By Zephyria 
“Aaaagh! A de-, demon has possessed him!”
“Apologize!! You’re the demon! You! You stupid demon!”
Ha-jin was speechless at the absurd situation, frozen like a stone. Although he had been doing magic for a long time, he wasn’t used to Heckler’s direct rampages because of his long reclusive life. It was a farce that one would only experience in unremarkable street magic exposed to an unspecified number of people.
Ha-jin was not only dumbfounded by the Cult Leader’s rude behavior, but his head throbbed as if it were being stabbed by the sudden rush of past memories.
When he closed his eyes, the audience seats with red velvet chairs and the bright pin lights reflected on the floor appeared like a lie beyond the darkened vision.
‘Is that really the guy who won at FISM? He’s using tricks so blatantly? And he has the nerve to participate in the magic gala show as a representative after doing this. Ugh, what a waste of money.’
‘Seriously hilarious. This is the first time I’ve ever seen a guy get his trick exposed so sloppily.’
No. Ha-jin, shaking his head, lowered his chin and stared blankly at the cards in his hand. An unknown red liquid was splattered all over them, contaminating the cards. The cards were mercilessly crumpled in Ha-jin’s trembling palm.
When he opened his eyes again, there were several pairs of eyes glaring at him. This time, it was backstage, inside the waiting room.
‘Do Ha-jin, are you really just doing magic as a hobby at this point?’
‘If this becomes public, your magic career is over, Ha-jin. We’re putting up with it because it’s us, but if it were someone else….’
‘Do you like tarnishing the reputation of magicians?’
Ha-jin’s breathing gradually became rougher due to the unpleasantly pounding heart.
“Apologize, you bad old man! Apologize!”
“Aaaagh! Get him away from me!”
“If zombies swarm us, we’re in big trouble, everyone lower your voices!”
That day, which had been ruined by the machinations of others, that terrible memory of that day, which had been dismissed as a simple happening to someone, the moments he thought he had overcome, crashed down like a thunderclap and violently wrapped around his body.
“Do Ha-jin.”
Eden, who had approached him at some point, shook Ha-jin, who was staring blankly at the cards.
“Hey, Do Ha-jin.”
“…You guys did it.”
“Ha-jin?”
“This isn’t like that, I….”
Ha-jin was gripping the Card Deck so hard as if he would completely crush it. The sharp edges were dangerously close to scratching his palm at any moment.
As only incomprehensible mumbling returned, Eden, frowning, grabbed Ha-jin’s chin and roughly turned it towards him. Ha-jin’s dazed gaze reached the area near Eden’s philtrum.
“Loosen your grip?”
“……”
“This guy’s completely out of it.”
A low, sinking voice flowed along Ha-jin’s eardrums. With just that one word, Ha-jin’s pupils, which had been vague all along, instantly regained their light.
The first thing he saw was Eden’s handsome face, so close that their noses would touch any second. The moment a flustered Ha-jin blinked, a stinging sensation surged inside his palm.
“Ah.”
Clatter— the contaminated and mangled Card Deck fell onto the pad with a thud.
“Hngh, apologize! Apologize to Ha-jin Uncle!”
Mi-so, who was coaxing Byeol while crying, pointed at Ha-jin, who was sitting there dumbly. A look that seemed to ask what she was doing not soothing the child quickly followed.
Ha-jin, who barely came to his senses, approached Byeol on his knees.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. Byeol, were you very surprised?”
“Huuuuh…!”
The tears that burst out with all the sadness in the world didn’t stop. Ha-jin hugged the child, who was more upset than he was, and muttered while comforting him.
“It’s okay, it’s okay….”
Ha-jin’s shoulder was getting wet. Ha-jin raised his head and made eye contact with the male child with a dumbfounded expression, the women who covered their mouths in surprise, and the Cult Leader, who was sniffling and crying with his bangs tattered.
When their eyes met, the Cult Leader raised his already small eyes even more triangularly.
“Won-shin will punish you! Immediately put away that demonic sleight of hand and repent now!”
Ha-jin tightly covered Byeol’s ears in his arms and lowered his expression menacingly. The Cult Leader was still huffing and puffing as if his words were right, busy wagging his finger.
“This is all for Do Ha-jin! Saving foolish sentient beings is my job and…!”
Ha-jin handed the child he was holding to Mi-so and stood up from his seat. Following his towering figure, the Cult Leader’s fat chin was lifted upwards.
“Mister.”
A low, eerie voice echoed through the space.
Eden was looking up at Ha-jin’s hardened jaw muscles, predicting his reaction. Whether he would gloss over the situation with a sly smile, run away from the spot, lecture about the difference between magic and trickery as he had done to him, or flip them off with a flashy card magic.
But Ha-jin’s next words deviated from all expectations.
“Shut up. Unless you really want to die.”
In an instant, Eden’s pupils shook.
It was a chilling warning that surprised everyone sitting in their seats. The flustered Cult Leader gaped like a goldfish, and someone, startled, swallowed a hiccup! With the fierce sentence that flowed out like a chill, everyone’s mouths were tightly shut as if they had made a promise.
❖ ❖ ❖
Thwack! The crumpled Card Deck was mercilessly thrown into the bathroom trash can. Ha-jin stood in front of the sink, staring at the long red marks drawn inside his palm.
Fortunately, he didn’t draw blood. Only red scratches that would disappear over time remained. The minor habit of grinding the side of the Card Deck on his pants hem, as if grinding ink, had shone at an unexpected time.
“…Unbelievable.”
His consciousness had been half-gone enough to unconsciously grab the Card Deck recklessly. He was usually quite patient with most things, especially when it came to magic, but today it was hard to endure that nonsense.
Ha-jin stood in front of the dark sink and turned on the water. The tomato juice, which had thickly smeared on the back of his hand like blood, felt strange. Gurgle, gurgle…. As Ha-jin blankly washed his hands, a bright light suddenly poured into his vision.
When he raised his head to check the mirror, he saw Eden leaning against the opposite wall. He was carelessly shining a flashlight on the sink.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”
Ha-jin, suddenly feeling embarrassed, turned his gaze back to the faucet.
“…You don’t have to follow me.”
“I wanted to, but you didn’t take your clothes.”
Eden clutched a T-shirt he had draped over his shoulder in his hand. The stretched-out ivory T-shirt drooped in his hand. It was a top that had been buried in Ha-jin’s bag.
“You’ve got tomato juice all over your chest. Wash it and sleep, if possible.”
“…Yes.”
Eden, who he thought would leave soon, was watching Ha-jin in that state, holding a hatchet. Ha-jin’s mouth, which had been about to tell him to go, closed again. It was because he belatedly remembered his policy of having to move in pairs of at least two, no matter what.
Squeak, Ha-jin, who had scrubbed until his elbows were red, grabbed the hem. Just as he was about to take off his short-sleeved shirt and throw it away, he hesitated and hunched his body. He didn’t like this situation where he was unnecessarily conscious of Eden.
He was already upset enough about the unpleasant thing that had just happened, but he couldn’t like the way Eden was leaning against the wall and staring at him.
“Please turn your head.”
“Why?”
“……”
“Are you worried I’ll steal a glance at your chest or something, Do Ha-jin?”
Ha-jin chewed on the inner mucous membrane of his lower lip.
‘The size and color of Do Ha-jin’s areola, that is. It’s big, plump, and light pink. You could say it’s the color of strawberry milk.’
Even if he was told he was being fussy, he didn’t want to twist his body while being conscious of Jeong Tae-geon’s gaze. It was also terrible that these kinds of sentences kept replaying in his head. Ha-jin answered honestly.
“Yes, so please turn your head.”
“Caught me.”
Eden, who he thought would say something like don’t make a fuss, unexpectedly admitted it coolly and turned his body.
“Give me the shirt first.”
“Sure. Your thoroughness is very admirable.”
“Don’t be sarcastic.”
Ha-jin hid his flushed face in the darkness and reached out his hand. Eden, who had casually handed over the top, turned around again.
It felt like he was punishing a child who hadn’t done anything wrong for no reason. Ha-jin became unnecessarily flustered and quickly changed his clothes so that his back hair stood on end.
“I’m done.”
At those words, Eden, who turned around again, had a face full of smiles.
Ha-jin tried to ignore that incomprehensible smile and vigorously hand-washed the short-sleeved shirt stained with tomato juice, splashing water everywhere! It was such a violent hand movement that the hem of the ivory shirt that Eden had given him was completely soaked.
“Did you not like the cards getting dirty?”
The strength in Ha-jin’s fingertips, which had been grabbing and squeezing the ends of the clothes, suddenly loosened. It wasn’t like he had asked knowing something, but it was a question that made him feel breathless for no reason.