop by after school tomorrow, okay?” 

“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow. Thanks for going with me to that silly shop,” Seyong grinned at him again. “Are you sure you don’t need a ride home?”

Chaejin nodded, yawning. “I’m sure, but thank you. I’ll walk.” He waved goodbye to his friend, placing his cell phone in his jacket pocket. He smiled when he heard his phone hit the bottle. Tomorrow his friend could fall madly in love with him…or it could be fake and nothing at all would happen. He was prepared to take that chance.

Instead, the next morning, Seyong is on the internet, telling Chaejin that he is looking for the ‘right person.’ He was inspired the night before to find love, so he’s now looking. Chaejin feels stupid, because he’s afraid the potion DID work, but not in the way he wanted it to. 
Seyong begins getting many offers for dates, and goes out with several girls…and a few guys. Chaejin watches in dismay as he is drawn further and further away by this. 

Chaejin worried about the potion all day at school, wondering if it had worked. He got a text from Seyong, checking it immediately. 

‘Annyong, Jinnie! I can’t believe what just happened. You’ve gotta come over. I’ll even help you with your homework…*puppy eyes.*’

Chaejin laughed out loud, even though he felt a knot forming in the pit of his stomach. ‘Okay, I’ll ask the bus driver to drop me off at your house. See you soon. I need help with my math.’ He didn’t get a reply from Seyong, but figured he was busy. While he was on the school bus, he worried about what Seyong wanted to show him. He was very nervous. Once the bus dropped him off, he walked up to Seyong’s apartment and knocked. Seyong yelled for him to enter, and once Chaejin stepped inside, he saw his friend on the computer. 

“Look at this! It’s crazy,” Seyong was so hyper and excited about whatever he wanted to show him. Chaejin sighed, looking at the screen. He was alarmed and dismayed to see that his friend had several messages from both girls and guys who wanted to go out with him. Chaejin couldn’t believe his eyes, but he was sad that his drug had obviously worked, but definitely not how he had been planning. 

Chaejin shook his head, but managed to smile at his friend. “You’re quite popular, Seyong. Wow…”

Seyong jumped up from his seat, hyped up. “Yup! I already have a date with one of the girls tonight. Cool, huh?” 

“Yeah,” Chaejin answered quietly. “Cool. Are you going to help me with my homework?” He reminded his hyung about the reason he had agreed to go to his apartment. 

“Oh! Yeah, that, too. I’ll get on that. Where is it?” Seyong was clearly not listening. 

Chaejin smiled at him. “Thanks. It’s damned trig…I ing hate it and I know that you’re good at, like, everything.” 

“Okay,” Seyong turned back to his computer, scrolling through his messages. “Find where you need help and I’ll just do it for you. It’s not really cheating, is it?”

“That really is cheating, but I’ll take it,” Chaejin frowned, annoyed. ‘You’re not really listening, anyway…,’ he thought, gritting his teeth. “I can always get Junkyu to help me with it, if your dates are keeping you too busy.”
 
Seyong grinned at him. “You might need to, little one.” He noticed Chaejin’s face, and his smile faded. “I’m sorry. Did I say something wrong?” 

Chaejin shook his head. No, Seyong hadn’t said anything wrong, but the drug hadn’t worked correctly. “No. I’m sorry. I think your dates are cool.” He smiled at his friend, acting happy about it. “How many dates do you have lined up, so far?” 

Seyong glanced at the screen, then turned back to Chaejin