Pandemonium | Hyunjin

A magician never reveals his secret

"You stupid fuck," Seungmin grumbled. He shoved a hand through his ashy blonde hair. "I fucking told you to behave yourself." 

The mocking squeak of a clown horn came from Jeongin's bright red horn. Seungmin scowled, but Jeongin kept going. He squeaked the horn again and that's when Seungmin snapped. He jerked the horn from his hands and chucked it at Jeongin's head. With a soft squeak, it bounced from his head and hit the ground. 

The pair were screwing around beneath the big top. There wasn't much practice for either of them to do. Seungmin worked with all his animals in their pens. Jeongin was just a clown. He always had been and he always would be. 

To Seungmin, Jeongin had the simplest job. He put on clown makeup, he handed out lollipops, and he walked along the grounds spreading delightful cheer or fear. It was kind of funny to see the kids freak out when they saw Jeongin. He always liked to honk his stupid horn and their fear multiplied. 

Jeongin was the youngest and the most rambunctious of the bunch. He was always getting into some sort of trouble. When he wasn't getting into trouble, he was up to no good. His head ran about a thousand miles per hour. He was always up to something and today, unfortunately, Seungmin was his victim. 

"Come on, Seungmin, live a little. I was thinking that maybe you could help me tonight with my act. I have to ride my unicycle and you cou-" 

"I'm not helping you with your act!" Seungmin snapped. "Do you remember what happened last time? You chucked the pins you were juggling at my head and nearly gave me a concussion." 

"I told you to keep your eyes peeled and your arms ready to catch. It's not my fault that you're stupid. Every time you put your head in the lion's jaws, you come out dumber." 

"Your face is about to look dumber if you keep it up. I'm going to beat the shit out of you and then you won't have to worry about dressing up as a clown. I'll fuck up your face so much that you won't need makeup." 

"What the hell is wrong with you two?" 

Seungmin and Jeongin glanced up. The flaps to the tent's entrance pushed open. Bang Chan stepped inside and looked between the pair. "Can't the two of you just get along?" 

"He threatened to punch me!" Jeongin cried out. 

"What? Hey! He called me dumb first!" 

Chan's head dipped back and his dark eyes rolled. "Pull yourselves together and get a grip. Surely, you can find something to do and get along without fighting all the time. Part your ways and leave one another alone. We have a job to do and we're not going to let little fights break it up." 

Jeongin groaned and stomped off towards the entrance. Chan's attention fell on Seungmin. His arms crossed in front of his chest. "And you? What are you going to do?" 

"Fuck off, Chan!" 

Chan's hands went up defensively. He watched as Seungmin stormed in the same direction as Jeongin. He shook his head and sighed. "What the hell is it with those two? Always at each other's necks and some of us are tired of it." 

Now that they were gone, he was alone in the circus tent. The bleachers were empty and the white performance ring sat barren, besides the step that Changbin used to host the show. Oftentimes, he stepped up on the platform, so the crowd could see him better. 

It was hard to miss Changbin in the arena. For every performance, he was in his ringmaster costume. Usually, such prestigious costumes were red, but Pandemonium wanted to stand out. Instead of the usual circus red, Changbin's coat was a deep shade of plum purple. Fine gold detailing stitched around the edge of the fabric. 

It's one of the things that made Pandemonium unique. Everyone wanted Pandemonium to stick out. They wanted to woo the crowds and skyrocket to the first circus that everyone thought of. Their added carnival had made them even more of a hit. Even if people didn't enjoy the circus, everyone loved a good carnival. 

Chan pulled the deck of cards from his pocket and began to shuffle them. For his act, it was rather simple, everyone loves some magic. From children to adults, magic tends to excite the wonder and curiosity in everyone. It's like a brightly burning match. 

It's always fun to confuse the crowd. To pull a rabbit from his hat and to spin around to reveal doves that are seemingly pulled from thin air. There's nothing that anyone can do, but watch with wide eyes and dropped jaws. 

The previous night, he managed to make Jeongin disappear for his act. One moment, Jeongin was dancing as a clown. Chan pulled out a sheet of red fabric and held it up over Jeongin. He wiggled it a few times and dropped it. The moment it was dropped and revealed nothing behind it, the tent flooded with gasps. 

Nobody could understand where the clown went. People were looking everywhere, but it wasn't until drums rattled and a spotlight turned on that they saw him. Way up high, there was Jeongin. He was standing on top of the acrobat platform that was almost thirty feet in the air. 

Kids clapped in excitement and parents shared glances with one another. It seemed like it was impossible. How did someone on the ground get so far up within a few seconds? That was part of the pull from the circus. Questions went unanswered and it was all part of the magic. 

The fluttering of tent flaps caused Chan to glance over. Felix walked in and glanced at the deck of cards. "Oh, you're doing that again? Okay, let me think of a card." Felix's eyes squeezed shut and two fingers from each hand pressed along his temples. "Alright, I've got it." 

Chan shuffled the deck a few times. He fanned through the cards until it felt right. He finally flung up a card and showed it to Felix. "Is this your card?" 

Felix opened his eyes, hoping Chan would get it wrong. Instead, his eyes widened in surprise. "How did yo-" 

"The ten of spades isn't that original." He shrugged, placed the card back in the deck, and began shuffling again.

"You're a freak," Felix grumbled. He walked past Chan and headed over to the ladder. Hyunjin was going to be here soon. He was ready to prepare for tonight's show again. 

Chan chuckled and kept flipping through his cards. An amused smirk sat on his face and he began to feel the allure of magic once more. So much fun could be had with such a simple deck of cards. 

"A freak, huh? Aren't we all?"