"I thought about what you said last night," Rosé told him at breakfast, or more like gasped in between bites of bread. She was rushing and packing books into her schoolbag haphazardly whilst chewing on toast as Jeongguk sipped on banana milk, which he had discovered he was very particular about.
"What I said?"
She swallowed a morsel of bread, crumbs spraying everywhere when she spoke next. "Magic. I forgot there are other types of things that could be described as magical."
"Like?" Jeongguk said, interest piqued. He might have a breakthrough here. See, he wasn't being lazy at all!
She merely offered him a wink before running out in the hall to put on her shoes.
"Come to the café at 4!" she hollered before slamming the door shut.
>
Obediently, he showed up at 4 on the dot.
"Hey, you made it!" she greeted him. Her smiled widened when he produced a small pink rose from behind his back.
"Fuschia rose," he explained and held up a card, scrunching his brows to decipher the florist's cursive writing, "means gratitude. So yeah...to tell you thanks. For everything."
Her cheeks flushed a similar shade of pink as she took the flower.
"Baby pink happens to be my favourite colour too," she said happily, "thank you Jungoo."
"What, are we turning this nickname thing into a competition now?" he laughed making her chuckle as well.
"I'll be with you in a moment, I'm waiting for Lisa to replace me. She's always a bit late-"
"Ah so this is the Jeongguk I've been hearing so much about?" giggled a girl from behind him. He turned around to behold a tall girl like Rosé with a small face, blonde hair in a ponytail and large doe-eyes.
"Hi I'm Lisa, Rosé's sister from another mister. And can I just say daaaaaaayum Rosie! He looks like a promising boyfr-"
"We're just friends!" Rosé said hastily, tugging Lisa behind the counter and throwing Jeongguk a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I'll be back."
Jeongguk rubbed his nape, slightly bemused as he settled into a seat by the window, gazing around the interior with curiosity. But before he could explore further, a female wearing the same uniform as Rosé strode up to him.
"Jeon?" This was a petite brunette but somehow, her piercing eyes made her all the more intimidating despite her size. She had her arms folded, gazing down at him as if her were something repulsive stuck to the sole of her shoe.
"Y-Yeah?" he said offhandedly, trying to inject some of his cocky confidence back into his voice. He could faintly hear Irse cackling and going I like this mortal at the back of his head.
"Are you trying to get in Rosie's pants?" blurted the brunette, making Jeongguk choke on his tongue.
"Wha-what the—"
"Just a warning for ya," the woman said, her lip curling in disdain, "you hurt one hair, one single hair, on Rosie's head, and you're dead, Jeon. Take that as a friendly warning."
Jeongguk swore he felt perspiration break out on his brow. "Uh...sure? Thanks for the heads-up?"
"Weirdo," she snorted and flounced off. Jeongguk wondered if weer-doh was some parting slang. He was going to consult with Irse when a shriek echoed from behind the staff door behind the counter.
The shriek sounded distinctively like Rosé.
Jeongguk was over the counter top in a heartbeat, with his mind spinning and a strange burst of heat scaling up to his head.
If some filthy bastard dared lay a hand on her—
He burst into the staff room with a crash, blinking at the scene in front of him.
Lisa was on the floor with her head thrown back and clapping as Rosé stood to the side.
They both turned in shock when Jeongguk practically flew in.
"Where-where's the attacker?" he gasped, his eyes scanning Rosé closely. She seemed unharmed. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"
"What attacker?" Rosé asked confused. Jeongguk frowned.
"But I heard you screaming—"
"AHAHAHA Dalgomie's an elephant hahahaha!"
"Lisa, unnie's gonna kill you! Let poor Dalgom-ah go, look he's so unhappy!" Rosé begged.
Jeongguk looked down and suddenly noticed a small fluffy white dog with a cylinder fitted snugly around his muzzle, giving him a comical appearance as he peered up forlornly at Lisa, who was aiming her phone at him.
"I think you just heard me scream at Lisa," Rosé blushed, "Jisoo unnie doesn't take kindly to this one trying to petsit her beloved dog because...." she gestured helplessly at the giggling girl who was now attempting to kiss the dog as he struggled in her grasp.
"Dalgom-ah I want a kiss! Come on, just a little one?"
Jenogguk exhaled in relief. "Well, glad nothing happened to you girls. These are, uh, dangerous times we're living in."
Rosé gave a little nod. The blush hadn't quite left her face. "Thank you for watching out for us."
Lisa was looking up at them with a strange smile on her face. "You sure you guys aren't like, dating or anything?"
"We're just friends!" they chorused.
"Mhm, okay," Lisa said absently as she stood up with Dalgom in her arms. "I'm gonna go put this little guy in his box. See ya around Rosie, and you too Kookie!"
Jeongguk's eyebrows shot up. "Kookie? You told her my—"
"Wait for me outside?" Rosé said hastily as she propelled him out the door, her face on fire.
Jeongguk shook his head, hiding an amused smile. He settled back into his seat by the window.
She soon skipped out of the staff room, clutching her uniform and bag in one hand and the rose in a vase in the other.
"I'll just put the rose here on the counter for people to see. It's really pretty," she said cheerfully. She paused when she saw him glance warily at the short brunette and chuckled.
"See you tomorrow Jennie!" Rosé called to the brunette. Jennie waved, her sour expression melting into a warm smile.
"Take care Rosie! And Jeon," she added, pointing two fingers at her eyes and then at him, "I got my eyes on you."
"Well your friends are....charming..." he manged to say once they exited the coffee shop.
She chuckled. "I hope Jennie didn't scare you? Oh and you haven't met Jisoo yet, she's a complete clown, she and Lisa make one crackhead team. Lisa is like a little sister and Jennie...well, she's extra protective of me since she's known me the longest."
"Yeah, she's a cupcake."
Rosé laughed again. "She's just being caring, don't mind her threats. Jennie's the biggest softie alive."
"I'll take your word for it," he replied weakly, still unnerved by how a girl managed to make him squirm in discomfort.
He was startled when they brushed hands as they strolled along the pavement in the crisp afternoon air but both immediately pulled back their arms.
"So, I hope you weren't too bored at home?" she said anxiously.
"Are you kidding? I finished all the movies and I even started reading the books!" Jeongguk returned excitedly, "It was awesome....but so many people died....even Fred...."
"Ahhh I wanted to see your face when that happened!"
"It went something like this..." and Jeongguk put his hands up to his head, wringing his hair and his face screwing up into a silent scream. That made her laugh as he expected.
He was practically addicted to her laugh, seeking to make her smile and wash away the worry lines in her forehead with his antics.
"Can you ride a bicycle?" she asked at length after they discussed the books and movies some more.
He tilted his head in curiosity.
Although Irse had explained about it, he had never seen one back in his Seoul, much less ridden one. Magic had always been his favoured mode of transport as soon as he mastered teleportation and bewitching carpets to fly-he detested having to be like the common peasants who used those horrid horses to pull carts.
"It's alright, I can ride it and you can climb on behind me. There's a place I want to show you that I remembered which is...well magical." Rosé explained.
He perked up at the mention of magical again.
Maybe this could be a step closer. Was she going to take him to some ancient shrine? Perhaps a mystical place like the mountains or a haunted forest? Perhaps the aura could be strong enough for Irse to establish some type of link?
"Yeah yeah I'm fine with whatever let's get going!" He glanced around him impatiently. "Where do we get this bicycle? Do we call for it? Oh wait, a bicycle isn't alive, right?"
Rosé shook her head, her smile growing broader. "You're such a cute weirdo Kook..."
He really needed to find out what weer-doh meant.
>
"We're here..."
He wobbled on his feet when he got off the bike, his legs feeling disjointed. Rosé giggled as she walked the bike and parked it underneath a tree.
"Was it your first time on a bicycle?"
"Of course not I just....haven't ridden it in a while," he lied, slightly embarrassed by his traitorous legs that were still shaking. He couldn't decide which was more terrifying: horses or bicycles.
"I love biking, I used to have my own back in Melbourne. It was fun," she reminisced, "my Mom would take me and my brother for picnics by the beach."
He was dying to ask what Melbourne was exactly when she seemed to read his mind. "Melbourne, you know, Australia."
"Right, right...." He cleared his throat awkwardly, peering around him. "So uh, where are we exactly?"
They (or rather Rosé) had cycled for a good while until they entered a place called 'Sky Park' according to a sign at the entrance.
"Come on, I wanted to show you something," she said giddily, towing him after her.
She seemed to be in a happy mood, skipping and flapping her hands in the slight breeze as he hurried to keep up with her.
She clapped her hands gleefully when she spotted an empty swing, immediately sitting and swinging herself as he stood by, chuckling.
"Push me!" she demanded, flapping her feet. "I want to go higher!"
"Careful you don't fall," he warned as he pushed with all his strength.
"Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"
She whooped and laughed giddily, hair flying behind her as she swung high up then came whizzing back in reverse. He pushed again and again, cautious not to overdo it even when she kicked and pouted, asking him to push harder.
"What are you, seven?" he grinned when she finally got off, holding out a hand to him to steady herself.
Her eyes scrunched up into crescents, her cheeks ruddy as she blasted him with her full smile."It's been a while since I've been on one so...gotta use up all that pent-up energy."
She was certainly indefatigable, chattering nineteen to a dozen with anecdotes about school and the awful cafeteria food, pulling faces and making him laugh and choke on the churro they bought at a kiosk.
"Come on Kook, we got some walking to do!"
"Walking?" he said, wistfully thinking about the comfortable beanbag and stack of DVD's waiting for him back home at Rosé's.
Home.
Jeongguk jolted to a halt.
Home?
When was the last time he ever thought about a home?
Crap.
Irse was right: he needed to get away from this place fast before he forgot all about going back.
Had this been Hecate's intention all along?
Had she intended for him to forget all the greatness and potential he harnessed with his powers?
Had she intended him to forget how he once had been on the tip of raising the dead when Zeus set the Dream God Morpheus on him in a bid to stop him and destroy his research (he was still very much salty that Morpheus had wiped out every single memory of his experiments.)
"Jeongguk? Are you okay?"
"Fine...fine...yeah, I'm good," he answered jerkily, "let's just...keep walking."
She perked up again, leading him up a small grassy slope. After some puffing and panting he collapsed to the ground at the peak.
"Wow you really need more exercise huh?" she teased, "how on earth do you keep fit?"
"Magic," he wheezed and then clapped a hand to his mouth because a) that was kind of the truth, using magic expended his energy and body sugars in much the same way as exercise and b) had she been checking him out?
Rosé simply laughed as she plopped down on the grass next to him. "Magic really exists for you huh?"
He shrugged. "Maybe," he returned crytpically.
They were lying down next to each other but in opposing directions. Jeongguk turned sideways to watch her serene expression, her face devoid of the furrowed lines she sported when he caught her talking to her mother on the phone late at night, or the tense expression she wore that time when the landlord came along and raised his voice with her.
She had told Jeongguk to hide but Irse had managed to show him what was happening at the door using her magic:
Rosé was pleading with the burly man to give her more time to pay the rent. It almost seemed like he would refuse and turf her out there and then, but he finally relented as she spoke and apologised profusely until he left. Rosé's shoulders slumped as she watched the man leave.
They hadn't spoken about it afterwards, with Rosé merely putting on a brave face and an apologetic smile for Jeongguk when she informed him they would only be having cup ramen for a little while.
He wished he could always see her like this: peaceful and calm, without a care in the world. Asking her to share her burdens would probably hurt her pride—she never told him about her problems or asked for help. Or maybe she was being polite—after all, he had only gotten to know her days ago.
Which made him wonder, what exactly was he to Rosé?
A homeless pet that she took pity on?
Someone to keep her company?
Someone she wanted to take advantage of because of his good voice to get more popular?
Someone she would cast out one day soon?
"Gguk? Hey..."
He hadn't realised her fingers were stroking his head, her clear eyes watching him carefully. "Is...is this okay?" she asked, referring to her hand still combing through his hair. "It's so fluffy, I couldn't resist..."
"Do I look like a cat?" he grinned and closed his eyes because it actually felt nice. The sensation of her fingers brushing his scalp sent warm tingles down his spine to the tips of his toes.
"I don't know," he heard her amused reply, "I wouldn't be surprised if you started purring."
"It's nice," he mumbled, "this feels...very nice."
"My brother used to do this a lot whenever he saw me stressing out. He said it's like he was combing the stress out of my head."
"He sounds very caring," Jeongguk told her softly. She smiled, her face wistful.
"He is...was. He was...like a ball of sunshine. Always happy and laughing you know? He loved little animals and he was really good at archery—he was even in the school championships in high school. And he was always striving to make people around him laugh—he was the only one who could cheer Mom up after she came back from a long day at work to cook and clean for her kids, us..." Chaeyoung paused before sighing and picking up again.
"I thought Mom would never stop crying when she found out my brother was jailed," she said quietly. "I don't think I ever saw her crying like that. She said...she said the hope died with him. She hadn't the easiest of life raising us single-handedly and...I guess she kinda felt hopeless without my brother around, you know?"
Jeongguk watched her silently, the sombre expression on her face suddenly made him want to hold her hand or hug her.
"Well...it's been a while now...I miss him you know? It's still strange with him not being here....when we were kids, we never went anywhere without each other, like two peas in a pod," she chuckled, "our dad died a long time ago, I don't even remember him. So it was just him and Mom and me. And although technically we're the same age, he still wanted to play the big brother. He rented the apartment, and we were going to college together too. But then...well, people change I guess..."
Some moments passed in silence, except for the distant chirping of birds and aeroplanes crossing the sky overhead.
"So, what exactly did you want to show me..." Jeongguk murmured, remembering the reason they had scaled up the knoll.
"A few more moments," she promised, "and I'll tell you."
He was in no hurry and was content to wait longer with her soothing fingers diving into his hair. This was a new level of pleasure he was experiencing: comfort, trust, warmth and genuine kindness.
It was making his frosty heart that kept people at bay melt, little by little, and he was making no effort to rebuild the barricading walls.
Maybe, just maybe, there really do exist good people in the world, whatever dimension that may be....
"Now!"
He was roused by her excited shout and sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. What he saw had him open-mouthed in wonder.
From their vantage point on the slope, they had much of the city beneath them, with a distant mountain range of snow-capped peaks on the horizon. The setting sun was sinking right in between two mountains, setting the valley on fire with its fiery orange rays. The sky above the mountains was an oil painting of fiery reds and burning oranges, mingling with rose pink and even wisps of dreamy blue clouds that completed the canvas.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Rosé asked, enraptured by the view. "They call it the golden hour right now because you can look right at the sun without hurting your eyes. The view is just magical isn't it?"
Despite his nodding Jeongguk felt the disappointment stealing over him.
She thought magical was just a mere adjective...
"Ahh, you were thinking it would be something with real magic, huh?" she asked shrewdly, "I'm sorry for disappointing...unfortunately, there's no Harry Potter magic here: that belongs in movies. But to me, the essence of magic—simple things like a sunset—is what makes living so wonderful. Whenever I get tired or feel burdened by hardships or the unfairness of it all, I try to remember that. It's the magic that reminds me that Life is beautiful and worthwhile...."
"Must be a powerful kind of magic then," Jeongguk mused thoughtfully.
His heart skipped a beat when he noticed how the dying sunlight set her skin on fire, making her look as if she were stepping out of Hephaestus' forge. Her eyes reflected the golden light, honey brown orbs reining him in inexorably until he felt himself teetering over the edge, about to fall into...what?
"When you say it like that," Rosé said shyly, "I reckon it could be."