Magic Man, SeongJoong

꧁•⊹٭𝚆𝚊𝚛٭⊹•꧂

Hongjoong felt he slept soundlessly last night without any interruptions. That's why this morning, on the brand new day, he was feeling great and revitalised. His body didn't ache anymore, it was only stiff when he moved about first thing in the morning. His senses seemed a little sharper, his eyes not as runny and blurry as other days. He was feeling younger.

The day was bright, and warm, and it was also a good day to shop for some needed essentials. Hongjoong had woken up Yeosang, and now the two were dressed and ready to head down to the port in KQ Street. A place Hongjoong only ever dreamed of visiting. He had never been close to the sea even once.

On one arm, Hongjoong was carrying a weaved basket, ready to make purchases and carry them back to the castle, disguised as a shop. Yeosang was dressed in cute yellow overalls which really complimented his blonde hair. When Yeosang put on the same magic cloak beforehand which turned his features slightly older and uglier, Hongjoong was weirdly disappointed. The two stood in the street, ready to make their way down to the market.

They started walking, passing by shops and houses which were slightly decayed but still in working and safe conditions – Hongjoong kind of liked the look of the town, it was old, but it had pride and a strong memory. He also liked the people who were a lot more hard working, and quiet than the people where he lived. It was a nice atmosphere, where the sea breeze found its way through your hair joyfully.

"It's nice to be out and shopping in the morning." Hongjoong disclosed to Yeosang, and surprisingly it's the first time he had felt like that.

Yeosang kept quiet as Hongjoong muttered about how beautiful the sea looked in the distance, he kept getting more and more excited with each step he took. Finally, they came across the busy quayside where stalls took place. People were bustling about in a manner so differently than a people from a big town would. Hongjoong looked at the stalls which were scattered for attention, and moved forward with a calm demeanour.

The first stall they came upon was perfect in Hongjoong eyes. He greeted the man running the stall, and started picking out some good potatoes from a large sack. Hongjoong didn't know how many to get, he filled the basket till he was satisfied with how many he had.

"I hate potatoes." Yeosang said from beside Hongjoong.

Hongjoong took no notice of the little boy, knowing he'd eat whatever Hongjoong made them, "Pay up."

As Yeosang paid the man for the potatoes, Hongjoong moved on slowly, and came to a stop outside of a shop which was using space on the street to promote their food. And food was it! Hongjoong could see his favourite fish there, and so he stepped forward and greeted another man who was running the stall.

Hongjoong examined the fish to see if it was good quality, Yeosang joining in, trying to decipher what Hongjoong was doing. Yeosang was about to complain about hating fish too, but a sudden group of people from the pier turned their attention to the left towards the Pier's end.

"The fleet's come home!" Many cheered.

Hongjoong and Yeosang's curiosity peaked, and the two followed the crowd to see the fuss. Even the men running the stalls ran to see what was happening. As the two stumbled closer, they noticed a boat in the distance, floating hazardously on the waves. Out of one of the ship's chimneys was black smoke, big enough to colour the sky dark for ages. Hongjoong thought nothing of it at first, but as the ship got gradually closer, he saw the smoke wasn't from a chimney, but in fact, the side of the ship, and the ship wasn't floating, but instead sinking.

Hongjoong was horrified, the ship was in terrible condition, barely able to float. He was surprised it had made it's way back to the coast line of the town. He saw people get into action quickly, and sail their own boats to the wreckage, ready to help soldiers from the war, or even perhaps their family. Hongjoong watched in awe as a sudden crowd of marine solders were climbing to the ships highest point and jumping safely into the water.

He suddenly felt guilty, he could've very well been one of those soldiers if he weren't exempt.

"Let's try get closer Hongjoong!" Yeosang said, but Hongjoong grabbed his little shoulder and shook his head.

As he did so, something caught the corner of his eye. A weird figure. A tall figure with a slightly hunched back, it wore a red tailcoat, and a white top hat, yet it's face was something so unexplainable. Hongjoong knew in the back of his mind, this was the work of that witch. The very same witch who had cursed him. It seemed to be looking for something.

"Yeosang. There are weird creatures here." Hongjoong whispered, suddenly very nervous about being here, "We should go. They work for the witch of the waste."

As the creature moved away from the two, there was siren like noises from the sky. The earth shook underneath their feet as two bombs landed in the sea just beyond the pier. Water rose up from the explosions threatening to raise trouble on the land and people standing watching. The impact was close and far too real – People started running, screaming for safety.

"An enemy aircraft!" Yeosang shouted and pointed, his cape finally coming down from his head.

Hongjoong looked up. In the sky, contrast to the daylight, was a large metal aircraft. The shape of a bird with wings dangerously like dragon wings. It was intimidating and unsafe, and Hongjoong desperately wanted to go back to the shop. The day was no longer bright and warm, instead it was dark and chilly, and Hongjoong wasn't feeling so young anymore.

Before Hongjoong could grab Yeosang, the aircraft started dropping millions of papers. It was almost magical if Hongjoong wasn't caught in the severity of the situation. Hongjoong then decided he didn't want to stay any longer, and started making his way back to the shop. Yeosang hurriedly followed behind. They ignored the papers unlike most of the citizens.

They got inside the castle, and Hongjoong realised he was severely out of breath and asked Yeosang to make him a glass of water.