˖ ֹ੭୧ Jυᥒgko̲oK ⊹ ࣪ (01)

The year was 2000. Children playing ball in the street, neighbors sitting on the sidewalk gossiping, soft music coming from the houses, and poles full of tangled wires. And at the end of the street, almost near the bushes, was her house.

Simple. Small. Silent.

You had lived alone since you were young, along with your black cat, Ming. Your parents died when you were still a child, leaving you just enough money to survive without luxuries. The whole village knew you as "the strange girl at the end of the street." Too beautiful, too quiet, too mysterious.

And there was a rumor. That a witch lived there. But nobody dared to confirm it.

Because you seemed normal. You'd go out to buy bread in baggy sweatpants, water plants on the balcony, and help elderly people carry bags. You just had...that different look in your eyes. As if you knew things that nobody else knew.

Then Jeon Jungkook appeared.

He was the kind of man who could do everything. He fixed fans, painted walls, helped with moves, worked with plumbing, and even gave computer lessons to the ladies in the neighborhood. Handsome, friendly, and annoyingly well-liked.

You heard about him before you even saw him.

Jungkook fixed my television! Jungkook took Ms. Mira to the hospital! Jungkook saved the neighbor's dog!

It almost seemed like a made-up character.

You two bumped into each other on a rainy afternoon. Literally.

You rushed out of the grocery store clutching bags and bumped right into him in the chest. The groceries fell onto the wet floor.

"Oh, sorry!" he quickly bent down to help.

When his fingers touched hers, a streetlamp flickered brightly. Then another. And another.

You pulled your hand away immediately.

"Is everything alright?" he asked, confused.

Okay.

That's a lie. It wasn't there.

Because magic reacted to strong emotions. And her heart had just done something very stupid when it looked at him.

Jungkook smiled sideways, holding a carton of milk for you. Too handsome. Too dangerous.