I’m not ready for this. I’m not.
Guys, remember when I made a fic about Witch trailer ;~~~;?
I never thought I’d have to write another so quickly, this is so shocking omgasdjhfajksdfh.

I’m gonna deal with as many elements as possible so when the MV comes out and any part appears in the MV I’m gonna say I’m a psychic. /bricked/
And I marathoned Detective Conan and Kaitou Kid is my favourite thief so HOW COULD THEY DO THIS TO ME THIS COMEBACK OMG. For all you guys that don’t understand what I’m talking about, it’s okay. It’s okay. I’m okay.

I think.

-

The lights are dimmed, and the audience left on the edge of their seats. They looked around, neck craned further forward as the crowd all tried their best to see within the darkness.

A sudden burst of light on their left.

The crowd cheered, seeing the previously disappeared magician reappearing on a different stage. The famed magician had disappeared from the center stage and only three seconds later, he reappeared on the left stage – what an amazing feat!

But when they least expected it, the spotlight faded out.

Well, he’d probably need three seconds to get back-

Faces in awe and hands clapped together like seals in the zoo. The magician smirked from his place on the right stage, giving a bow to his standing ovation. He teleported in two seconds to the stage that was further!

But how?!

“And that was the finale. Thank you all for coming to Jo Kwangmin’s magic show tonight, and may you have a great night ahead.”

Waving his hands in the air and then bowing to his audience, the spotlight turned off and there he was on the center stage again! He bowed continuously, smile in place and then he disappeared again!

Taking the left stage, he blew out frivolous kisses and announced it was really the end of the show.

“Good night!”

-

He took confident strides into the huge casino room that housed only a poker table. There were four other faces- five, if you count the masked face. It seems he was the latest one, for one man then turned to take his seat, seemingly annoyed by the wait.

Well, it wasn’t his fault he was late.

“You can stop the masquerade, Jo Youngmin.” A man with sharp gaze and an equally sharp tongue said, causing the said man to flinch.

“I’m sorry?” Youngmin managed, moving forward to the table as rehearsed.

“Jo Youngmin. The older twin, earlier than Jo Kwangmin by six minutes.” Another man joined the conversation, leaning against the table with a slight grin. “Always takes the backstage work, and is the secret to Jo Kwangmin’s famed disappearing act.”

“Famed.” A mocking tone from the man who had his back turned.

“Now, now, they need to make a living too.” Smooth voice and a charming pair of eyes forming crescent shaped moons as he smiled.

Youngmin paused, realising that every face seemed familiar.

“The reason for the difference in mannerism when either twin appears on stage, and for the shorter than expected reappearance time on stage after disappearing.” The man that was leaning against the table continued, reading off a small piece of paper he had prepared beforehand. “And-”

“Hyunseong, stop.” The sharp man cut in, subtle frown showing his annoyance. “Do I need to walk right up to your hidden twin or will Jo Kwangmin save himself from the shame and come out from the two mirrors he used to assimilate himself into the surroundings?”

A sigh, and the said twin emerged from the mirrors that were now visible because he tilted them for his way out.

“How did you know?” Kwangmin raised his eyebrow, walking up to his twin. “Did you walk in confidently as promised?”

“I told you I should be in the mirrors.” Youngmin groaned.

“Doesn’t matter.” A voice came from the table, the man finally turning his head to look at the pair of twins. “We’d know either way.”

“We’re all magicians. We live and breathe your everyday tricks.” The smiling guy then moved closer towards the crowd. “I’m Jeongmin, if you don’t already know me.”

“Isn’t Jeongmin that playboy magician?” Youngmin whispered to his twin, nudging him as the younger twin stared at the other magicians.

“That’s rude.” Jeongmin chuckled, taking Youngmin’s hand and blowing a kiss on the back of it. Youngmin quickly withdrew his hand, surprised when he ended up holding a single stalk of rose. “I don’t usually give little boys flowers, but since your beauty is like that of a rose, you can have one.”

“That’s Kim Donghyun.” Kwangmin frowned, staring at the sharp man who forced him out of his hideout. “The best magician in his 20s. His shows are all sell-outs within 30 minutes.”

“That’s not right, his shows are all sell-outs within 13 minutes.” The man leaning against the table had long kept his piece of paper, then pointing out the mistake Kwangmin made. “And that 13 minute sell-out show was only because he had held a show in a rather obscure area. All other shows were sell-outs within 5 minutes.”

“Who are you?” The twin chorused. This man has been spilling out information like a waterfall since the start, and it was starting to get a bit annoying.

“Magician by day, detective by night.”

“You have to excuse him.” Youngmin and Kwangmin turned to the man who now had his back turned again, cutting off the man’s introduction. “Shim Hyunseong. The magician in a niche market. He copies all magic tricks that appear in animations and comics and recreate them in real life. Also known as the copycat.”

“Rude.” Hyunseong sulked, standing akimbo. “As I was saying, magician by day, detective by night. I search for your deepest secrets, and when you least expect it, I’ll bring your dirty laundry out.”

“And wash them and dry them for you.” The man had this smug tone, face leaned against his palm. His back already expressed his amount of interest in the conversation. “How nice of you.”

“No Minwoo!” Hyunseong growled, and was only stopped by Donghyun’s restraining grip.

“He’s only this smug because you guys keep giving amateur shows.” Donghyun rolled his eyes, taking a seat next to Minwoo and then beckoning for the rest to take theirs. He was, afterall, an acclaimed magician that this group of magicians recognised. “The twins who only have their disappearing acts and small tricks, Hyunseong who only recreates famous tricks.”

“I’m glad you didn’t put me in with them.” Jeongmin shrugged, taking the seat on Minwoo’s other side. The twins took theirs beside Jeongmin, while Hyunseong took his beside Donghyun’s, since Minwoo and Jeongmin were directly opposite the masked person.

“Your shows are frivolous, but they are proper tricks mixed with your own elements.” Minwoo commented, staring at the masked person who had been observing them for a while now. He sure doesn’t look at people when he talk, does he?

“And Minwoo’s the up-and-coming youngest magician that’s widely recognised for his talent and revolutionary tricks.” Donghyun shook his head, turning to Hyunseong on his right. “That’s why you and the twins are like some sort of joke to him.”

“Just ‘cause he’s being coined as your successor doesn’t mean you have to be so protective of him, you know?” Hyunseong sighed, emotions stabilised but still not appeased by the smug man’s attitude.

“I’m not his freaking successor.” Minwoo hissed, glaring at Hyunseong. “I’m creating a whole new genre myself, thank you very much.”

“And I don’t want him as my successor either.”

“Right, now that all of you are friendly, shall I introduce myself?” The masked person finally spoke, voice muffled by a voice-changing device in his mask. “As you know, you are all invited to a game with a reward of 10 million if you win. The game is simple, as you can see, we’re all seated around a poker table.”

“If we’re playing a game of poker, I’d very much rather a young lady dealer.” Jeongmin yawned, watching the masked person.

“Well, if you want one-”

The masked person made a turn, the mask and the previous stuffy suit all torn away to reveal a young lady in a pink, fitting dress.

“-you already have one.”

“Much better.” Jeongmin smirked, picking out a handkerchief from his pocket and offering to fix the smudged make-up on her face. He shifted, and made a move to straighten his handkerchief before offering the stalk of rose that took its place. “For you, my fair lady.”

“That’s cute, because that’s just a male dealer wearing a disguise.” Minwoo mocked, sitting back. Jeongmin looked a bit troubled that he didn’t see past that trick, but the lady only shrugged.

(Hyunseong leaned close, squinting to see if he can copy anything from the disguise for his own show.)

“A game of poker, but with a twist.” The lady continued, bringing out a deck of cards and laying them on the table. “For most of you, card tricks might not be your forte, but it’s okay.”

“They are completely disadvantaged.” Donghyun raised his eyebrow. “Unless it is banned.”

“Unfortunately, it isn’t. As Jeongmin said, magicians live and breathe everyday tricks and if you can’t see through them, then you can just jolly well lose.” The lady dealer smiled, flipping the laid cards to the other side to reveal the deck of 52. “You’ll be judged by your fellow magicians and then ranked by your points. The one with the highest points will get a chance to change the cards on the table to fit your own, and the one with the lowest will get themselves crossed out. Three crosses and you lose the game. Of course, every win at the poker table with erase the cross earned from a bad magic show. The game only ends when we have a loser, and the one with the best winning rates from poker wins the reward.”

“What happens when you lose the game?”

“You will be involved in the biggest disappearing act.” A smirk, and Jeongmin felt the chills run down his spine as he watched the supposed-lady wear such an ugly expression. “You might never reappear.”

“What the f-”

“For this game,” she continued, then turning to address the twins, “the both of you will be challenging it together like all your shows.”

-

To be completely honest, the magic tricks they have are mostly large-scales one that require the help of an assistant. Hyunseong finds himself crippled having to perform solo, and currently the tides seem to be in the twins favour.

Drawing lots, Hyunseong was made to go first and he tried to remember what sort of tricks he could do. He did prepare props beforehand because the invitation told him to, but assuming they are all competing on levelled ground, he might need at least 4 tricks to get him past the danger zone. Donghyun and Minwoo would be competing for the top, and Jeongmin didn’t seem like the kind to fall to the bottom.

He wasn’t even sure how strongly he should start the show.

Taking in a deep breath and giving instructions to the dealer who was to act as their assistant as much a she could, she nodded and made the necessary preparations.

Bringing out a plastic box on a table, he laid the lady on the box and moved along with the magic. Slowly removing pieces of the box that were detachable, he revealed the lady to be levitating in air. Youngmin and Kwangmin looked amazed while Hyunseong allowed the lady to revolve around him, then bringing her right back.

Placing the detached pieces of the box back, he led the lady down and gave his bow.

Youngmin and Kwangmin gave him 8, Jeongmin gave him a 5, Donghyun 4, Minwoo 1.

“…” Hyunseong glared at the ugly , then the smug face right above it.

-

Jeongmin’s tricks always had more involvement with the audience. Since the twins were such easy targets, he asked for Youngmin’s help.

(Asking for Minwoo’s hand is like asking for a death sentence.)

With a bit of acting and exaggerated actions, he managed to weave a story into the show and saw Donghyun cracked a small smile.

Youngmin and Kwangmin 6, Hyunseong 6, Donghyun 5, Minwoo 3.

-

“I don’t think you guys understand the rules.” Minwoo shrugged, his focus then returning to his trick at hand.

Minwoo smirked, drawing up the curtains and then letting it fall. He disappeared underneath the cloth, then reappearing behind them. The twins widened their eyes, because the floor was definitely not made to let Minwoo travel underground – their usual trick. Bringing up another set of curtains, it stayed up until the first set of curtains slowly rose.

A snap of fingers, and both curtains fell, revealing Minwoo right where he started.

The audience was always in the middle of the two set of curtains, and the lady dealer was only an audience this time around.

Youngmin and Kwangmin 10, Hyunseong 4, Jeongmin 7, Donghyun 6.

-

The twins tried their usual trick, but Donghyun remembered warning them not to do so when they met.

Hyunseong 7, Jeongmin 4, Donghyun 3, Minwoo 0.

-

Donghyun took in a deep breath and watched Minwoo who was erasing the ink on his whiteboard. He never thought he would have to be judged so critically by this man who only gave low-range marks to everyone.

It could be his way of earning his win, but Donghyun knew Minwoo was only judging based on magic alone.

Now, what should he do to amaze that young man and lure a high-range mark out of him?

Starting small scale, Donghyun pulled things out of his jackets like never-ending handkerchiefs. Jeongmin laughed a bit at the childish trick, himself having used it once.

Handkerchiefs turned into canes, canes multiplied into more canes, canes disappeared and formed a box, a box enlarged and suddenly there’s a cage.

Pulling out three doves, he set them into the cage and locked them inside of the cage. He covered them with a cloth, then pouring liquid over it, fishing out a lighter.

Bright flames burned, and all that was left was thin air.

Youngmin and Kwangmin 6, Hyunseong 7, Jeongmin 6, Minwoo 5.

-

Minwoo : 27
Donghyun : 24
Jeongmin : 20
Hyunseong : 18
Twins : 14

Minwoo took his seat, asking to trash one card on the table, letting the dealer deal a new card in replacement. He looked satisfied with the change, watching Youngmin wince slightly.

Either it was the card, or the fact that they just earned 1/3 of the ticket to death.

Minwoo continued to raise, the twins then folding their cards.

Now, if anyone wanted to challenge him, he’s up for it.

-

Perhaps it was because it was only the first game, but the game continued without anyone asking for a magic challenge. Minwoo won it effortlessly, and they were then allowed to go for a toilet break and have some snacks.

Hyunseong watched Jeongmin console the twins and Minwoo exiting the room. Donghyun was talking to the dealer probably to find out the real reason they were here or something, and Hyunseong decided to approach the crowd.

“Honestly, we’re judging the shows, right?” Hyunseong said, looking at the twins and patting their shoulders. “We can just be allies and give that smug man low marks.”

“You mean like, ganging up on him?” Jeongmin raised his eyebrow, his blank expression not revealing his stand.

“Didn’t you see the marks he gave out? He purposely gave low marks so he’d be crowned the winner. It’s a no-brainer.” Hyunseong edged on, deciding the twins were more easily influenced. “He gave you both zero, a freaking big fat zero. We can drop him from first to last if you’re with me.”

Jeongmin smiled and gave a shrug, while Youngmin and Kwangmin looked keen to at least stay a bit longer in the game.

-

Donghyun : 25
Jeongmin : 21
Hyunseong : 20
Minwoo : 18
Twins : 16

Kwangmin frowned, furrowed brows with slightly teary eyes. Youngmin looked a bit resigned to his fate, and Minwoo rolled his eyes at the results.

Donghyun didn’t change the cards on the table, folding.

Jeongmin took the win.

-

“Are you in, or are you not?” Hyunseong folded his arms, glaring at Jeongmin. The man was sitting on a fence and that caused them to be unable to drop Minwoo down to last place.

“I have some integrity as a magician.” Jeongmin shrugged, watching Minwoo stare amusedly at their gathering. “Minwoo does good tricks, I already gave him the lowest I could in my acceptable range.”

“Anyway, we have to both give him zero the next round.” Hyunseong turned to the twins who looked a bit upset. “No more pity points like 2, you guys understand? We need to cut the points we give Donghyun too.”

“There’s honestly no use if Donghyun gives the twins low marks and Minwoo just shoots them a zero.” Jeongmin sighed, watching the twins. “Those two are in for the magic, not this ganging up sort of things. Magicians battle with magic, not cheap underhand methods.”

“I assume you’re out?” Hyunseong shot back, and Jeongmin merely gave a shrug, beckoning for the twins to follow him.

-

Twins : 23
Donghyun : 23
Jeongmin : 20
Hyunseong : 19
Minwoo : 13

“Good job.” Jeongmin patted on the twins back, giving a thumbs-up. “I didn’t think you guys could learn it so quickly.”

“Isn’t it too early for you to look for apprentices?” Minwoo gave a humourless laugh.

Jeongmin pressed his lips together, staring at the 13 points written carelessly. He himself had given majority of the points, but it still felt cruel knowing what went on behind the scenes.

The dealer gave Donghyun and the twins both the chance to change the cards. Donghyun refused, and the twins changed two cards on the table.

The twins won, having one of the two crosses erased.

-

Donghyun: 22
Jeongmin: 21
Twins: 14
Hyunseong: 16

Minwoo had two crosses, and it was now his judging time.

He smiled softly, watching Donghyun hesitate slightly.

Hyunseong gave him a zero.

Jeongmin gave a seven.

The twins hesitated and gave him a one.

Donghyun had been consistently giving him six, but this six would send him off.

-

“Why did you give a seven?” Minwoo approached the man quietly.

Donghyun had gave the win on the poker table to Hyunseong by not changing his cards. He never did. All he did was mostly calling and then folding.

“For the spirit.” Donghyun shrugged, offering Minwoo a drink. “The twins look like they’re about to cry from the pressure, but you never had so much of a frown since you walked in.”

“What are you talking about?” Minwoo chuckled, taking a sip from the drink. “That’s the game, isn’t it? Poker is to be played-”

“-with a poker face.”

-

DONE. OPEN ENDING AND STUPID ENDING BECAUSE I HONESTLY AT MAGIC TRICKS.
I'm the kind that is like OMG HOW DID THEY DO THAT!?!?!? And when the comments on Youtube spoil it for you I'm like NO I DON'T GET IT?!
So I'm sorry if this fic didn't live up to the expectations or the start where it looked slightly more professional.
At the end it's more like ganging up and all the psychological warfare. I have no idea who I want to lose, and how I'm gonna write that to happen, so I'm just gonna leave this as a one shot and see how the music video / lyrics become and if I'm a genius.

If I could find a way to weave the actual song / music video, I'll re-write this or extend it ^^"

NOW, I'M SOOOOOO NERVOUS FOR THE NEXT TRAILER WHENEVER IT MAY BE.