A mysterious thief grabs hold of one-half of an ancient artifact that threatens the lives of the wizarding community. Byulyi, a magical law enforcer bands together with Jungkook, her mentee, and Jin, a peculiar time-traveling wizard, to collect piec...
Once all the water had vanished, Jungkook helped Byulyi set up a clothesline and cast a drying spell. It took several minutes, and while she waited, Byulyi wore an oversized t-shirt and black joggers. The clothes swallowed her whole, making her look like a small child.
"Time to eat, you two!" Jin called out.
Jungkook noticed Byulyi sigh. "Don't worry about Jin-hyung, Byulyi-ssi. He's a good person."
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Instantly the air around them wafted with the smell of gochujang and aromatic vegetables. It was a wonderful spread. Set out on a low rectangular table was a long metal stove, and inside, bubbling away was the cutlass fish Jin had caught. Dotted here and there were slices of octopus, clams, and mussels.
Without hesitation, the three dug right in. In between spoonfuls of rice and nibbles of kimchi, Byulyi and Jungkook recounted their first day.
Jin swallowed his food. "So you're telling me your boss made you clean up a mess that was already organized, to begin with, because you caused chaos in a thousand-year-old market?"
"Yeah," Jungkook commented. "After all the organizing my brain was fried."
"You guys deserved it," Jin nodded.
"Hyung! I thought you were on our side?" Jungkook whined but still opened his mouth when Jin fed him a piece of fish.
"Like I said, you guys deserved it. Even I know not to cause a ruckus inside-," Jin looked up and saw a raised eyebrow on Byulyi's face. His mind recalled his recent scuffle with the Joseon guard. "A-hem. Never mind. So Byulyi-ssi, you mentioned you want to know more about Korean culture?"
"Yes. I think gaining more knowledge would help on the job," Byulyi replied. "Today's mistake was because I didn't know anything about Seoul's historical places."
"Oh. For the job," Jin grumbled. He looked at Jungkook who had the same disappointed look.
"Er- something the matter?" Byulyi said with a worried expression.
Jin replied with a shrug. "It's just. I thought you being here in Korea meant you were interested in learning about your heritage. Maybe look for relatives?"
"Oh. That," Byulyi bit her lip. She knew that she had said the wrong thing, yet again. "It's not that I'm not interested-"
"Gwenchana!" Jin's eyes lit up once more. "Me and Jungkook will be your personal tour guide! Ja! First things first. There are two things important in this world. The first thing is money. The second is food. I do most of the cooking here. What Korean foods do you usually like to eat in London?"
"Korean food?" Byulyi thought of Yongsun, who was like their mother. "The most I eat is kimchi fried rice. My flatmates and I, we're just so busy. My sister works in a hospital and I work odd hours. Our friend, Yongsun, she's the only one working the day shift at the Auror Academy, so we just grab a takeaway. We live on top of a pub."
Jin let out a fake gasp, complete with his hand on his chest.
"What a drama queen," Jungkook said, chewing on some greens.
"Zip it, Jeon. So that means you haven't tried kimchi jiggae? No sampyeopsal? No nengmyun or even samgyetang? Or even-," Jin fanned himself. "Chi-Mek? (Korean fried chicken and beer?)"
"None," Byulyi replied. She wondered what those dishes looked and tasted like.
"We will have to fix that. Now I'm a busy man-," Jin paused at Jungkook's chuckle.
"Busy man? He plays video games almost every day," Jungkook commented.
"As I was saying. I'm a busy man and I can squeeze you both in for field trips."
"What do you do for work?" Byulyi looked on. She was curious about how he could afford a house in the city.
Jin smirked. The kind that fortune tellers often wore on their faces when they picked up a good card. The man did a come hither gesture with his finger, and like a magnet Byulyi leaned forward, anticipating his answer.
"Come closer," Jin whispered, his voice low and suave. "I'm a-"
"Yes?" Byulyi hushed, sensing it was a secret to them.
"I'm a traveler," Jin smiled.
"A traveler?" Byulyi looked perplexed. "Like a traveling salesman?"
Jungkook choked on his kimchi and slapped Jin's knee. He gave out an adorable loud laugh that had tears pooling in his eyes. "A traveling salesman?! Haha! Jin-hyung!"
Jin pouted his lips. Byulyi joined Jungkook and giggled. That was not the kind of response he was aiming for. It was supposed to be, Oh! A traveler! How exciting! The air of mystery was now broken.
"A-hem. I'm a time tra-," Jin started over but grumbled when his two housemates paid him no attention. "I'm a- oh whatever! No dessert for you two. Not like we have any."
.
After a few hours of sleep, Byulyi decided to hit the ground running by ticking off a box on her checklist. It was no simple list. It was more like an elaborate regimen filled with workout schedules, self-defense book recommendations, and diet plans. When she knocked on Jungkook's bedroom door, she was already fully dressed in a black workout set, and her hair tied in a high ponytail.
A few seconds passed, and Byulyi heard the shuffle of beddings and a groggy grunt. "Five more minutes, hyung!"
"It's me, Mr. Jeon!" Byulyi called.
Cluttering sounds and footsteps were heard. Jungkook slid his door open and looked well-slept with his bedhead and a wrinkled t-shirt. "Oh! Byulyi-ssi. Good-," he yawned. "Good morning."
"Good morning. I was thinking we could start off the day with a jog," Byulyi smiled.
"A jog. Hm. Oh right! The Auror program!" Jungkook's eyes shot wide when he remembered why Byulyi was there in the first place. "I'll get changed!"
While waiting, Byulyi turned around and almost accidentally collided with Jin. He looked sleepy and was dressed in a pair of sky-blue pajamas. "Good morning," Byulyi greeted.
Jin smiled with his eyes closed. "Good night."
"Good night? It's already sunrise."
"It's a good night for me. Time to sleep," Jin yawned and ruffled his black hair. "Just finished marathoning episodes of Naruto. We should watch it together sometime. Why are you up so early anyway?"
"Jungkook and I will be exercising. We'll be jogging around the neighborhood. It's on my to-do list."
"A to-do list?" Jin unceremoniously took the piece of paper from Byulyi's side pocket. "Ew. So many rules."
"Give me that! I'll have your know these rules have made me the Auror I am today. Productivity."
"I personally like rules," Jin returned the list.
"You do?" Byulyi asked, warry.
"Ne. I like breaking them. Good night!" Jin proceeded to walk to his bedroom but stopped midway. "Oh, Byulyi-ssi. Keep your next day off open."
