𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓 | (𝐆)𝐈-𝐃𝐋𝐄

𝐀 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐬 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐄𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠

Shuhua squinted at her phone screen, her thumb lazily scrolling through endless Facebook Marketplace listings. Dingy apartments. Cramped studios. Rent prices that made her want to cry. She sighed, flopping back onto her couch with a groan.

Her own house was still a construction zone—plaster dust in her shoes, power tools at ungodly hours, and nowhere decent to sleep. She just needed something temporary. A month or two, tops. But everything she found was either too expensive or too creepy-looking.

Just as she was about to close the app in defeat, a strange listing caught her eye.

✨ Affordable Room for Rent – Magical Roommate Wanted ✨

She blinked.

“...What?”

It sounded like a prank. Or maybe someone trying to lure gullible people into a cult. Still, something about it tugged at her curiosity. The ad had no capital letters and was written like a whimsical daydream:

"cozy room in enchanted forest-adjacent home. looking for someone open to magic, may possess magical aptitude (bonus if good with cats). vibe is cottagecore meets chaotic witch. rent negotiable."

Shuhua chuckled. “Okay, that’s either a weirdo or my soulmate.”

Against her better judgment—and maybe because her life was already a little chaotic—she messaged the owner.

To her surprise, the reply came within minutes.

Soojin: Hey Shuhua! I like your energy. Wanna come by tomorrow for tea and a vibe check? ✨🌿

Honestly, what did she have to lose?

The next day, Shuhua found herself standing in front of what looked like a page ripped out of a fairytale book.

The cottage was nestled between tall, ancient trees, the kind that whispered in the breeze. Flowers climbed the gate. Wind chimes tinkled gently above the door. And the air smelled like lavender and fresh bread.

Before she could knock, the door creaked open.

And then there was Soojin.

Tall. Mysterious. A soft kind of stunning, with dark eyes that felt like secrets and a smile that made Shuhua’s breath catch in her throat. Her hair was loose, curling at the ends like it had a mind of its own, and a little smudge of something—ash? flour?—rested on her cheek.

"You're early," Soojin said, smiling. "I like that. Come in."

Shuhua’s voice caught in her throat. “Thanks for... having me. Your house is—wow.”

Inside felt like magic. Not even in a metaphorical sense. Candles flickered without flames. Books floated down from shelves. A teacup stirred itself.

"I'm guessing you're not technically magical?" Soojin asked, already handing her a mug of warm chai.

"That obvious, huh?" Shuhua laughed nervously. "I mean, I love the idea of it... but I can't exactly make brooms fly or anything."

Soojin tilted her head thoughtfully. “Magic’s not always flashy, you know. It’s not just fireballs and teleportation. Sometimes it's a feeling. A presence. An energy.” She smiled. “I think you might have more magic than you think.”

Shuhua stared at her for a moment, her heart doing something weird in her chest.

Was it the tea? Or just Soojin?

Days passed. Then a week. Then two.

Somehow, Shuhua never left.

She started learning little things—how to charm plants to bloom, how to mix simple potions that cured headaches and heartbreaks. Soojin was patient, always smiling when Shuhua messed something up or accidentally turned the kitchen curtains pink.

There was a cat named Whiskers who talked way too much and loved to nap on Shuhua’s chest like he’d known her for years.

But more than the spells, it was the moments that stuck with her.

Soojin brushing flour from Shuhua’s nose while baking bread. Laughter echoing through the halls when their potion exploded. Stargazing on the porch in matching cardigans, sharing secrets neither of them had told anyone else.

And something started to shift.

The way Soojin looked at her lingered. The soft brush of hands when they passed each other in the hallway. The way their silence was never awkward—just full.

One night, after a long day of spell practice and cat wrangling, they sat by the fireplace, feet tucked under the same blanket. Soojin was reading, her voice low and melodic, and Shuhua was only half-listening—too busy watching the curve of her lips, the glow of her skin in the firelight.

“Can I ask you something?” Shuhua said quietly.

Soojin looked up. “Of course.”

“Why did you... put ‘magical roommate’ in the ad? Like, really?”

Soojin didn’t answer at first. She just watched the fire for a long moment, then turned her gaze to Shuhua.

“I think I was hoping someone would show up who wasn’t just magical in the spellbook sense. Someone who could make this house feel alive again. Someone who made things brighter just by being here.”

Shuhua’s breath caught.

“You mean like—?”

“I mean you, Shuhua,” Soojin whispered, reaching over and gently taking her hand.

And suddenly, all the little moments—the lingering stares, the quiet closeness, the warmth—clicked into place like a spell being completed.

Shuhua smiled, heart thudding against her ribs.

“I never thought I’d find magic like this.”

Soojin’s eyes crinkled softly. “Sometimes, it finds you first.”

And right there, in that little cottage tucked in the woods, surrounded by books and candles and the soft purr of a cat who definitely knew what was happening—Shuhua leaned in.

Their lips met like something destined. Like something written in the stars. And Shuhua realized that the most enchanting magic of all… was love.