Black Swan (Kim Namjoon x reader)

Chapter 3

"Do you have a death wish?" the boy asked, "Why have you been following me?" He glared at you. If looks could kill, you would be 6 feet under right now. Your throat became dry as you took a step back, but the wall behind stopped you in your tracks. His eyes pinned you to the wall. Without his glasses, you could see just how dark his eyes were, and the dragon-like shape of them. His eyelashes were also delicately long, you grew jealous. "So?" he asked again.

"Are you in any sort of trouble?" you asked. It was the first thing that came to mind.

He blinked, "What?"

"Do you owe anyone money? Is the mafia after you? Or the government?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You disappeared from this alleyway," you finally said. "You walked through this wall."

Namjoon laughed, it was the loudest you've ever heard him. "Do you know how crazy that sounds?"

"You're not denying it," you pressed on.

"Because it's so absurd, I can't believe anyone would actually consider it."

"So where did you go off to yesterday after this spot?"

"That is none of your business," he spat. He knew you had been following him since the beginning, he thought you would give up after 3 hours at the library but you persisted.

"You're deflecting!"

"You're insane," he continued. "No one would believe you."

"I hadn't planned on telling anyone."

Namjoon's mouth hung open, he anticipated a bigger fight. "What?"

"I don't care if no one believes me, I just wanted to know if you needed help or anything."

The boy scoffed. "Whatever," he mumbled to himself. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a single playing card. The Ace of Clubs. You tilted your head while waiting for him to explain. But instead, he held the card up to your face and chanted something. A spark of light emitted from the card and the sky changed its color for a brief millisecond. "Now forget everything," he declared. The light dissipated. You both looked at each other, waiting for something to happen. It's clear that Namjoon hadn't anticipated such a reaction to occur. He looked at the card again and repeated the chant. The light came and dispersed like before. And once again, you both stood there while nothing happened. Namjoon panicked, his spells always worked on humans. As the seconds passed, he grew more wary and anxious about the situation, so he did the only thing he could think of. "Look over there!" he yelled, his finger pointed in a random direction. You followed his instruction, finding nothing particularly interesting. But when you look back, he was gone.

***

The bartender handed him a glass of pretend whiskey on ice. Namjoon nodded in acknowledgment but didn't say anything else. He took a sip and shook his head. How annoying, he thought, everything about this afternoon was so annoying. The rest of the liquor went down his throat, he slammed the glass on the countertop. Guests of the bar were startled at the sound but they went back to their conversations soon enough. A group of nymph fairies nested on the light fixture above him. A werewolf pack in the corner. The bartender returned, a look of concern painted on his face. "If you break it, you pay for it," he chuckled.

Namjoon rolled his eyes, "I have enough money to buy this whole place," he groaned.

"Why are you in such a bad mood?" the bartender asked. He leaned over the countertop to take back the glass from Namjoon's reach. It would be the fifth glass Namjoon break this week, and not even on purpose either. "Even more than usual."

"Sorry," Namjoon offered. He was upset about the whole ordeal, but mostly he was pissed at himself for not being careful. Usually, he would have no problem traveling between worlds. He should have sensed that you saw him the first time. And even if he hadn't been careful, the alleyway would only reveal itself to humans. The liquor mixed with exhaustion didn't help him think. He couldn't come up with any logical explanation. "Hoseok, I need to ask you a question."

The bartender raised an eyebrow, "Wow, what an honor. You've never come to me for a question before."

"That's because your answer to everything is to drink."

"How do you think I make a living?" Hoseok asked. He looked around his bar. It was the most popular place in Etherio. Creatures and magical beings of all sorts gather to talk about their problems and indulge in a state of drunkenness to forget their problems. Here, in this bar, the guests leave their problems at the door. "But what's the question?"

"Can humans possess magic?"

"Aren't you supposed to be the smart one here?" Hoseok held a glass in his hand. The glass froze up as little ice cubes began to form. Once completed, he slid it down to the guest. They were pleased with the drink and that they got to witness Hoseok's element work.

"Right," Namjoon sighed. Only those born in Etherio have magic in their blood. But even then, only a select few have powers. Namjoon considered himself lucky for being born with abilities. He was the pride and joy of his family. They had anticipated him to join politics since powerful magic users have a monopoly over the well-being of Etherio. But he opted out of that life and became a performer. He was meant to be on stage. At first, he found it weird that people with magical powers and mythical creatures themselves would want to pay money to watch someone do magic tricks when they might have more powerful magic. But he learned that just like humans, everyone here is looking for an escape from reality, so he was able to capitalize on himself. His illusion magic made him special.

"But why did you ask about that? Did something happen?"

"No," Namjoon lied. "I was just curious. Can I please have another drink?"

"Since you asked nicely, I suppose I can grant you another."

Namjoon spent his evening sipping on his drink. He contemplated on staying in Etherio for another week until everything blows over, or when your interest in him diminishes. But he didn't like staying in one place for too long. It gets boring and tedious. Besides, they might come looking for him soon.