Where there is love there is magic

Chapter 1

There's always something brewing beneath the surface of the universe—like an omnipresent trace, a darkness that holds the answer to every question. Jongin's father has always told him not to play with fire and the shadow it always creates. He's always been a smart boy, too, heeding his words in his heart.

But Jongin's father is dying and he's not here right now.

"Dude, are you sure about this?" Sehun asks. His feet are propped on the dashboard and Jongin wants to go off on his best friend for that, for everything—just so he can release some of the frustration he's experiencing from the situation.

"Yeah," Jongin replies curtly. The grip on his steering wheel tightens and he bites his tongue. Sehun doesn't deserve to receive the brunt of his anger and borderline hopelessness. "I don't really have a choice, you know?"

The older of the two turns his head a bit, seeing Sehun shake his head grimly in a gesture that is neither a yes nor a no. There's a weighted silence before Sehun speaks again. "I still don't think visiting a witch is a good idea."

Jongin shrugs, "Like I said, I have no choice. My father is dying, Sehun, and the doctors have no idea what to do about it. I don't know what to do about it. It's something related to magic."

Maybe.

Jongin's not sure how magic works. All he knows, all everyone knows, is it exists and it is best to stay away from it as far as possible. Witches are notorious for being fickle, one wrong offense and Jongin and Sehun will be lucky to make it out in the same specie they come in as. They're creatures of mystery who thrive in the fear and confusion they create for the non-magics.

Witches are scattered in Seoul like flies in concrete dumpsters. Jongin has debated going to those who offer their services in the black market but he knows—or, as much as it is possible to know—that people of magic prefer to stay out of others' businesses, even those of their own kind. The best approach is to just ask around and find one.

Sehun has managed to find him someone, some twenty-five minutes of driving to the quieter parts of the city. The skyscrapers and the rush of time have long passed, shifting to houses and smaller sidewalks always seeming like it's half-way stuck in the past. There's a woman walking with a young child clinging on her hands. Jongin swallows the lump on his throat.

"That's it." Sehun points out to a tiny house on the end of the road.

Jongin knows.

There's something about the house that sets it apart from its neighborhood. There's nothing different about it, at first, just tinier than most of the houses surrounding it. But the size and the design of the house do not conceal the eerie something surrounding the property. It's nothing suffocating, just a little bit cold, sending shivers down the length of Jongin's spine.

Sehun lowers his feet from the dashboard. "Here we are."

"Here we are," Jongin repeats, parking just a few meters from the house's front. They'll never know how volatile this particular witch is and they do not really want to trespass and risk the ire of someone magic.

Jongin gets out of his car after a deep breath, Sehun following his actions. Locking up, he shakes his shoulder and flails his limbs a little.

"Nervous?" Sehun eyes him without a hint of judgment.

"Yeah."

"You should be," Sehun turns away and walks. "I still don't agree with this hare-brained plan of yours."

Jongin refuses to answer and continues to walk after his friend, lengthening his strides so they're side-by-side. His gaze is trained towards the small house, resolute and strong. His father is dying.