Work Text:
Taehyun’s day starts when he spills coffee down his shirt.
He’s running late for work. He doesn’t technically leave for another hour, but he knows his routine, and hitting Snooze on his alarm three times in a row always ends with him scrambling to catch the train. He brushes his teeth, puts a pot of coffee on, and showers while it brews. No time for breakfast, so he’ll have to pack something to scarf down at his desk, or pray that his wordload is light so that he can sneak out and grab a bite.
Skin still damp, he pulls on presentable clothing and hurries back to the kitchenette. He grabs a thermos—no time to drink it here—and pours himself a cup of coffee. The smell is almost nauseating when he’s so hungry. He grabs his wallet from the counter and—
His hand knocks into the thermos. The world moves in slow motion, but he’s too late. The contents go flying onto him, soaking into his shirt, his pants, straight through to his skin.
“Fuck!” Taehyun cries. He grabs at his shirt, tugging it away from his body. Through the layer of clothing, the liquid is scorching hot. A button clatters to the floor as he yanks the shirt off, and he claws at his belt until his pants come free.
That’s the one benefit of owning a ten-year-old coffee maker, passed down from his parents when he moved into his own apartment. The coffee is never hot enough to actually burn him, even though his skin feels raw. Pain melts into relief and morphs back into terror as he realizes that his clothes are unsalvageable. He needs to shower again, and the train isn’t waiting for him.
When Taehyun finally makes it out the door, the scent of coffee is so overbearing that he doesn’t even want to sip the remains of his drink. Dressed in his second-best work outfit, he blearily searches for an empty seat. Among the horde of people heading to work, there’s just one seat left, in a corner that the other passengers seem to be avoiding.
In his stupor, Taehyun doesn’t think much of it. He jams his thermos into his bag and takes the seat, marveling over his luck. This late in the morning, he’s usually clinging to the stanchions for dear life, counting down the seconds until he arrives at his stop.
As the train begins moving, Taehyun releases a breath. He pulls his headphones on and opens up his playlist, stubbornly ignoring the clock. Stop offering to open the shop, he tells himself. You never make it on time. Counting the cash takes forever, too.
Still, what’s done is done. Taehyun closes his eyes, and accepts his fate: writing an apology text to his manager, unless the train can work miracles. This would be a pleasant train ride, if not for—
If not for… what?
There’s an odor coming from Taehyun’s seat. It becomes more powerful when he leans down, like someone spilled something rancid on the floor a week ago and nobody bothered to clean it up. He can’t even place the scent—it’s stale, but rotten. When he shifts his shoes, he realizes the floor beneath him is sticky.
Taehyun nearly gags. He abandons the seat and grabs a stanchion instead. The train’s filth is an unexpected, inescapable hell, but there isn’t even a visible stain on the floor.
I can’t wait to shower, he thinks with a shiver. Again. Ewww. Why is this my life?
Taehyun sprints the last block until work, where he skids into an open door. His manager, Yoongi, is already behind the front desk, and he glances up when Taehyun enters.
“Good morning,” he says with a yawn. He doesn’t mention that Taehyun is late, and Taehyun chooses to count his blessings.
After how the morning started, he’s lucky to walk into a job he enjoys. The music shop is one of his favorite places in the whole world, where he gets to spend his entire day surrounded by instruments and instrument-lovers alike. If Yoongi is on sales today, that means Taehyun is on instrument-repair duty, attending to both the used instruments they’re preparing for sale and those brought in by their customers for tune-ups.
The best part of working at the shop: a twenty-percent staff discount that has saved Taehyun a sizable chunk of cash on otherwise pricey music equipment. He’d assumed music would be nothing more than an occasional hobby after graduating college, that he’d be trapped behind a desk without any time or will to pursue his craft, but his job has given him more musical opportunities than ever before.
Taehyun takes a seat in the back and checks their to-do list. Yesterday, Yoongi completed repairs on a set of guitars, but they have about ten missing strings between them. Taehyun decides to re-string them entirely—there’s no telling the last time any of these guitars received love. The first two are easy, and the third makes Taehyun wonder who turned these in. What kind of music-lover leaves a poor guitar in this state?
Finally, each of the strings has been wrapped, trimmed, and tuned. Taehyun plays a scale, pleased with his work—
The E-string breaks away with a snap! The brand-new string is split right in the middle.
“What the fuck?” Taehyun says. He double-checks the string, but it definitely isn’t one of the degraded ones from when the guitar was turned in. He already threw those out.
Must’ve been defective. Taehyun removes the old string, takes out a fresh one, and resumes. This time, when he plucks the E-string, it remains intact. He runs through the scale again, and—
Snap!
The remains of the G-string and D-string are tangled up together. Taehyun stares at them, speechless. One defective string is unfortunate, but three….
Taehyun takes the packet and marches out front, where Yoongi looks half-asleep in the midst of an empty shop. “Hyung,” he says urgently. “Three of these strings just broke on the same guitar. I know they weren’t too tight or anything like that. Have you ever had issues with these strings before?”
Yoongi squints at the packet. “Did they break at the nut?”
“No. The nuts are fine.”
“Weird. Want me to take a stab at it? I have time.”
“Sure. Thank you,” Taehyun says, both frustrated and relieved. He doesn’t trust his own hands at the moment.
When he’d first gotten this job, Yoongi had been his mentor, sharing an encyclopedic knowledge of instruments of all kinds. It’s far from the first time Taehyun has passed a more difficult repair off to him, but this is rubbing salt in a wound. How is he supposed to work at an instrument repair shop if he can’t do something as simple as re-stringing a guitar?
Taehyun passes the guitar to Yoongi, then reviews their to-do list again. Next up: a set of saxophones, left by one of their regular clients. Woodwinds give him trouble on a good day.
I can’t wait to go home.
Today, everything smells like cigarettes.
Taehyun’s apartment, even though he doesn’t smoke. The entire building, from the hallways to the elevator to the common spaces. The train—especially the train. It’s worse than the mysterious rotting smell from earlier in the week, because that didn’t follow him everywhere he went.
He doesn’t know if he’s imagining it, but this week has been a special kind of torture. The disasters at work didn’t end with the failed instrument repairs—the a broken cash register and missing shipment of guitar pick were the tip of the iceberg. At home, his one-year-old air purifier gave out, and all of his plants shriveled one by one. It may be summer, but the soil was still wet, so Taehyun is certain it wasn’t due to a lack of water.
On top of that, his packages were delayed—including food for Hobak, who had to take a trip to the vet for a hot spot he’d licked on his leg. Now Taehyun has dead plants, a messy apartment, and a cat who might claw his face off out of indignation.
The cherry on top was when he showered this morning. It was a shower with cigarette-scented steam, ending with a chunk of his hair tangled in his fingers. It’s probably his fault for bleaching his hair over and over again this year, barely giving the roots time to grow before he turns them blond, but this is the first time he’s ever lost that much hair at once.
He knows his own hair well enough to say that this isn’t normal. A few years ago, when his hair was even more fried than this, his hair wouldn’t snap unless he tugged on it. Could it be courtesy of a bad batch of bleach? Not that Taehyun knows what constitutes a bad batch of bleach. Can bleach go bad?
Regardless, he’ll have to research deep conditioning treatments this afternoon if he doesn’t want to go bald before his next birthday.
The train doors screech open, and Taehyun steps off the train. Something digs into his heel—a pebble that he’s become intimately familiar with in the past day. He spent the entirety of his last shift shaking his shoe out whenever the store was empty of customers.
I bought new shoes last week! I swear to god, if I can’t get this pebble out….
Taehyun trudges up the stairs and into the open air. This is the first day all week he hasn’t been late to work, much to his embarrassment. He finally has time to breathe—not that he wants to spend a second longer in this filthy, cluttered, chaotic subway.
As he emerges onto the street, his gaze catches on a set of flyers duct-taped to the entryway. He rarely wastes time browsing the advertisements, but today, there’s one that calls to him like a magnet.
GOT TROUBLE?
Do you have a romantic partner that doesn’t appreciate your worth? A boss who blames his mistakes on you? A friend has betrayed you? There’s no need to ruin their life—they’ll do it to themselves! To aid their decline, experienced witches may add misfortune to their daily happenings.
Popular curses include:
- Prematurely thinning hair and/or receding hairline
- Instruments that can’t be tuned
- House plants that rot when dry but shrivel when watered
- Bus/train seats with mystery fluids on them
- CDs that scratch before the case is opened
- A perpetual stale cigarette smell in his apartment
- Spiders that live in every corner of his room but don’t eat flies
- Wi-Fi that buffers whenever he plays a video
- A pebble in his shoe that he can’t shake out
CONTACT: [email protected]
https://cursemyex.com
0XX-XXX-XXXX
Serious inquiries ONLY.
Magic? That’s dumb. It must be a scam to make people feel better about themselves, just like tarot card reading or fortune telling. Maybe that’s what Taehyun should try next. Rather than sweating over fragile instruments, he should pay his bills by preying on superstitious passersby.
Except this is the most convincing scam he’s ever seen, like it was specifically catered towards him. His heart skips a beat as he scans the page. The cigarette smell in his apartment. His hair falling out. His dead plants. The instruments breaking at work. All of it is accounted for in the advertisement.
Did this bastard curse me?
Taehyun believes in science, not magic. The laws of physics are his bible. He has habits, not superstitions. If magic existed, he’s certain it would come in a form more spectacular than whatever this advertisement is supposed to be.
Any other week, Taehyun would have kept walking. Today, he snaps a picture of the flyer, and makes a mental note to call that phone number after work.
The first thing Taehyun does when he arrives at home is search “cursemyex” on Naver.
After a full five minutes of watching his phone struggle, he admits defeat. Countless times in the past week, his phone has refused to function. He knows it has nothing to do with the Wi-Fi in his apartment, which is usually stellar. Whether he wanted to watch a show at night, or download a game, or even listen to music, his phone would put up the fight of a lifetime.
That was on the flyer, too. Wi-Fi that buffers whenever he plays a video. He’d already spent the week tearing his hair out over his malfunctioning phone. Imagine if he’d gone out and bought a new phone, only to run into the same problem as his new shoe, with the pebble that will spend eternity rolling around it?
Of course, the flyer is still a scam, and Taehyun will still have to decide what to do with his malfunctioning devices after this phone call. He sighs as he types in the number. This is a waste of time.
The line rings, and rings. Just as Taehyun is about to hang up, a voice crackles over the other end. “Hello?”
“H… ello?” God, what am I doing? This guy’s about to ask for my credit card information or something. “Is this… um, I saw your flyer on the train. Are you….”
“Oh, that’s wonderful! Thank you for calling. I’m Kai with Curse My Ex,” the voice says. Kai. He doesn’t set off any immediate alarm bells in Taehyun’s head. “What can I help you with today?”
Taehyun clears his throat. “What do you offer?”
“If you saw the flyer, I’m betting you’d be interested in our quality of life curses. Nothing too severe—that’s against our policy, anyway. But if you’ve ever had a rock in your shoe, or you couldn’t find your keys when you were late, you’d know how one little problem can ruin your whole day,” Kai says. “And the best part is that they won’t know it was you.”
“A rock in your shoe…?”
“By the way, it doesn’t have to be your ex! I’d say half of my curses these days are for coworkers and unfair bosses. Family isn’t my top recommendation, because that can get messy, but I won’t judge as long as it’s cathartic for you.”
“I see….”
“This is the part where I have to give a disclaimer. These curses don’t always work the way you expect them to. Sometimes they don’t work for reasons we don’t understand. But we’re good at what we do, and your case will receive our full attention.”
“We.” There’s a whole team behind this, and they’re missing more than a few marbles.
And I’m missing even more, because I’m on the phone with this scammer.
“So, what can I help you with? You can tell me as much or as little about the recipient as you’d like,” Kai says. “Though if you’re undecided, I’ll need more information to make the best recommendation for your situation.”
“I want to know what happens to someone after they’re cursed,” Taehyun says. “How long do the… symptoms last?”
“For the most part, that’s up to the client. It depends on the curse, too.”
“Can they be permanent?”
“Some of them are effectively permanent, providing the recipient meets a certain set of conditions. It really depends on the case, though. What are you thinking of?”
“I need to reverse a curse,” Taehyun says. “Can you do that?”
“Um… sorry, have I worked with you before?”
“I don’t know. Have you? Because all that shit on the flyer is happening to me. I fix instruments for a living and they won’t stop breaking! I keep running out of cat food! My hair is falling out!”
“O…oh.” There’s an endless, excruciating pause from Kai. “Poor kitty.”
“I need it to stop,” Taehyun says. “It’s already been a week, and I know I didn’t do anything to deserve a curse.”
“I don’t think I can help you, sir. I have a confidentiality agreement with my clients, and…. Are you sure you’re not just having a bad week? That’s what my curses look like,” Kai says.
“Did I mention that all my plants died? That I smell like cigarettes all the time even though I don’t smoke? That my phone only works on satellite mode half the time? That my brand-new shoes—”
“Okay. Okay,” Kai says meekly. “It’s a possibility. Do you know who might have requested a curse? Do you have any enemies? Any vengeful exes?”
“No, nothing like that! I can’t remember the last time I fought with someone.”
“A long-term grudge, then?”
“No!”
“Hmm.” Kai sounds skeptical, which makes Taehyun fume. “A lot of my clients say the people who’ve hurt them have no idea that they’ve caused harm. They say that even though they tried to communicate, their feelings were never heard.”
“I didn’t do anything, I swear. I have arguments and talk it out like a normal person. Not torment people and make them hate me for fun,” Taehyun says.
“It doesn’t always happen on purpose,” Kai says, but finally gives in. “Can you tell me your name? I need to check my records and make sure that you’re the recipient of one of my curses. I’m not the only witch around here who performs magic like this.”
The last thing Taehyun should be doing is giving his name out to this scammer, but he’s too fired up to care. “Kang Taehyun.”
“Got it. Kang Taehyun. And the symptoms started a week ago?”
“That’s right. Last Monday.”
Paper shuffles on the other end of the line. As he waits, Taehyun isn’t sure whether he feels sickly or like he’s a complete idiot. Kai sounds so confident, but that doesn’t change the fact that magic is a sham, and Taehyun is playing into it instead of accepting that he did have a really, really bad week, for no apparent reason. A vengeful ex doesn’t have a grudge on him, it’s the whole universe.
“Oh. Oh my god, I’m so sorry.”
Taehyun’s pulse skyrockets. “Sorry? What? What is it?”
“There’s a Kang Taehyun in my records, but my paperwork from that day is… um, it’s a total mess. This client wrote the request on paper, and their handwriting wasn’t great. I thought I could read it anyway, but then my business partner spilled his coffee on the page. I had to fill in what I couldn’t read based on memory,” Kai says.
Taehyun’s blood runs cold. Why is his name in a complete stranger’s records? It could be an elaborate lie from Kai, but his lying feels equally possible yet absurd as everything else tonight.
“I’m sorry. There’s a chance the curse was meant for someone else. There’s a note here that says the intended recipient is a serial cheater. Does that ring a bell?”
“Christ. I’ve never cheated on anyone.”
“I’m gonna ask you that one more time, because a lot of clients lie about things like that.”
“I would never,” Taehyun says firmly. Who would trust a stranger’s word on their character? He doesn’t trust Kai’s, and being accused of cheating doesn’t leave him with a good first impression.
“It could have been a misunderstanding on the client’s part, too. I can’t be sure, but it doesn’t sound like they were aiming for you,” Kai says.
“Can you reverse it, then? Are you willing to?”
“I’m willing. It’s complicated, but….” Kai releases a heavy exhale. “You should come to my office so we can talk about your options. My business partner and I are based out of Orbuculum Emporium, so if you stop by anytime between ten and seven, one of us will be there.”
“Talk about my options?” Why does Taehyun feel like he’s being diagnosed with a rare disease? “You can reverse it, right? Is there something you haven’t told me?”
“No, it’s just—it depends on the stipulations in the curse. You don’t have anything to worry about, though. We’ll get you sorted out,” Kai says. “It’s easier to explain in person.”
Taehyun bites his tongue. The thought of agreeing to meet a stranger over this (possibly not?) fake curse makes his stomach churn. It’s unbecoming of him. It’s pointless. It’s… his only explanation for what’s happening to him.
“I’ll come by after work tomorrow,” he says eventually. “What should I expect?”
“Okay, that’s perfect!” Kai sounds concerningly relieved. Should Taehyun really trust someone with so little confidence in his persuasion abilities? “Don’t worry, I won’t need much of your time. I’ll show you how the magic works, then….”
“I’ll be on my way,” Taehyun fills in. And I’ll never have to think about silly things like curses ever again.
Orbuculum Emporium is a tiny store, sandwiched between a touristy souvenir shop and what might be the world’s smallest gym. Taehyun walks up and down the street twice before he finally spots it, thanks to tree branches that cover the storefront signage, and a door that blends into the concrete walls.
Beside the door is a massive glass window, the display packed with colorful rocks and decorated with star-shaped stickers forming shapes that Taehyun vaguely recognizes as constellations. Is that a Ouija board in the corner? Is he about to walk into a store full of employees wearing Halloween costumes?
At least he knows he’s in the right place. There’s a poster taped to the window: GOT TROUBLE? The text is almost identical to the flyer in the train station, but Orbuculum Emporium IS HERE TO HELP! replaces the contact information.
Taehyun takes a deep breath and opens the door, which jingles with a doorbell. He spent the drive reciting his script: Just poking around if the vibes are off, I need to speak with the manager! if he has the courage to ask about curses. He’d searched the place up on Naver last night, so he knows what to expect, but the pictures online had been a bit different. One of the reviews mentioned a change in ownership last year, so Taehyun assumes that the new owners had done some renovations.
There’s a man about the same age as him standing at the counter, and he gives Taehyun a polite nod. He has long eyelashes, hair that’s approaching mullet length, and the sharpest jawline Taehyun has ever seen. He’s the kind of pretty that could attract customers all on his own—gullible customers who are only here for eye candy, and Taehyun is not gullible.
He takes a look around the store, scanning each of the shelves. There are gemstones of all shapes, sizes, and colors, and beside them, dried herbs and live plants alike. There are candles and packs of tarot cards, and books on how to use them. There’s one book that’s as heavy as any of his college textbooks, only it claims to be a complete guide to every combination of astrological connections. There’s a taxidermy fox on top of one of the shelves that makes Taehyun cringe—he wonders if the taxidermist ever saw a fox in the flesh.
He assumes that these are the items the so-called witches use in their rituals, whatever those rituals may be. He’s a fish out of water here.
He steps up to the counter, and the man meets his eyes. “Good afternoon,” he says. “Are you looking for anything in particular?”
“Sort of,” Taehyun says. The man nods. “I spoke to Kai on the phone. I told him I could come by tonight.”
“Oh! He told me about you,” the man says. “Come with me.”
He leads Taehyun to the other side of the store and knocks on a closed door. “Kai-yah, I’ve got your client,” he calls, then opens it.
The back room is a war zone, just like the front of the store. More rocks, more plants, boxes piled in a corner. There’s a desk in one corner, and sitting at the desk is the person currently ruining Taehyun’s life.
For someone causing so much trouble, Kai is the least-intimidating person on the planet. He’s curled up in a sweater, typing on a sticker-covered laptop, and using a gigantic bat plushie as an arm rest. The only scary thing about him is that he’s drop-dead gorgeous, statuesque and sculpted like art in a museum. Taehyun’s eyes linger on the slope of his nose as he turns his head to look at them.
“Hey,” Kai says. His voice is more soothing in person. “You’re Kang Taehyun? We talked yesterday?”
“Unfortunately,” Taehyun says.
Kai grabs a thick binder from the desk and flips it open, then gestures to the seat across from him. Taehyun takes it, unable to resist sneaking a glance at the binder. The handwriting is too scribbly to decipher, at least while he’s reading upside-down.
“Good luck, Kai-yah,” the other man says. “Clean up your notes next time!”
“Don’t mind Beomgyu,” Kai says as the door clicks shut. “He’s always trying to steal my clients, especially the exciting ones.”
“I’m an exciting case, huh?” Or a fuck-up?
“Every new client is an exciting case,” Kai says diplomatically. “Usually, when I have a request to reverse a curse, it’s because my original client ended up having regrets. I’ve never had the person who was cursed ask to have the curse taken off of them.”
“You haven’t? I’d expect it to happen every time,” Taehyun says.
“Well, the thing about the curse….” Kai rubs the back of his neck. “It’s designed to be unnoticeable. Nothing supernatural is happening to the receiver, only things that happen in life all the time. Most people wouldn’t notice that they’ve been cursed, never mind realize the curse was my work. Even if they had a suspicion, they probably wouldn’t seek me out.”
Because most people who say they’re cursed are only joking.
“How long have you been doing this?” Taehyun asks.
“I started practicing four years ago, but Beomgyu-hyung and I started our business two years ago.”
“And nobody has ever complained?”
“No.”
Silence lingers after that single word. Is it time to start worrying?
“Tell me how this works,” Taehyun says.
“Right, I wanted to start from the beginning,” Kai says. “When someone wants a curse from us, they have to fill out this form. They can either do it online, or on paper if they come in person.”
He spins the binder around so that Taehyun can see the page in question. There it is, exactly as he described over the phone: coffee-stained and written in smudged ink, a curse application. Dated for April twenty… something, requesting hair loss, instrument troubles, nonexistent Wi-Fi, and so on. The recipient will be….
“You can see why I had trouble,” Kai says sheepishly. “For the surname, all you can see is the K. It was probably supposed to be Kim, but I could’ve sworn it was Kang. I must’ve gotten it mixed up with another file. And this looks like Taehyun, doesn’t it? But the letters are faint. The coffee must’ve washed some of it away.”
To Kai’s credit, the paper is borderline unreadable. Aside from “Taehyun’s” name, the list of curses is partially covered by a giant blot of ink, and the lettering in the optional “reason for curse” box is five shades paler than the rest of the writing, like wiping away the coffee had taken the ink with it. One corner of the page looks like a dog chewed on it. This isn’t a work document. This should’ve gone in the trash.
“Why’d you go through with the curse if you weren’t sure you had the name right?” Taehyun asks. Kang… or Chang, or Kim, or Lim, if you squint.
“Like I mentioned earlier, I read the sheet over before it got so smudged. I thought I remembered it all,” Kai says, and the genuine guilt in his voice momentarily tempers Taehyun’s anger. “The client already paid me—actually, they paid extra because they wanted a really strong curse. Not that that’s how it works, but it seemed urgent. I didn’t want to breach our contract.”
“And you couldn’t reach out to them to double-check the information?”
“I don’t ask my clients for more information than what they give me right off the bat. Confidentiality is part of the agreement, too.”
Probably because of people like me, who’ll track him down to start a fight once they realize they’ve been cursed.
“Then let’s get on with breaking it,” Taehyun says. He resists the urge to point out that magic is a scam to begin with, so contracts don’t matter—but he doesn’t believe that anymore, does he? He wouldn’t be here if he didn’t have a shred of faith in Kai’s explanation, whether he can admit it aloud or not.
Kai averts his gaze. “That’s the other reason I wish we could get in contact with this client. Remember how I said every other time I’ve broken a curse, it was for a client who regretted it?”
“...Right.”
“That’s because the client decides the length of a curse. I’m a vessel for the magic, but the curse is all theirs,” Kai says. “That means… if the client asks for a curse to be permanent, the curse will be permanent.”
He points to the final line of the form. Out of everything on the sheet, this part is clear.
Duration of spell:
FOREVER!!! Rot in hell!!!!!!!
Taehyun doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry. If he’s choosing to believe Kai, he might throw up instead. “Are you—are you fucking kidding me?”
He doesn’t need plants in his apartment. He can burn candles and fill his apartment with a new smell. Hell, he can live with his hair falling out. He’ll invest in a great wig, or embrace baldness. But all of these things together? He can’t wrap his mind around it. “I’m going to be stuck like this forever?”
“There’s one other way!” Kai says, holding up his hands. His words come out in a squeak. “Magic is almost never permanent like that. There are always strings attached. Plus, I have a moral compass.”
Taehyun laughs. Or shrieks. “You do?”
“I don’t demand for my clients to tell me why they need a curse, because that’s none of my business. But their side of the story is just one side. What if the person they want to curse is a good person? What if they don’t deserve to suffer for the rest of their lives?” Kai says. “That’s why I ask all of my clients to include a set of conditions in the curses. If the person they’re cursing meets those conditions, it goes away. They can be as silly or serious as the client wants.”
He flips the form over, and on the back, there’s one more section. Taehyun leans forward, squinting to make out the coffee-stained words.
“This part is different for every curse, too. If we can find a way to meet the client’s request, we won’t need to track them down. And I’m guessing it’ll be easy, since the curse wasn’t meant for you,” Kai says.
The duration of the spell will be as specified, unless the recipient meets the following terms:
First, you have to become a good person. You have to make up for all the ways you’ve ever hurt people and become someone worth admiring instead. The only person worth forgiving is someone who’d save kittens from trees. Or jump in front of a train for a stranger! Someone selfless, brave, and kind, unlike you, since you’re selfish, cowardly, and were probably fathered by Satan. Until you become a good person, you deserve every ounce of suffering from this curse (and more!).
You must also find someone who loves you despite your many, MANY faults. Obviously this will be impossible for you because your shallow heart only knows how to jump from relationship to relationship without forming any real connection. This person won’t just think you’re attractive, they’ll really love you. They’ll see your worst and still love you after that. Impossible for someone with your cold, dead heart.
“...So, I think we can do this. But I’ve started doing research to track down the client, just in case,” Kai says meekly.
Taehyun wonders if shredding the form into unrecognizable pieces will break the curse instead. “Are you telling me that I have to start jumping in front of trains to stop my hair from falling out?”
“Definitely not! I think the client was just giving an example of some selfless things you could do. One-hundred-percent, certified-good-person things. You have options,” Kai says.
No, I think this guy really does want me to jump in front of trains. “Taehyun” really pissed him off.
“If I’m not already a good person, I’m doomed,” Taehyun says.
“Then let’s start with the easier requirement! Finding someone to love you despite your faults,” Kai says.
“Easier? How is that easier?”
“Family and friends already love you, I’m sure. I don’t see why they wouldn’t count,” Kai says.
“Your client was upset because this other guy cheated on them. They were obviously requesting a romantic partner,” Taehyun says. “I’m hopeless. Seriously, hopeless.”
Kai raises his eyebrows. “I doubt that. You’re good-looking, so it shouldn’t be hard to find a date.”
The real reason Taehyun is hopeless is that being called good-looking by a handsome stranger makes him swoon—even if that stranger is making his life exceedingly difficult. “Finding a date and falling in love are very different things. Besides, I don’t remember the last time I went on a good first date.”
“All of us have bad luck sometimes,” Kai says.
“It’s more than bad luck,” Taehyun says.
Kai flips his binder shut. “Leave the matchmaking part to me and Beomgyu, then. We’re great wingmen.”
Wingmen? They’re probably a couple, Taehyun thinks bitterly. An evil couple who puts curses on innocent people and then tries to add them to their harem when they don’t like the curses.
“No offense, but I don’t really want your advice on how to become a better person,” Taehyun says. “Compared to the guy this curse was meant for, I’m already winning. How much does your magic want from me?”
“It’s kind of hard to say, since I don’t keep up with the clients once my end of the bargain is done,” Kai says, and Taehyun groans. “In your case—unless you’re secretly a serial killer—”
“What the fuck?”
“—all we can do is reassure the magic that you’re a good person. It might be tough to find kittens to save from trees, but you could still volunteer at an animal shelter! Oooh, that’s a good one. Volunteers are great people,” Kai says. “And you could help me out here, at the shop.”
“That might make me more evil,” Taehyun says.
“Working for free will cancel it out. Maybe even add some bonus points,” Kai says briskly. “In the meantime, let’s get you set up on some dating apps.”
“Dating apps aren’t going to fix my love life,” Taehyun says stubbornly. “It could take months to find someone. I can’t be stuck like this for months.”
“I’m really sorry, Taehyun-ssi. I can’t guarantee anything,” Kai says. He places a hand on top of Taehyun’s, and his touch is warm, but not particularly comforting. “In the meantime, I promise I’ll search for my client. This was my mistake, so I’m not going to leave you high and dry.”
Taehyun slumps into his chair, covering his face with his hands. He may as well have not asked Kai for help at all—living in ignorant bliss would have been better.
“I have one real ex-boyfriend,” he says. He can sense Kai’s eyes on him, and as vulnerable as it makes him feel, he continues. “We dated back in college because we couldn’t find any other gay guys. After we broke up, he asked me to be the best man at his wedding. So, no. I don’t think this was meant for me. This… wasn’t supposed to happen to me.”
“It wasn’t. I’m sorry,” Kai says quietly.
“I’ve never thought about magic like this before. Only what I could do at the school talent show,” Taehyun says. “Things that you can see. Things that have an explanation.”
“I think it would help if you spent some time around here. Even I don’t know everything about magic, but I can teach you about it,” Kai says. “That way, you’ll know what you’re up against.”
Taehyun rubs his forehead. “Fine. But you’re making my dating app profiles. I’m going to be busy making it look like a magic bomb didn’t just go off in my apartment.”
“Deal,” Kai says.
The most frustrating week of Taehyun’s life kicks off the actual most frustrating week of his life. Not only does the pebble continue to roll around his shoe, and the guitar strings snap over and over, but Kai has requested that he spend his free time combing through dating apps—for “research purposes.”
At another period in his life, Taehyun would have been happy to experiment with dating apps. He’d even discovered an ancient Tinder account that he hadn’t remembered making in college, unearthing memories of dating failures past. Those exact dating failures were why he’d decided to give up on searching and let fate run its course. He assumed he’d meet someone on the train, or at the shop, or at a bar with his friends.
“Wow, Taehyun-ssi! I didn’t think you were really coming today,” Kai says. He’s the one at the register today, which means that his handsome face is there to greet Taehyun. Taehyun has looked at many, many handsome faces in the last few days, courtesy of his dating app matches, enough so that none of them faze him anymore. Somehow, he still finds Kai striking.
“I told you I would eventually,” Taehyun says. After cancelling twice. He shoves his hands deeper into his pockets, feeling just as much an outsider as he did when he visited the emporium last week. Even though Kai has turned out to be an intriguing person, the actual magic gives him the heebie-jeebies.
“It’s a quiet day today, so I can show you the ropes,” Kai says. “You’re still interested in community service, right?”
“Here’s what happened this week.” Taehyun counts on his fingers. “A violin snapped in half. I found holes in half of my sweaters, but no signs of moths. My apartment is infested by spiders, and they’re not even eating the gnats that came from my dead plants. Then I spent my paycheck on hair treatments. So, yes. I need to try community service.”
“I did some research last night, so I have options in mind,” Kai says. He clears a space beside the register and takes out a stack of papers. “There are three animal shelters near us that are accepting volunteer applications. Only one is actively searching for volunteers, but it can’t hurt to apply to the others, too. There’s another organization that does tree planting events every weekend. Then there are soup kitchens, waste cleanups, after-school programs for kids… but I don’t think we should try anything too crazy, just in case.”
He flips through each of the papers, which have already been annotated. At least he kept his end of the bargain. I could’ve been cursed by someone who wasn’t willing to hear me out… someone who decided I deserved it.
There’s a doodle of a tabby kitten in the margins of one of the papers. The sight of it makes Taehyun’s heart do an embarrassing flip. Since when is he the kind of guy who melts over cat doodles?
“I’ll send in the applications tonight,” Taehyun says. Kai had promised research, but this is oddly touching. “What do you need me to do here?”
“Oh! Right,” Kai says. He stands up and brushes himself off. “I’m meeting with a new client in half an hour. We’re going to talk through the curse they want from me. You’re welcome to listen in, but I have just the task for you in the meantime.”
“And that is…?”
“Organizing my paperwork,” Kai says. “I printed out a new request form with an added category for optional contact information so that clients can receive follow-ups. I have a week’s worth of requests that used the old format, though. I want you to go through those and make sure there aren’t any weird typos or parts where the handwriting’s too messy to understand.”
“Do you get a lot of those?” Taehyun asks.
Kai shakes his head. “No, but I decided I’m not taking chances anymore. It’s in the fine print now—if the client’s instructions aren’t clear, I can’t perform the curse. No refunds.”
“Can’t you track down the client who cursed me through your transaction history?” Taehyun asks.
“Ah… I already checked. They paid in cash,” Kai says. “Should I implement a card-only policy for curses?”
Taehyun can’t tell if he’s joking or not. “How much do you charge for your curses?”
“It depends on how detailed the client wants them to be, and how much emotion is involved. They start at three thousand won if they don’t take long to set up, but the one on you cost….” Kai drums his fingers on the counter, thinking. “Three-hundred thousand won, I think?”
“Three-hundred thousand? Taehyun is going to scream. There’s no containing it anymore. “What the fuck?”
“Believe it or not, that’s cheap for our industry. A lot of witches start at three-hundred thousand, but I’m still new to the field, and curses aren’t our most popular item,” Kai says. “You should ask Beomgyu to give you a tarot reading. He makes them extra fun.”
“I understand why you were so worried about giving them a refund,” Taehyun says. His head reels as he does the math in his head—should he switch to a career in magic?
“You should see how much people pay for shamans,” Kai says. “Some people work with shamans, other people work with us. Whatever keeps them spiritually satisfied is a-okay in my book.”
“You’re undercharging your work. Seriously, use me as an example. I’m probably going to spend way more than three-hundred thousand won in curse-related damages by the time we break it,” Taehyun says. Kai’s face falls. “If you have that kind of power, you should profit from it instead of handing it to just anyone.”
“Profit isn’t really my goal,” Kai says. He fidgets with a pad of sticky notes, one corner already torn. “I… have to wonder whether this is a service I should be offering at all, even though I’ve seen the relief it can bring.”
Taehyun shouldn’t feel bad for him. Even though he’s spent the last week texting Kai, he’s closer to being a stranger than a friend. He’s not the one responsible for Kai’s quarter-life crisis—that was Kai’s own doing. And yet….
“I was going to ask you if you ever felt guilty about potentially-innocent people you’ve cursed, but I think I know the answer now,” Taehyun says. “Also, I wasn’t sure whether I believed you. Cursing someone with bad luck should be scientifically impossible.”
“Don’t worry, we get that a lot. It doesn’t matter as long as I know what we’re capable of,” Kai says. “As for the guilt…. Can I show you something?”
He doesn’t wait for Taehyun’s response before he reaches under the counter and pulls out the binder from last week. He flips it open, scans through a few pages, then turns it around for Taehyun to read.
“I’ve tried researching the people my clients ask me to curse, but it’s really rare that I can find anything other than an Instagram page, or a blog, or sometimes a newspaper clipping. There are so many things you can’t learn about a person from surface-level research. You’re not going to find someone’s deepest secrets on Naver,” Kai says. Taehyun skims through the requests, among the very first Kai must have cast when he began his business.
Reason for curse (optional):
Slept with my best friend. She’s getting cursed too. They’ve been having an affair for two years and I only found out because he got her PREGNANT!!! I’m friends with her whole family on Facebook and she thought I wouldn’t ask where the baby came from or why she didn’t tell me first. I dodged a bullet when I said I wasn’t ready for him to propose.
Reason for curse (optional):
Spread rumors around the office and got me fired because he was jealous. It’s not MY fault clients prefer my work. I don’t know if I should be more upset at him or my boss, but he’s been a thorn in my side since I got the position. I should thank him, because I needed to find a new job anyway, but he should’ve been the one being punished! I bet he would’ve wanted to be my friend if I were a man. I need this curse to make his life so shitty that he gets fired too, and then the world will make sense again. If I’m going down, you’re going down with me!
Reason for curse (optional):
Didn’t feed my cat for three days while I was at a work conference. Now Seoltang gets gourmet cat food and this bastard has to find a new apartment :)
Some of the forms are blank. Others list reasons as simple as “spilled coffee in my car and now the smell won’t come out,” “stole my sweater and says it was always his,” “was late to all of our dates.” Some make him cringe, others make his heart ache. And if he takes their word for it, if he trusts that Kai has never sent another curse in the wrong direction, he can understand.
“All I can do is trust my clients, because theirs is the only story I get to hear,” Kai murmurs. “If I got two clients who wanted me to curse each other, I’m not sure how I’d feel.”
“If my boyfriend didn’t feed my cat for three days, I’d kill him,” Taehyun says.
Kai gives him a wry smile. “You get it. I like to think that my curses have kept at least one person from committing a crime.”
“Are you sure there aren’t laws against cursing people?” Taehyun keeps flipping the pages. Blank, blank, he sold my grandmother’s ring, she accused me of cheating for no reason and turned my family against me, blank, he tore up my favorite idol’s photocards.
“That’s the great thing about people not believing in magic. We don’t have to worry about people who don’t know anything trying to tell us what to do,” Kai says. “But those of us who practice magic hold each other to high standards. That’s part of why Beomgyu-hyung and I do everything together.”
“So, are you two….”
Kai stares at Taehyun blankly. Taehyun’s face is on fire. “Never mind.”
Kai blinks. “Oh, no! Not like that. Beomgyu’s looking for someone a little more….” He makes an incomprehensible gesture with his hands. “Although he kind of is my work husband. That’s how he introduces me to his friends.”
“I see.”
“We’ve practiced all the same magic—like, Beomgyu’s good at curses, too. But my specialty is misfortune, and he’s good at the opposite. Love potions, herbal remedies, stuff like that. We joke that I was his first patient,” Kai says.
They’re not together, but maybe Kai took one of his love potions. Okay, then.
“Is there a way Beomgyu can undo your curse? It sounds like you practice on each other all the time,” Taehyun says.
“Believe me, I’ve thought of that,” Kai says. He tucks the binder back under the counter, neatly stacks the rest of the stray papers, and brushes himself off. “He would have been able to a few years ago, but I’m way better at magic now. I asked him to make you a good-luck charm to use in the meantime.”
“Really? What would that do?”
“I figured that if Beomgyu couldn’t lift the curse, he could at least counteract some of it. You’ll be seventy-percent misfortune, thirty-percent fortune instead of one-hundred-percent misfortune.”
“...That’s better.” Seventy-percent misfortune still sounds like a death sentence, but Taehyun supposes that he can’t be picky. “You’re proud of your work, huh?”
“Sure am. There aren’t many witches who can do what Beomgyu and I do. He couldn’t believe I was letting you help out around here. The store’s kind of my baby,” Kai says.
“And I’m organizing your paperwork today?” Taehyun asks.
Kai beams as he hands over the stack of papers. “These are the last paper requests from the old format. Read them over and set any aside if you can’t understand them. If Beomgyu and I can’t figure them out, we’ll toss the forms. And I’m giving you access to the business email, so you can look at the online forms.”
He scribbles an address and password on one of the sticky notes. Taehyun gapes at it. “Are you sure?”
“As long as you promise not to delete all of our files,” Kai says, too cheerfully considering the task at hand. Then again, if Taehyun had the ability to curse his enemies with endless bad luck, he wouldn’t be too worried about missing business emails, either.
After the most excruciating silence of Taehyun’s life, Soobin says, “I have just one question.”
“What is it?” Taehyun asks, his heart pounding. It had taken another week for him to fess up to Soobin—for him to admit that he thought he’d been cursed by a witch, and that he was searching for a way to break that curse. He’d needed to brace himself for being teased, to process everything Kai had taught him about magic and turn it into a digestible crash course for his best friend.
“Was the witch hot?” Soobin asks. “If he’s hot, the answer to your question is right in front of you. Start dating him.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Taehyun grumbles. He can only imagine the reaction Soobin would have if he were to meet Kai. He’s not just attractive, he’s so beautiful it’s impossible to stop looking at him. In another life, maybe, Taehyun would have considered it, but he can’t look at his enemy like that.
Is Kai really my enemy, at this point?
“The curse is supposed to go away if someone falls in love with you, right? This guy owes you a date,” Soobin says. He stretches across Taehyun’s couch like he owns it, totally nonchalant, the exact opposite reaction he was expecting. Since when is Soobin the kind of guy who knows all about curses? “This is going to be so easy for you. You’re already a good person.”
“Says you. Kai’s never seen someone break the curse before.”
“Is he keeping tabs on all of his clients? Because that doesn’t sound like real evidence to me,” Soobin says. “There’s, like, an eighty-percent chance he’s just scamming you into free labor, anyway.”
Taehyun glares at him. “I’ve considered it.”
“Think of it as an opportunity instead of a curse,” Soobin says. Taehyun raises his eyebrows. “You’ve been single for way too long.”
“I’m just preoccupied,” Taehyun says. “And I’m not looking forward to telling my dates that there’s a curse on me. They probably won’t believe that it was an accident.”
“Is the other witch guy single? Beomgyu?” Soobin asks. “He sounds fun. You should try dating him.”
“He looks at me like I’m a science experiment,” Taehyun says.
“You kind of are,” Soobin points out. “You should get a couple more witches to put curses on you. See how many it takes before they all cancel each other out.”
“My body would explode before then,” Taehyun says. “This might come as a shock, but I don’t have a death wish.”
“Sorry, I’m kidding,” Soobin says. “Taehyunie, you have the worst luck ever. How are you handling it?”
“I’m alright now that I’ve stopped losing hair.”
Soobin clicks his tongue. “I bet you’d be sexy with a buzz cut. Bald, though….”
“That probably won’t help me find someone to fall in love with,” Taehyun agrees.
He squeezes the pendant hanging around his neck, the points of the star-shaped jade carving digging into his palm. It’s not his usual style, but he hasn’t taken it off since Beomgyu handed it over during his most recent visit to the emporium. Beomgyu hit it with all of his luck-generating magic, and said he was confident that Taehyun would have at least forty-percent fortune rather than Kai’s “measly” estimate of thirty-percent.
Whether or not it works remains to be seen. The instruments aren’t breaking at work as often anymore, but Taehyun has missed his train every day for a week straight. At least the pendant gives him something to fidget with as he paces the platform and prays that Yoongi has no plans on firing him.
“You said Kai set you up on a bunch of dating apps? That’s nice. He didn’t just throw you to the wolves,” Soobin says. “Have you had any luck?”
“I appreciate the optimism,” Taehyun says.
“Stop that. You’re a catch. Hand the phone over,” Soobin says.
“Why?”
“So I can get you a few matches. How many times have you opened those apps since Kai downloaded them?”
“I’ve opened them plenty of times,” Taehyun says. He tosses Soobin his phone, more to prove it than anything.
Soobin grabs the phone with kid-in-a-candy-store level enthusiasm. “Hmm, where should I start…. Heh, would you look at this? I told you that you were a catch! You have three guys asking to see your dick.”
Taehyun throws a pillow at him. “That doesn’t mean I’m a catch, that means the guys are horny.”
“Horny is good. Horny means they’ll probably fall in love as soon as you show them a good time,” Soobin says as he swipes. “Wow, this is so fun. I didn’t know I knew so much about your type.”
“Are you trying to get me to reevaluate my life choices?” Taehyun asks.
“Nope. Your profile is nice, by the way. Kai has good taste,” Soobin says. Taehyun doesn’t know what to do with that information. “Are you sure he wasn’t into you?”
“How would I know? We’ve only just met,” Taehyun says. Texting about the curse had recently graduated to sharing photos of their family cats, but Soobin doesn’t need to know that.
“You’ll know.” Soobin holds the phone out to Taehyun. “Hey, what about this guy? He looks fun.”
Yeonjun, 27
- He/him
- 5’11”
- Musician
- Interests: Fashion, food, adventure, dance
- Looking for: long-term partnership
Men fear me, fish love me (is that how it goes?). I’ve never actually been fishing before, but I’m hoping to meet someone who will try new things with me!
It’s accompanied by a surprisingly artsy set of photos—a man with dyed blonde hair lounging by a lake, walking a curly-furred brown dog, posing in the city. Tasteful exposed slivers of skin here and there, but nothing crazy. Yes, he’s hot. Taehyun pauses.
“‘Musician’ would be a red flag for anyone except you,” Soobin says.
“Not sure how to take that,” Taehyun says.
“It’s a good thing. This guy is way hotter than the others who tried to match with you,” Soobin says. “Should I write a message to him?”
“I can do that part on my own,” Taehyun says, but when he opens up the chat, he draws a blank. Hey cutie, want to hear all about the terrible week I’ve had and how I hope you can make it better? You’re not going to believe it. No, you’re REALLY not going to.
It shouldn’t be this hard to come up with what to say to a hot guy. He’s never had a problem with it before. He didn’t have a problem one month ago.
“Or you can give it a few minutes. He’ll probably message you first,” Soobin says.
“Right. I don’t want to look desperate,” Taehyun says.
“Not desperate. Interested. But you don’t have to rush,” Soobin says. He begins scrolling again, and Taehyun wonders if trusting him with his phone was the right decision.
“I wasn’t expecting you to be a fountain of dating advice,” Taehyun says.
Soobin snorts. “We need to have more faith in each other.”
Minutes pass. Taehyun taps his fingers in a pattern on the arm of the couch, and the silence grows unbearable as Soobin searches for his next date.
“Wait, wait, Yeonjun responded. He said….” Soobin clears his throat and begins narrating in an unusually high-pitched voice, “‘Hi! Is that Venice Beach in your pics? I lived in San Jose for a while when I was a kid, but I never had the chance to go.’ He goes on about the beach for a while, and then he calls you cute at the end. You should call him cute, too.”
“Give me that,” Taehyun says, snatching the phone from Soobin’s hands to scan the message. This is an improvement from the dick pic requests and cringeworthy pickup lines he’s received so far.
As he types his response, Soobin whistles. “Did I just score you a date?”
“My pictures scored a potential date,” Taehyun corrects. He hits Send and sets his phone down. Dating apps seemed like a lost cause, but if there are people with Yeonjun’s face roaming around, there might be hope for him. “You know what we should do?”
Soobin’s eyes practically sparkle. “What?”
“Volunteer at the animal shelter together. I have my interview on Tuesday, but it’s more of a formality than anything, since they just got a ton of kittens and don’t have enough people to care for them,” Taehyun says.
“We’d get to play with so many baby animals,” Soobin says dreamily.
“We’d get to clean a lot of cages,” Taehyun says.
“Still. Being around animals is like free therapy.”
“I was thinking you could develop some good karma in case you get cursed, too.”
“Or that. But it’ll be fun!” Soobin offers a smile that inexplicably lightens the load on Taehyun’s chest. “Like I said, this is an opportunity. Why not put some good into the world?”
Someone is going to be Yeonjun’s new boyfriend, and it’s not Taehyun.
The date went well; no complaints there. Yeonjun is gentle and charming and handsome, all things that made Taehyun’s heart sing. He had tickets to a local concert, and they went to dinner first, where they got to introduce themselves in person and ask all of the questions that hadn’t fit into their online chats. They talked, they danced, and they went to a karaoke bar afterwards to sing themselves hoarse.
It was fun. It was the most relaxing evening Taehyun had since the curse—until Yeonjun asked where he’d gotten his pendant.
Daytime Taehyun never would have told a date about the curse. A Taehyun drunk on three shots and a night of fun had other ideas. He told Yeonjun all about the advertisement he’d stumbled on, how he’d visited the emporium even though he didn’t believe in any of it, and how the owners had been kind to him regardless. Yeonjun’s response was, “Huh. Now I want to see that.”
That’s how Taehyun ended up here: watching Yeonjun flirt with Beomgyu, the gorgeous man behind the counter. He’s not even mad about it—Yeonjun is undeniably good boyfriend material, but he isn’t going to get in the way of star-crossed lovers.
“You’re a great matchmaker,” Kai says. The door to the back room was propped open so that he could keep an eye on the emporium, but now it gives them a different view. “Even if it wasn’t on purpose. I’m sorry Beomgyu stole your date.”
“It’s fine. As long as he makes someone happy,” Taehyun says. “I can put my bad luck to good use. Maybe it’s impossible for me to find a boyfriend, but everyone else in my life will have one.”
“Very noble of you,” Kai says. “You know, this might count towards lifting the curse. Another person would’ve gotten upset at Beomgyu for stealing attention from you. You didn’t let it threaten your masculinity.”
“Should my masculinity be threatened?” Taehyun asks. Is that why I haven’t found someone who loves me ‘despite my many, many faults’ yet?
Kai shrugs. “You’re fine. Once we get this sorted out, though, you should ask Beomgyu to teach you about love potions. I bet you’d have a knack for it.”
Despite all the hours Taehyun has spent in the emporium during this last month, he still struggles to wrap his mind around magic. He’s even watched Kai cast a curse, an affair that involved flickering candles and burning sage and crystals like the one he wears around his neck. It wasn’t as dramatic as Taehyun was expecting—no animal sacrifices or pacts written in blood, no explosions or flying sparks. Kai says that magic is about intent, not waving a wand around and saying the right words, which gives Taehyn nothing tangible to go off of.
After a day immersed in the hustle and bustle of the music shop, the emporium is a peaceful haven. The people who visit are a lot more eccentric than Taehyun is used to, but he’s sure some people would say the same about his line of work.
“I’d have to go into curses, like you. I know way more about them than any normal person should,” Taehyun says.
Kai considers him silently. It makes Taehyun feel like he’s undergoing an inspection, like he’s a prize show dog and Kai is the judge who determines whether he’s won the blue ribbon.
“When we met, I couldn’t tell if you had any kind of magic talent. With most people, I either get a feeling, or I don’t,” Kai says. “But I bet spending so much time around me and Beomgyu means our magic is going to rub off on you.”
“You think so?” The good kind of magic only, I hope. Whatever that means.
Kai nods sagely. “Some of the books say that people who’ve been cursed are able to utilize magic more effectively. I’ve never been able to test it out, but you should try helping me cast one of the curses someday. Something little, just in case your curse interacts with it.”
Beomgyu isn’t the only person who considers Taehyun a test subject, apparently. He doesn’t mind it as much as he should. It’s been a while since someone has looked at him with such complete interest.
“What percent of the time would you say these curses are effective? And how do you know, if you don’t follow up with the….” Victims. “…clients?”
Kai taps his chin. “I’d say… seventy-percent. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but it is for our industry. It’s an imperfect science, but Beomgyu and I are usually consistent.”
It’s not a science at all, Taehyun thinks. A few weeks ago, that would have been an insult—maybe it still is, after the trouble he’s been through—but he doesn’t know how to categorize magic now. It’s not a science, but it’s not a fantasy, either.”
“It’s too bad I wasn’t part of the thirty-percent,” Taehyun says.
“Yeah, that was unfortunate. Casting your curse was like… a warm knife through butter. It didn’t give me any trouble at all,” Kai says. “That’s how I know.”
“I don’t like the sound of that.”
“Using magic is kind of like music. You know when you’re off-key, even if it takes you some time to figure out what went wrong. When a spell doesn’t go through, I can feel the energy stalling. Sometimes a spell isn’t meant to be,” Kai says.
“How do you explain that to the clients?” Taehyun asks.
“Usually when people are asking for magic, they already know what they’re getting into. All of this is in the contract if they read closely enough,” Kai says. “If those clients visit again, I can offer them another curse in exchange.”
“Do you have a lot of regulars?” Taehyun asks.
“A few. Most people are able to find what they need. If they want me to curse everyone they know, they’re looking for a kind of relief I can’t give.”
“You should add a psychology degree to the mix. You’d make so much money as a magic therapist.”
Kai laughs. “Yeah, maybe. Plenty of people only need my services or twice. There are plenty of customers who just want cool rocks instead of magic.”
“I like the rocks,” Taehyun says. Despite its questionable legitimacy, the jade pendant has become one of his most prized possessions. The first day he walked out of the house without it, he noticed its weight missing from his chest immediately—and not just because a car driving by sprayed him with water as it sped through the puddle directly in front of his apartment.
“Aren’t they nice? We have a geologist on staff to help us make sure that we’re only bringing in legitimate minerals. It’s easier to get spells to stick when you know what you’re sticking them to,” Kai says.
“So the rocks aren’t inherently magical.”
“That’s a huge debate in our community. It’s a long story.” Kai waves a hand. “Anyway, I have to admit… when the same person starts coming in all the time, it makes me nervous?”
“Really? Wouldn’t that be good for business?”
“Absolutely. Don’t get me wrong, I love our repeat customers,” Kai says. “But this place has a way of calling people back when they need something. If they stop showing up, it means I’ve done my job.”
“I see.” It still doesn’t make sense to Taehyun, but he won’t question it.
“When you visited for the first time, I knew we’d be seeing a lot more of you,” Kai says. “Even when we talked over the phone, I had a feeling. Back then, I wasn’t sure you’d be coming in at all, so it could’ve gone either way.”
Taehyun has an endless number of questions—he wants to ask whether Kai receives a lot of calls like that, how he handles the other skeptics, what else he thought about him during that first phone call—instead, he only asks the most important one. “What do you think I’m here for?”
“I’m still figuring that out,” Kai says. “What I know for certain is that the curse is only part of your journey. If all you needed was help reversing it, you probably wouldn’t have accepted my help to begin with.”
“…Hmm.”
“You’re probably looking for something here without even realizing it. Maybe you’re going to ask me to put a curse on someone, or you’ll want to learn magic. Or you’ll just want to take a few of those rocks home.” Kai’s lips curve into an easygoing smile. “Something is drawing you back.”
“And I’m guessing you can’t tell me what it is, even if you know.”
“Nope. The magic wouldn’t like that.”
“Sometimes I think you’re still fucking with me,” Taehyun says. “You just like being cryptic, don’t you?”
Kai shrugs. “I can’t confirm anything.”
“If magic were that mysterious, you’d have me looking into a crystal ball to find someone who loves me, not signing up for dating apps,” Taehyun says.
“We’re adapting to a modern approach. The curse didn’t say love had to come from any particular place,” Kai says. “Wouldn’t it be romantic if you met someone here, or at the animal shelter? It would be nice if the curse did something good for you, too.”
There’s a beautiful boy staring at Taehyun like he’s the only person in the world, talking about falling in love, and he doesn’t know what to do about it. He tries to speak, coughs, and his face flushes. “I… I hope it does.”
Somehow, Taehyun ends his volunteer shifts at the shelter covered in cat litter and wet food, while Soobin is spotless. He’d expected some amount of mess when he signed up, but as he attempts to mop up the mess, he wonders if the curse is simply baked into his being.
“Hao and his friends are blowing up my phone,” Soobin says. He’s leaning against the bathroom sink, providing “emotional support.” “They want me to go out with them to this bar, or… club, I don’t know. But I’ve already had a long day, you know? Hanging out with the puppies is enough activity for me.”
“You should go,” Taehyun says. He turns the tap off, accepting that the smell of dog shampoo will never leave his skin. “They’ll keep you entertained. You won’t even remember that you’re tired.”
“Trust me, I will,” Soobin says. “Plus, they outnumber me! They’ll drag me all over town.”
“Sounds like a good time. You need to get out more.”
“You should come with me.” Soobin grabs Taehyun’s damp hands. “Please, please, please. It would be way more fun with you there. You’d enjoy it more than me, and you need to relax.”
“I’m relaxed.”
“Taehyun-ah, wouldn’t a drink feel great after a day like today?”
“Go on….”
“First round’s on me.” Soobin gives him the same pleading, watery eyes as the stray puppies. “And I’ll be your wingman!”
“I don’t need a wingman.”
“Yes, you do! You need someone to fall in love with you, remember?”
Taehyun shakes his head. “I’ll come, but only if you don’t spend the entire time trying to find me a boyfriend.”
I’ve never needed a drink so badly in my life.
“God, I could kiss you,” Soobin says. Taehyun snorts. “Can you help me decide what to wear?”
After he’s showered away the animal germs, Taehyun digs through his closet for appropriate night-out attire. Thanks to the curse, he has no plans of getting rowdy—no dancing, no chatting with strangers, no trying overpriced cocktail mixes that would give a dragon heartburn. That takes about eighty-percent of the fun out of the night, but he can think of eighty different ways the curse could ruin his life.
Soobin’s friends are easy to get along with, though, and Taehyun is happy to socialize. They meet in line, exchange their greetings, and weave through the crowded bar in hopes of finding a table that can accommodate their whole group. Instead, half of them end up at the bar, while the others squeeze around a too-small table.
Taehyun takes a seat at the bar, Soobin glued to his side. He orders a bottle of soju for them to share—Soobin eagerly fills their shot glasses—and a Manhattan for himself. But the drink the bartender slides across the counter is neon yellow-green, and definitely does not contain whiskey.
Taehyun squints at it, takes a sip, and gags.
“Huh. That’s the weirdest Manhattan I’ve ever seen.”
It takes Taehyun a second to recognize the voice, so far removed from its usual setting. He spins around in his seat to come face-to-face with Kai, wearing a sheepish grin and dressed up in glittering black fabric. He’s always handsome, but his hair is styled, and there’s a smudge of eyeshadow on his lids.
“W-What are you doing here?” Taehyun asks, his words coming out in an undignified cough. “I didn’t think this was your scene.”
Kai rubs the back of his neck. “It’s not. My sisters wanted to go out tonight, and they made me come with them. They’re off with their friends now. I don’t know why they thought this would make me want to talk to strangers.”
“Socializing is good for you,” Taehyun says. He waves to the empty seat beside him, and Kai slides into it. “Come here often?”
“I try not to,” Kai says. His gaze lingers beyond Taehyun’s shoulder, and Taehyun realizes he’s in the middle of a very important moment: the merging of his two worlds.
“Kai, this is my friend, Choi Soobin,” Taehyun says, tilting his head in Soobin’s direction. “He’s the one I told you about. You’ll have a lot in common, I think.”
“Kai?” Soobin’s mouth falls open. There aren’t any other Kais in Taehyun’s life, but he doesn’t look convinced. “Wait, you’re….”
“I run the Orbuculum Emporium. That’s where Taehyun and I met,” Kai says meekly. His eyes dart from Taehyun’s to Soobin’s and back again, searching.
“Soobin knows everything,” Taehyun says, and Kai visibly relaxes. “He’s interested in putting a curse on his boss.”
“I was only kidding! But ask again after I’ve had a few drinks. Oh, and remind me what my schedule looks like next week,” Soobin says. “I’ll singlehandedly fund your business for the rest of the year.”
“You’d get the friends and family discount,” Kai says. It’s impossible to be sure with the bar’s neon lighting, but his face looks rather red.
A shiver runs down Taehyun’s spine. Having Soobin and Kai on either side of him is shockingly natural, and for the first time, he envisions this unexpected, isolated part of his life becoming a permanent piece within it, his normal life and the supernatural melding together.
“Let us buy you a drink,” Taehyun says. “You can hide from your sisters for a while.”
Would Kai freak out if I asked to meet them? Beomgyu’s always talking about how they could be triplets. I need to see for myself.
“I owe you. Let me see what I can get for you,” Kai says.
He sips on the fruity mystery concoction while Taehyun gleefully steals the proper Manhattan Kai ordered for “himself.” Kai seems to have a magic forcefield around him, so the curse is never as bad when they’re together. Thinking about it makes Taehyun feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and that’s not the alcohol talking.
“It’s not bad after the first sip,” Kai says. Although his expression had been pinched when he first tried the drink, there’s genuine, perplexing bliss on his face now. “Seriously. I’ll have to ask what they actually put in it.”
“You’re magic. That’s why it’s not poisoning you,” Taehyun says. “I’d say we should volunteer Soobin to take a sip, but then we’d have no more Soobin. He hasn’t built up a disaster tolerance like me.”
“You mean, it’s our opportunity to test whether I have magic,” Soobin says. His eyes narrow on Kai. “Aren’t you able to tell just by looking at me, though? Can I do magic?”
Kai blinks. “Y-You?” Taehyun already knows exactly what he’s going to say. After only a handful of “volunteer” shifts, he’s figured out Kai’s patterns, the faces he makes when he’s about to direct a customer to his collection of magical literature rather than gently suggesting that they should ask someone with more experience to perform a spell. “Um… I don’t think so. I don’t feel it pulling towards you. I bet you’d make a good tarot card reader, though,.”
“Really? Not even if I practice?”
Kai snorts. “Ninety-nine percent of the time, practice only helps if you have something to work with in the first place. The foundation has to be there.”
“So you’re saying I could be part of the one percent.”
“It’d be more like point-zero zero zero zero zero zero-one percent, but maybe.”
Soobin slaps his hands on the table. “Shit. There goes my backup career plan.”
“You’ll have to find something new to try once the curse makes your boss quit,” Taehyun says. “I can’t believe I haven’t needed to quit my job yet. I’ve been resisting the curse for so long.”
“When you said you repaired instruments for a living, that was the one time I worried that the curse really was for you,” Kai says. “There were too many instrument-specific details in that curse. But you’d be surprised by how many people have musician exes they want to curse.”
“I’m not surprised. Everyone has an evil musician ex,” Soobin chirps.
“What did our instruments ever do to you?” Taehyun asks.
“Imagine how much business Kai’s probably given you over the years,” Soobin says.
Taehyun downs the rest of his drink. “Now I’m going to think everyone who comes into the store must’ve been cursed.”
“Some people just have bad luck. The curses only emphasize what’s already there,” Kai says. “Don’t worry. We’ll find someone to fall in love with you before any more instruments are hurt.”
Taehyun groans. Soobin latches on like a shark smelling blood. “Huening Kai, tell me more about that. Are you really gonna find Taehyun a boyfriend?”
“I’m trying. That’s what the curse wants, after all.”
“Can I be honest? I’m a little worried. Not because Taehyun isn’t great, but because he’s so resistant to falling in love,” Soobin says.
“I’m still here,” Taehyun grumbles. “I’m not that resistant.”
Kai’s empty shot glass clinks beside Taehyun’s. “I don’t think he’s going to have a problem.”
Why not? Kai is usually right when it comes to uncertainties in life, thanks to his weird magic senses. But when did he become so optimistic? Does he know something that Taehyun doesn’t?
It feels different when Kai says that he’s likely to find success than Soobin, like he’s an expert on the matter. Taehyun clears his throat, willing away this strange embarrassment. “There’s no point in setting me up. Even if I manage to make someone fall with me, you’re probably going to track down your client first.” He pours Kai another shot from the remainder of their bottle. “It could take a year, and even then, I still wouldn’t have had a successful date.”
“That’s okay. Finding love when you least expect it is more romantic, anyway,” Kai says.
“It’s a lot more likely that I’ll find someone who deserves a curse of their own,” Taehyun says.
“You should go out and dance. Nobody here knows that you’re on the market,” Soobin says innocently.
Kai laughs. “You sound just like my sisters.”
“You’re not qualified to give me advice on dancing,” Taehyun says to Soobin. “I don’t see you dancing.”
“Because I’m not on the market!” Soobin squeals as Taehyun drags him up from his seat. “Hell, no. I’m not dancing with you. People will think we’re together.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“If they think we’re together, they won’t come up to you,” Soobin whines.
“I think that will work.” Kai stands up and holds his hand out to Taehyun. “If someone sees you dancing with us, they’ll realize you’re a hot commodity. Jealousy is a strong motivator.”
“How do you know that?” Taehyun asks.
Kai rolls his eyes, but still grabs his hand. He leads Taehyun away from the bar, past the crowded tables, and into the open space where the rest of the patrons have gathered. Some stand against the walls, chatting, but others are dancing, swaying along to an upbeat track.
Kai grins at him. “This is the part I’m not good at. I never dance when I’m with my sisters, because it would be so embarrassing if they were watching.”
“They could be watching. They might be recording us and laughing while they prepare blackmail material,” Taehyun says.
“Now you’re just trying to freak me out! That’s not gonna work on me,” Kai says, giving him a playful shove. “They’re too nosy to sit back and record. They’d demand to know who you are first.”
“Your sisters sound really nice. Mine would definitely record the blackmail material,” Taehyun says.
“Don’t get me wrong, they’re still devious. But it comes out in other ways,” Kai says. His eyes meet Taehyun’s. “I don’t go dancing very often. Or… ever.”
“What? You’ve never danced before?”
“I’ve danced before. Our family really loves music, so my sisters and I would put on performances when we were younger. Like, family talent shows.” Kai laughs, embarrassed, but it makes Taehyun’s heart stutter. “All of us played different instruments, but sometimes we’d learn dances, too. We’d practice for days and days so that we were in sync. Whenever I go home, my eomma digs out the tapes.”
“That’s adorable. Holy shit, can I come over?” Taehyun asks.
“I’d die if you saw them, but if you ever meet my sisters, they’ll show you,” Kai laments. “If they saw me now….”
“This is a thousand times easier than dancing with real choreography. It’s meant for drunk people,” Taehyun says. “Come on. You’ll be fine.”
He takes Kai’s hands, gently swaying along to the music. Kai watches with wide eyes, looking up and down Taehyun’s body. “Just move with me. Do what feels natural.”
“It doesn’t feel natural,” Kai complains. But his head begins to bob like a metronome, and his shuffling steps follow Taehyun’s.
This is the last way Taehyun thought he’d be spending his night—dancing with the man who’s made his life hell. The music is loud and grating, and the other patrons are too close for comfort, and the stylish boots he’d worn for the sake of fashion are pinching his toes. But it’s worth it when Kai hums along under his breath, and when he dips Taehyun as they pretend to waltz to a song that does not require waltzing, and when he makes eye-contact with a beaming Soobin across the room.
It feels good to let loose, to think about something other than work and community service and curses. Here, Kai isn’t the mysterious magical man behind the counter, he’s Taehyun’s same-age friend. He’s someone to play with, someone to indulge in, someone who tries his best—even if trying his best means stumbling through the steps of a dance they make up as they go along.
Watching him makes Taehyun feel greedy. He’s never seen Kai outside of the emporium, and now all of the possibilities flood to the front of his mind. He imagines Kai cozied up at home after a long shift, his family’s cats in his lap as he messages Taehyun. He imagines Kai learning how to dance again, all of that natural grace combined with a body that Taehyun envies. He imagines running into him on the street and taking him out for coffee, how next time it might happen intentionally, because he wants to know more about Kai. Despite how they met, despite everything that’s come of it, he’s curious.
When Kai meets his gaze, the bright lights shining in his eyes, Taehyun thinks about what it would be like to kiss him.
That’s… new. But as Kai tips his head back and laughs, Taehyun memorizes the shape of his smile. He wonders how Kai’s lips would feel against his own.
Kissing Kai. Why am I thinking about kissing Kai? He needs to focus on finding someone who will fall for him and break the curse, someone he deserves and someone who deserves him, someone he doesn’t have history with.
I’m so fucked.
Lost in thought, Taehyun trips over one of Kai’s shoes, stopping himself from falling just in time with a hand on Kai’s (broad, firm) chest. His face burns, and it takes everything in his power not to run and hide. No, no, he can’t be feeling up Kai right now, accidentally or not.
“Oops,” Kai says, breathless. “We should sit down. Too many dancing drunk people.”
I’m the drunk person. That’s why I’m thinking about kissing you.
Kai grabs his arm and leads him back to the bar, where their former seats are now occupied by other clubgoers. Only Soobin remains, finishing off the drinks they left behind. He abandons his own seat to welcome Taehyun and Kai, looking more smug than ever.
If he figures it out, I’ll never be able to live this down.
“God, watching you two makes me mad,” Soobin says. “You’re cute and it pisses me off.”
“Thank you. I know I’m cute,” Kai says. That enrages Taehyun, too, but he still can’t look away.
“Taehyun, how do you put up with this guy?” Soobin asks while Kai continues to snicker. Taehyun knows that tone of voice—he’s the furthest thing from annoyed by Kai. He approves of him.
He would approve of us. Soobin had begged to be Taehyun’s wingman, after all. He’d be too proud of himself if he caught wind of any feelings Taehyun might be having.
Taehyun shakes himself off, banishing every thought related to Kai’s mouth. “I need another drink.”
Taehyun doesn’t visit the emporium for an entire week—not because he’s avoiding Kai, but thanks to a series of scheduling mishaps that ends with him working overtime. Thankfully, the scheduling mix-up is the worst work-related disaster of the week, and Taehyun spends his shifts counting down the hours until Saturday morning, his next opportunity to visit Kai.
He hadn’t expected to enjoy working at the emporium in any capacity, never mind for his hours spent filing Kai’s paperwork to be the most exciting part of his week. Finding his way around Kai’s most eccentric clients is like working through a mathematical equation, or challenging a scientific hypothesis—though Kai would probably be offended if he were to describe it in such a way.
His fingers itch as he imagines the curse requests that must have accumulated during the week. I hope none of them involve instruments. Yoongi and I were too busy this week.
The emporium technically doesn’t open for another half hour, but the door is unlocked, just as Taehyun knew it would be. The bell on the door jingles, the three-note chime that has become ingrained in his brain.
“’Morning,” Beomgyu grumbles. His eyes are half-closed, a wad of cash in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.
“Want some help with that?” Taehyun asks. He sets his bag down and gently takes the mug from Beomgyu’s hands. Beomgyu rubs his eyes and yawns. “Hyung, it’s nine-thirty.”
“Yeah, the crack of dawn,” Beomgyu says. He yawns again, and this time, Taehyun has to stifle a yawn of his own. “Go find Kai. He’s a morning person.”
“I’m right here!” Kai calls. His voice comes from behind a shelf packed with stone carvings, in the shape of animals and skulls and planets. They’re much more pleasant to look at than the dildo carvings, which come with a notecard that says Do not insert!!! At the top of the shelf rests a literal crystal ball, precariously balanced on a wire stand, twisted into the shape of claws. “Damn. We’re running out of birds.”
“Birds?” Taehyun asks.
Kai holds up a yellow stone, the world’s toughest rubber duck—only it’s not a duck, it’s a crane. “This one’s citrine. Good for manifesting wealth and prosperity. Did you know that it’s a type of quartz?”
“It’s pretty,” Taehyun says. He leans in to inspect the crane, but Kai presses it into his hands instead.
“Take it,” he says. “You could use a crane. I can tell.”
“What if a customer comes in, and all they want is a crane, but this was the last crane left?” Taehyun asks, his heart fluttering wildly. It’s embarrassing that something so small could have such an impact on him.
“Then… that’s too bad. You’re my favorite customer,” Kai says.
Favorite customer!
It turns out that being drunk isn’t the only time Taehyun thinks about kissing Kai. The urge to kiss him is ever-present—when he passes Taehyun a stack of files, when he exchanges banter with Beomgyu, and when he leans over to ask a customer a question. Taehyun can’t stop looking at his lips, memorizing the shape of them, wondering if they’re soft. It’s a problem, because whenever his mind wanders, it finds its way to Kai’s mouth. How is he supposed to decide how he feels if Kai’s lips are distracting him?
While Beomgyu finishes booting up the computer system—which has been giving them trouble ever since Taehyun entered a single transaction last week—Taehyun reorganizes the shelves. Kai pops in and out of the back room between tasks, until he skids to a halt. “Have either of you eaten today?” he asks. He holds up a crinkling paper bag. “I brought leftovers.”
“I’m good for now. You two enjoy your date,” Beomgyu says,
Kai bursts into squeaky giggles, like he and Beomgyu planned it. Taehyun is ready to melt into the ground.
“C’mon, Taehyun. Lunch break,” Kai says brightly. On stiff legs, Taehyun follows him to the back, looking at his shoes instead of his face. Maybe if he stops looking at Kai’s mouth entirely, he’ll stop thinking about his lips, and he won’t have to worry about any more distractions.
It’s Kai’s fault that Taehyun needs to find a partner. He can’t be the one to throw a wrench in his plans.
“My eomma sent egg rice,” Kai says as they sit together at his desk. “She knows I don’t cook for myself, like, ever, so she’s my only source of home-cooked food.”
“She sounds nice,” Taehyun says. His mother always cooks for him when he visits, but they don’t see each other often. His own cooking doesn’t hit the same way.
“She is,” Kai says. He pulls a Tupperware out of the bag and pops the lid open, and a tantalizing smell wafts from it. “I thought Beomgyu was silly for wanting an office microwave, but he’s kind of a genius.”
“Every office needs a microwave,” Taehyun agrees. “It’s great that you’re so close with your family.”
Kai tucks the Tupperware in the microwave and starts it. “But they’re so nosy. Someday, you’re gonna run into them here, and then you’ll never be able to get rid of them.”
“Do they come here often?” Taehyun asks.
“My sisters work nearby, so sometimes they come by after work to pester me.”
“That’s why? To pester you?”
“And because Hiyyih’s girlfriend likes the incense,” Kai admits. “And my eomma’s started collecting some crystals….”
“That’s sweet. They’re supportive,” Taehyun says. “How’d you get into magic, anyway? I know you and Beomgyu started together, but which one of you had the idea?”
“Do you want the short version of the story, or the long one?”
“The long one, of course.”
Taehyun hadn’t expected it to be a loaded question, but Kai is quiet for a moment, contemplative. He takes his egg rice out of the microwave, but pushes it across the desk to Taehyun, and folds his hands in his lap. “You’ve probably figured out that I haven’t had a lifelong interest in magic. It didn’t really start because I was interested in magic at all.”
Taehyun leans forward, hanging onto every one of his words. The solemnity in Kai’s tone unsettles him, like he’s crossing a line he hadn’t known existed. But they’ve shared plenty with each other in the last few months, so what could he be worrying about?
“It was the solution to a problem—the same kind of problem that people approach me with now. I used to be in this relationship, and… it wasn’t good for either of us, but especially not me. And he blamed me for all of that. Took it out on me,” Kai says. His voice is low, stepping through the story like it’s a minefield, until he reaches a point he can brush straight past. “I was able to get out of it, but it changed me, and I couldn’t find my way back.”
Taehyun won’t move, won’t even breathe, won’t do anything that might cause Kai to stop telling his story. That one confession is enough for the pieces to click together in his mind, filling him with freezing dread and regret and anguish, but he needs to hear the rest.
“So, Beomgyu-hyung and I were joking around one night, and he was trying to make me feel better. I hadn’t talked to him in weeks at that point, but Beomgyu said that if he ever tried to contact me again, he’d put a curse on him.
Neither of us were serious about it, not even when he found a tutorial on beginner-level curses. Beomgyu did that first curse for me. I was grateful that he made me laugh, because that was enough. But then….”
“It worked?” Taehyun guesses. Thank god it worked. Who the hell would hurt Kai? The thought makes him nauseous, but there’s nothing he can do about it now.
Kai nods. “We started hearing stories from our old mutual friends. He got fired from his job because he never made it in on time. The guy he cheated with dumped him. All four of his tires went flat one day, for no reason at all.”
“All of that from your first ever curse?” Taehyun had assumed that their current skill with magic came from years of practice and a lot of luck, but Beomgyu and Kai must be full of raw magical talent, something that a person like Taehyun can’t comprehend.
“And—” Kai grins. “—he went bald. No history of male pattern baldness in his family, but all of his hair fell out.”
Taehyun touches his scalp self-consciously. His hair had stopped falling out in chunks a few weeks ago, but he’s still waiting for it to return to its normal texture.
“I would’ve felt bad about it, a few years before then. Like, what kind of person takes pleasure in someone else’s pain? But I didn’t care, because it was him. And maybe that’s a dangerous way to think, but what I’ve learned is that sometimes, you have to take justice into your own hands,” Kai says. Then, like a switch is flipped, he brightens. “You know the rest of the story. Beomgyu and I turned it into a business, and we’re doing great.”
He takes a second container of egg rice out of the bag while Taehyun absorbs his story. The smell of food is mouthwatering, but he doesn’t have much of an appetite anymore.
Even if it doesn’t work, if it can give catharsis to someone who’s hurting, I see why this means so much to Kai. It’s not his fault that some people might want to take advantage of his power, and use it on someone who doesn’t deserve to be cursed.
Taehyun swallows despite the lump forming in his throat. “Thank you for sharing with me.”
“You’ve earned it, since you’ve been helping out around here. You’ve learned a lot,” Kai says.
Taehyun blinks. “I have?”
“You started out thinking that I was fucking with you. I’d say this is a big improvement,” Kai says breezily. “But I had a feeling you’d come around eventually. Your energy is like a sponge.”
“How so?”
“A couple more months here and you’ll see it, too,” Kai says. He passes Taehyun a pair of chopsticks.
He imagines me sticking around. Taehyun is as giddy as a teenager on his first date as he takes the chopsticks, until he realizes he’s staring at Kai’s lips again. Fuck. Focus, Taehyun!
“S…So, do I get to watch more of your curses from now on?” Taehyun stammers, hoping that Kai is too distracted by his food to notice how little composure he has remaining.
“Hmm. Maybe,” Kai says. “I haven’t figured out whether your curse is a distraction when I’m working my magic. We’ll have to do more testing.”
More testing. Another promise of a future where Taehyun is welcome. Against his best efforts, he has a realization: I can bear this curse if I get to see Kai happy.
Something weird is happening to Taehyun. Rather, it’s the lack of weirdness that worries him.
Despite Beomgyu’s jade luck charm, he’s learned to brace for incoming disaster at any moment. He adds an extra ten minutes to every commute—an extra half-hour, if he can afford it. He only uses plastic dishes, because all his ceramics have smashed. He triple-checks every instrument repair to catch mistakes before they become irreversible. He stocks up on hair care products, and skincare for good measure. Whenever he’s around to keep Hobak from sticking his paws into the fire, he lights a candle to mask the faint, ever-present cigarette smell.
Except, this last week, his hair has started growing again. His clothes don’t smell like cigarettes as soon as he removes them from the washing machine. Yoongi hasn’t returned an instrument to him, hesitantly reporting that Taehyun made another mistake. When he visits the emporium, he doesn’t knock over an entire shelf of crystals. It’s the most relaxed he’s been in… well, he doesn’t remember the exact date.
He doesn’t suspect anything until Friday, when he’s standing on the train platform with a crowd of agitated passengers. After a long day of work, all he can think about is getting home, taking a shower, and crawling in bed with his cat, but he’d gotten an alert that the trains are experiencing delays of up to an hour. He barely registers the notification, and thanks to weeks of delays, he’s the only passenger who isn’t disgruntled by the news.
Until, ten minutes ahead of schedule, a train screeches as it rolls onto the platform. A murmur spreads through the crowd—a mother grabs her child’s hand, the businessman who can’t stop staring at his watch stops pacing, and the college student beside Taehyun tucks his phone back into his coat pocket.
“Wow, lucky,” the guy says under his breath. Taehyun freezes, so taken aback by the comment that he nearly misses the lucky train.
He doesn’t have good luck anymore. The best he can hope for is neutral luck, which presents its own set of challenges. His train is never early—the universe always finds a way to bend reality in a way that inconveniences him, and everyone around him.
What would cause that to change, apparently out of nowhere?
It can’t be that the curse has been broken. For all he knows, the bad luck is still gathering, and it’ll explode once enough has accumulated. Is that how magic works? He has no idea, but he has a feeling that he hasn’t spent enough time at the animal shelter, and he definitely hasn’t found someone who loves him.
Taehyun yanks the door to his apartment closed and slumps against it, sinking to his knees. Hobak trots up to him, meowing for dinner, but his heart is beating so fast he can barely hear it. Lucky. Wow, lucky.
His hand moves on autopilot to fish his phone from his pocket. There’s only one person he wants to talk to right now, and he doesn’t care that that person isn’t an expert on curses.
Thankfully, Soobin answers the phone before Taehyun even has time to lift it to his ear. “Hyung,” he says, skipping straight past the small talk. “I think something’s wrong with me. It’s the curse.”
“Huh—what?” Soobin sounds disoriented, like he just woke up from a nap. How many phone calls has Taehyun missed because of the curse? “Did you say it’s the curse?”
“Yes. I don’t know what’s wrong.”
“What happened?” Soobin asks, now alert. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. For now. I can tell something bad’s about to happen, because… hyung, the train came early.”
Dead silence from the other end. Taehyun barrels on, “Then I thought about the rest of the week, and… it was a good week. I didn’t have any trouble at work. No bad luck at all.”
“Why would that mean something bad’s coming?” Soobin asks.
“Because it’s obviously building up in me still, and I’m going to be complacent whenever the disaster really hits,” Taehyun says. “Hobak’s going to run away, or the shop’s going to burn down with all the instruments inside, or—”
“Taehyun-ah, where is this coming from?” Soobin asks, much more amused than Taehyun would like. “Have you considered that you’re just… not cursed anymore? Because that’s what it sounds like to me. Hey, is your hair still falling out?”
“That’s not the case,” Taehyun insists. “It’s not like I improved as a person just because I started doing community service once a week. And I’ve gone on, like, three dates. Nobody’s fallen in love with me.”
“How do you know that?”
Taehyun sighs. “I haven’t met anyone new. Unless Yoongi-nim has a crush on me, but I’m pretty sure he’s married.”
“You have met someone new.”
“Who? Yeonjun? He and Beomgyu are dating now.”
“Not him. Last week, you told me that you and K—”
“No.” Taehyun’s heart thunders in his chest. “He’s not… we’re not… it’s not that.”
“You need to talk to him, though. If you think something’s up with the curse, he can probably answer your questions. He can find you another good luck charm, at least.”
“Another charm isn’t going to save me from a nuclear disaster.”
“Nuclear disaster?” Soobin laughs. “Taehyun-ah, is it that hard to believe something good might be happening to you?”
“These days? Yeah. That’s the point of the curse.”
“I don’t think you should worry until you’ve talked to Kai. He’ll find some way to redistribute all your luck… or whatever it is you need,” Soobin says. “That’s the point of magic.”
Taehyun wraps his arms around his knees. Hobak’s tail flicks him in the nose. He knows how the magic works now, and Kai’s solutions are never straightforward. He might not know why the curse changed. Unless… unless Soobin is right.
Have I ever had such great luck?
The next morning, Taehyun skips his shift at the animal shelter and heads to the emporium as soon as he opens his eyes. It’s seven fifty-nine in the morning when he knocks on the door, hours before opening, but he can’t bear to spend the day pacing around his apartment, waiting around for Kai.
He doesn’t even know if Kai is working today—he and Beomgyu trade off on weekend days. The only thing that could be more embarrassing than knocking at the emporium’s door first thing in the morning for Kai’s advice would be for that advice to come from Beomgyu instead. Beomgyu, who knows way too much about Taehyun’s personal life at this point, and who’s probably already guessed that Taehyun has a crush.
As expected, nobody answers his knock. Taehyun peers into the window, but the blinds are drawn.
Stupid, stupid. He leans back on his heels and sighs. Am I really going to spend another hour waiting for someone to come answer my questions?
…It’s not like I have anything better to do. Unless a bird flies by and poops on my head. Or I have to chase down a runaway puppy. Or aliens invade the earth. Or whatever the hell else could happen.
“Taehyun!”
After spending the last five minutes convincing himself he was alone, Kai’s voice is so jarring that he nearly leaps into the air. “What are you doing here?” Kai asks. “It’s so early.” He looks Taehyun up and down, searching for something. “Is everything alright?"
“I figured you’d be here. Good timing, I guess,” Taehyun says. Kai tilts his head. “I had a question for you.”
“Oh. Cool, cool. It’s good to see you.” Kai offers a sweet smile, the kind that makes Taehyun squirm. “We can hang out while I get set up. What’s your question?”
“It’s, uh….” Kai unlocks the doors, and Taehyun follows him inside. “I feel different this week.”
“Different how?”
“Like things are working out for me. That worries me, because that shouldn’t be happening while I’m cursed. Can the curse change over time?”
Kai hesitates. Taehyun has a feeling that Kai has figured him out right then and there. “Tell me about it.”
Taehyun runs through his week from start to finish. His hair, the instruments at work, the smells, the train, his Internet finally cooperating long enough for him to binge watch a TV show. By the end of it, he’s not entirely sure that he’s listing incidents related to the curse, but every piece of evidence adds up.
“I even wore my other shoes on the way here, but the pebble is gone,” he says. His voice rises with desperation, and he grabs Kai by the wrist, shaking his arm as if that will convey the gravity of the situation. “I forgot what it feels like to walk without a pebble in my heel.”
Kai stares at their hands. Taehyun can’t bring himself to let go.
“This has to be something bad, right? My luck has been consistent for a while now,” he says.
Kai blinks a few times. He covers Taehyun’s hand with his own and gives it a squeeze. “Well… in my professional assessment, there could only be one explanation.”
Taehyun leans in, his breath caught in his chest. “What is it?”
“The curse must be broken,” Kai gives his hand one extra pat before letting go. “Congratulations, Taehyun.”
The news comes like ice water dumped over his head. Those are the words he’s spent weeks waiting to hear, the desire that his life has revolved around, but it’s too good to be true. It doesn’t make sense. This isn’t how he imagined it happening.
“I… I, uh….” Taehyun’s mouth is desert dry.
“In my experience, curses don’t change months after they’ve been cast. If you’re not experiencing symptoms anymore, that must mean you broke it,” Kai says. “I’m not surprised. It would’ve been a lot harder if you were the guy this curse was meant for.”
He practically prances about the shop as he continues with the opening routine, booting up the old computer and making sure every candle is in its place. Somehow, his joy makes him the most magical thing in the room. “Ah, this is so exciting. I can’t wait to tell Beomgyu-hyung. I’m sure some of our other curse recipients have broken their curses before, but we’ve never gotten to see it. Not all of our clients try so hard to make their curses permanent.”
“I don’t get it,” Taehyun says weakly.
Kai’s fingers pause over his keyboard. “Which part? I should remind you—our curses are meant to mimic the everyday inconveniences, not the catastrophic ones. Not everything that goes wrong in a day is related to the curses.”
“I don’t understand how the curse could’ve been lifted,” Taehyun says. “Nothing’s changed in my life.”
“It doesn’t have to be big for the magic to decide you’ve had enough,” Kai says. “I didn’t know you before, but you’ve been spending a ton of time here, and at the shelter. I don’t see why that wouldn’t qualify as a good person.”
Taehyun bites his tongue. Doing community service to lift a curse is selfish, not selfless.
“And we downloaded all of those dating apps. You must’ve made an impression on someone,” Kai continues.
After a few weeks of pestering him to embrace the possibility of falling in love, Kai had stopped asking for updates, and Taehyun had been happy to put it out of his mind. At that point, it wasn’t even personal—he wasn’t keen on sharing stories of failed romance with even his closest friends. It only made him more hopeless, and after a point, more confused.
“I wasn’t trying—not hard enough,” Taehyun says. “How long does it take someone to fall in love, anyway? A few weeks, at a minimum? And that’s puppy love, basically. Is that strong enough to break a curse?"
Kai is looking at Taehyun strangely, an expression he’s never seen him wear. It would make perfect sense if—no, he can’t follow that train of thought. “Magic isn’t math. You can’t explain a curse with a formula. Don’t worry about that part.”
“I’m worried about the whole thing!” Taehyun cries. “Maybe I was a good enough person before, but love? Who’s in love with me?”
Silence echoes in the room. Not for the first time in this conversation, Taehyun wishes that his words had an undo button. Either Kai won’t have an answer, or his answer will shatter Taehyun’s world all over again, and he’s not sure he can handle that.
Kai stares at him for long enough that he starts to wonder whether he was listening at all. Or maybe it’s that Taehyun has something on his face, something embarrassing enough to be a distraction. Without control over the situation, he feels like he’s dying, just as helpless to Kai as he was to the curse.
But Kai only smiles gently. He leans against a shelf of colorful rocks, totally relaxed, in a way that perplexes him and calms him in turn. “Who do you think it could be, Taehyun?”
“I thought I’d know when someone was falling in love with me,” he says helplessly, beyond the point of embarrassment, his heart sitting in his throat like a stone. “I had no idea.”
“Is there someone you’re in love with?” Kai asks. “Someone who might not feel the same way?”
The urgency in his tone only confuses Taehyun more. Why does it matter to him? His role in the curse ended the moment his client left the emporium.
“I don’t know,” Taehyun says honestly. “There’s someone… but it wouldn’t make sense. We haven’t known each other for long, but he’s changed my life. I thought I might be falling in love.”
“You thought? Or you still are?”
Taehyun is unable to meet Kai’s eyes. At least we’ll never have to see each other again if he rejects me. “I am falling in love with him.”
Kai’s breath comes out in a trembling exhale. Relief. “Tell me how you met him.”
“It happened here. I wouldn’t have met him if not for the curse, but I don’t know why the curse would have allowed me to have that,” Taehyun says. I’m doing this. No regrets. “I didn’t think much of him at first. He seemed like a total hack. But he still put up with me, and it turns out that he’s pretty cool. Opposites attract, I guess.”
The corners of Kai’s lips twitch. “Opposites, huh?”
“In some ways. Less so, now that I’ve gotten to know him. But he’s extraordinary, and I’m the guy who walked into the right place at the wrong time.”
“It was the right time,” Kai says boldly. “I’m the one who fucked things up, so really, you’re the extraordinary one for putting up with me. I almost ruined your life.”
“Ruined? Not even close,” Taehyun says.
Kai takes his hand. Their fingers intertwine, and his warmth soothes the frantic racing of Taehyun’s heart. How could he have missed what was right in front of him this whole time?
When Kai leans in, Taehyun meets him there. His hand finds the sharp line of Kai’s chin, pressing into his skin, mapping the shape of him. Kai’s eyes fall shut, and he looks even more angelic than usual, impossible to resist.
Taehyun kisses him, and it’s everything he’s spent the last weeks imagining, everything he convinced himself he couldn’t have. Their lips slot together like they’ve done this a hundred times before, like the motion was written into Taehyun’s body long before they met.
Kai’s hands find the front of his shirt, clinging to him. Even when the kiss ends, and they draw apart just like enough to steal a breath, another follows. Taehyun tilts his head for a deeper angle, his body lighting up with tingles.
Don’t go away. Taehyun commits the feeling to memory, and with it comes catharsis. When I open my eyes, don’t leave me.
“You’re right. Ruined isn’t the right word,” Kai murmurs. Taehyun presses his thumb into his lower lip, fascinated.
“I want to take you out on a date,” he says, “now that being around me won’t make the sky fall on top of us. What do you think?”
Kai’s smile is bright like the sun. “When are you free?”