"Do you.... believe in magic?"
Imagine yourself in the magical world of Ri Eul, a magician who may or may not be a little off his rocker. He claims to be a real magician, but at times his tricks seem to be just that--tricks. You've known him since b...
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You recall a time when you were young and you got to jump on your friend's trampoline. Walking through the air almost feels like walking on that trampoline... Each step you take feels like you're bouncing, and it propels you higher and higher until you're as high as the tallest point of the ferris-wheel behind you.
As you get more of a feel for this new sensation, you realize it's less like jumping on a trampoline and more like you're a balloon. You remember playing a game as a child where you try and keep the balloon from touching the ground. Each time you would hit it upward, it would slowly float back down until you hit it again. Walking through the air feels like that.
The sounds of the fireworks finally return and you're suddenly acutely aware of all of the sensations around you. As a gentle gust of wind hits you, the reality of what's happening finally sinks in. You're surprised as a laugh erupts from you, though there's still a fair amount of terror behind it. Min-hyuk squeezes your hands again at the sound.
"Not so bad, is it?" he calls out over the sound of the wind, and suddenly he's laughing too. The sound is joyful and you can't detect even a hint of fear in it. This helps calm your nerves even more, and you're able to fully take in this exhilarating experience. As you continue your gravity-defying walk, all traces of doubt leave your mind only to be replaced with wonder. The city lights below you look like twinkling stars and you feel a smile spread across your face.
Just when you even feel like you're starting to get the hang of this new feeling, you hear Min-hyuk's warning voice from behind you.
"Don't stop walking or you'll just float down," he calls, and suddenly one of his hands leaves yours. Your terror is instantly back.
"W-wait! Min-ah!" you cling desperately to his remaining hand with both of yours, and to your relief he holds on tightly.
"Don't worry," he reassures you quickly, and he spins you in the air so that you're walking side by side instead of together. You walk beside him, matching his long strides, but you don't have the courage to release his hand from what you're sure is a crushing grip.
As you both stride weightlessly through the air, he looks over at you with an amused grin.
"You look terrified, Y/N," he tells you.
"Really?" you respond sarcastically. "I wonder why."
He smiles, and with a teasing look in his eyes says, "You know, I bet it'll be a lot more fun if we do it on our own. Should I let go--?"
"No! No, don't!" you gasp as he jokingly begins to slide his hand out of yours. One of your hands grabs onto his sleeve instead, ensuring that you'll still have something to hold onto if he actually decides to release your hand. "Don't let me go," you choke out.
He chuckles at your reaction and gradually his walking slows until you're hardly moving through the air anymore. You use this opportunity to take a fistful of his shirt and pull yourself closer to him. This forces him to stop walking altogether, but he doesn't seem to mind. Just like he said, as soon as you stop walking the two of you start to gently float downwards. He glances down at you and the look in his eyes says he's still laughing at you, but luckily he takes pity on you. A strong arm snakes around your waist and pulls you against him. His secure hold on you is comforting and you let out a shaky breath of relief, wrapping both arms tightly around his neck just for good measure.
