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Jungkook crouches with his fingers gripping his knees, careful not to touch the glass display. His eyes focus on the tag that says, “100,000 won” hoping that if he stares at it long enough, he’ll jump into an alternate world where the price is much lower. He raises his head to meet the Mario figurine, and its giant eyes mock his efforts. When he feels the store employee’s eyes on him, he stands up and leaves the store with a long sigh.
Jungkook digs his hands into his pockets and hunches over when a breeze passes by. A few dandelion seeds float across his vision, and his head follows the movement. Jungkook remembers that Namjoon told him, “If you blow out a dandelion and make a wish, your wish will come true.” Jungkook thinks it’s too good to be true, but Namjoon is wise and Jungkook didn’t have many options. He jogs down the sidewalk, crosses a small bridge, and turns right on a forked road. He keeps going until he reaches a small field he and Taehyung sometimes visit to have sword fights using broken tree branches.
The dandelions cover the field like patches of white feathers strewn over the floor after a pillow fight with Seokjin. Jungkook rushes into the field with his arms spread wide and indulges in the sunlight on his arms and the caress of the grass on his ankles. He plops down with his legs crossed and plucks a dandelion. He twirls it in his hand as he fills up his lungs and blows the seeds. “I wish for 100,000 won to fall into my hands,” Jungkook whispers. He watches as the seeds glide along the wind until they disappear out of sight. He thinks this is the stupidest thing he has done, but he picks up another dandelion and repeats the process again and again.
“You must really like blowing out dandelions,” a gruff voice says. Jungkook spins around, his heart thudding loudly in his chest as he feels the nervous vibrations spread through his body, and sees a man with a black hat and hair as pink as dried roses. He looks into the man’s dark eyes as if they are drops of water capturing and immobilizing his form. Then he sees thin wings glowing warmly like a campfire spitting out embers except he doesn’t feel like he’ll be in danger if he gets close.
“Are you a fairy?” The stranger tilts his head, a few strands fall across his forehead and over his eyes, and gives a small smile with puffy cheeks.
“I guess so.” Jungkook stares at the light surrounding the other. There doesn’t seem to be any other possibility. “How about I make you a deal. I need to blow out 100 dandelions by the end of today. If you do it for me, I’ll make any wish come true as long as it’s in my power.” The stranger sticks out his hand. Jungkook chews his bottom lip. Is this what Namjoon meant?
Jungkook stands up and shakes the stranger’s hand. “I’m Jungkook.”
“Yoongi. Now get to work.”
...
When Jungkook finishes blowing out a dandelion, he places the stem by Yoongi. Yoongi seems comfortable under the shade of a tree with his eyes closed, and Jungkook only knows he’s awake by his fingers playing with the brim of the hat on his chest. The leaves on the tree reach out towards Yoongi as the branches dip lower, wanting to make contact but being afraid as if a single touch will cause the man to burn into ashes. Flowers turn their heads toward him as if captivated by his every movement and his every breath. Jungkook snaps his attention back to the field where he picks up another dandelion. “Yoongi-hyung,” Jungkook tests out the name. Yoongi hums. “Why do you need to spread 100 dandelions?”
“It’s one of my jobs as a spring fairy.” Jungkook gathers a handful of dandelions and sits besides Yoongi.
“Is there a reason you’re not doing your job today?” A breeze runs its hands through the trees and white petals twirl towards the ground. Jungkook catches a few in his palm while Yoongi wipes off the few that lands on his face.
“The weather is really nice today,” Yoongi murmurs. Jungkook blows out the dandelions and cackles as he sees the dandelions tickle Yoongi’s skin. He runs back to the center of the field, but he stumbles when he feels something cold hit the back of his head. He whips around but sees nothing unusual. He pats his wet hair and sniffs his hand. The same coldness hits his calves, and he looks down. The ground is still albeit damp. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees something fly towards him. He squares up and punches the spray of water. Jungkook closes his eyes and sputters as Yoongi laughs.
“How’d you do that?” Jungkook asks as he rubs his eyes. Yoongi sits up and motions Jungkook over.
“Perks of being a spring fairy.” Yoongi’s hands hover over Jungkook, and Jungkook watches with wide eyes as he feels his hair and body dry.
“How do your powers work exactly?” Yoongi closes his hands and opens them to reveal a sphere of water moving as if in time with his heart. Jungkook pokes it; instead of the sharp coldness Yoongi threw at him, this feels like a cotton blanket cradling him.
“As a spring fairy, my powers are focused on water. I talk to the clouds and whisper to the rain. My power is the power the water spirits grant me.” The water sprays over the field, and perhaps it’s part of Jungkook’s imagination, but he thinks the field shines brighter. It sings a song that Jungkook can’t hear, but he can feel it’s echo kiss his skin.
“If I talk to the water, can I get your powers?”
“No, but you might get lucky on rainy days.” Jungkook can’t tell if Yoongi is telling the truth from his light tone, but if he can get closer to water bending, he’d try it. “What wish do you have in mind?”
“100,000 won.” Yoongi raises an eyebrow. “I want to buy Seokjin-hyung a gift, but I’m running out of time.”
“Who’s Seokjin-hyung?” Jungkook looks down.
“I’m not from around here, but I wanted to go to school here. Tae-hyung introduced us to each other, and Seokjin-hyung let me stay at his place.” Jungkook pokes at the dandelion stems piled up near them. “He treats me like a real brother. I’m not good at seriously expressing myself. I’d rather body slam hyung into the floor, but I want to give him a gift to express my gratitude.” Jungkook’s ears are red and he can’t lift his head to see Yoongi’s reaction. However, Yoongi places his hat on Jungkook’s head before lying down.
“You’ll get the money after you blow out more dandelions.” Jungkook looks back and sees that Yoongi’s eyes are closed. Jungkook lies down on his stomach and props himself up on his elbows.
“What about you? What are your friends like?”
“They’re nice people.” When Yoongi stays silent, Jungkook nudges him in the side. “Fine. There’s Hoseok and Jimin. Hoseok always sets up a good mood and makes sure you’re being appreciated. Jimin makes sure you’re fine and won’t leave until he gets you to laugh.”
Jungkook smiles. “Are they fairies too? Can I meet them?”
“They’re on a trip right now. They’re going strawberry picking.” Yoongi rolls onto his side away from Jungkook. “It’s too tiring for me to go, so I’m here. I get to finally enjoy the peace and quiet.” Jungkook laughs. He blows out more dandelions, and the white specks glow golden red against the setting sun. The grass rustling and crickets chirping fill in the amicable silence. It’s getting late, so Jungkook takes in deeper breaths and blows stronger until he’s lightheaded.
Jungkook drops the stems on the pile and places a hand over his chest as he regulates his breathing. “There. One hundred.” Yoongi picks up the stems one at a time and counts it. Jungkook observes Yoongi’s face, and he’s drawn to the delicate shadows of his eyelashes fanning across his cheeks dyed in soft orange light. Yoongi takes out a pouch and moves the dandelion stems inside.
“Come back tomorrow at the same time. I’ll have your money then.” Yoongi takes out another pouch and places it in Jungkook’s palms. “Put a pinch of this in your tea. It’ll help your breathing.” Jungkook opens it and sniffs. The sharp scent pierces his nose, and he wrinkles his nose as he coughs. Yoongi pats his back.
“Thank you,” Jungkook croaks. Yoongi plucks his hat from Jungkook’s head and places it on his own, twisting the brim until it’s at the right angle. Yoongi sluggishly salutes before turning around and walking through the bushes. The branches and flowers follow his form, straining for a moment, before relaxing into place. Jungkook salutes and leaps through the grass until he’s out of the field. He jogs down the forked road and across the bridge until he enters his home where he sees Seokjin spinning a plastic bag.
Jungkook fills up the water boiler and flicks it on. Seokjin takes out a bottle of mayonnaise from the bag. When Seokjin turns to Jungkook, he frowns. “You have dandelion seeds on you.” Jungkook moves towards Seokjin who slowly backs away. “I will sneeze on your food.” Jungkook picks a dandelion seed and flicks it towards Seokjin. Seokjin takes a deep breath through his nose and sneezes on Jungkook. Jungkook scrunches his nose and backs away. The water boiler pings, and Jungkook temporarily puts aside their duel to make tea. When Seokjin is distracted, he sprinkles a pinch of the powder. He takes a sip and doesn’t notice any difference in taste.
Seokjin sets up dinner, and Jungkook swings his legs under the table. Every bite of food reminds him of the warmth of the field. He smells cinnamon and fresh apples that perch at the top of the tree. He tastes the tomatoes from their backyard that gobble up the sunlight. He sees the smile and soft eyes Seokjin gives him when Seokjin thinks he isn’t looking. His head is no longer lightheaded, but his heart feels light.
When Jungkook goes to bed, he sees the stars peering through the window. He strains his ears and tries to listen to any of their whispers. He wants to know if they’re also looking down on Yoongi, and if so, he wants to know what they’re seeing. Since Yoongi’s friends are on a trip, does he have anyone else to keep him company? Where do fairies even sleep? Is he warm enough? He opens the window, sticks his head outside, and shivers. He draws his shoulders in and rubs his arms. He looks up at the clouds and says, “Goodnight Yoongi-hyung.” He hopes the water spirits carry his message, and if not, he hopes the stars can translate the meaning into their rays.
The next day Jungkook enters the field but sees no one around. The branches and flowers are in their place. He heads towards the tree Yoongi napped under and sees a pouch sitting between tree roots. He opens it and leafs through bills until he counts 100,000 won. Jungkook squints at the bushes and tries to see any sign of pink hair. He doesn’t see any, but he bows to the bushes. “Thank you Yoongi-hyung!”
Jungkook heads towards the shop and proudly places the money in front of the cashier. He gets the figurine wrapped up in a box and makes his way home. He holds the gift behind him and watches as Seokjin kicks his leg out as he plays Just Dance. Jungkook scoots behind him and uses one hand to tickle Seokjin’s side. Seokjin leaps away and points his controller at Jungkook. He raises an eyebrow when he sees a box in Jungkook’s hand. After he pauses the game, Jungkook shoves the box in Seokjin’s arms. “It’s been a year since I moved in here. Thanks for being a good hyung.” Seokjin pulls Jungkook in for a hug and ruffles his hair. Jungkook rests his chin on Seokjin’s shoulder and grins.
“You didn’t have to buy me anything, but thank you.” Seokjin pulls away and opens the box. When he takes out the tissues, he sees a familiar red hat and gasps. He carefully lifts the Mario figurine out and cradles it in his arms. “Didn’t this cost a lot? Where’d you get the money from?”
“It’s fine. I helped out a fairy.” Seokjin brings the figurine to his chest but gives Jungkook a suspicious look.
“Nothing illegal?” Jungkook shakes his head. “Okay. Give the fairy my thanks.” Seokjin looks at Mario in the eyes before placing it on the table. He wraps his arms around Jungkook’s waist and picks him up. Jungkook laughs as Seokjin shouts, “Woah! Jungkook. I raised you well!” Jungkook chops the back of Seokjin’s neck, and Seokjin drops Jungkook on the couch. Seokjin pretends to lay limp with his eyes closed, and Jungkook tickles his side again.
Jungkook wants to give Seokjin as much happiness as Seokjin has given him. He wants to repay all the effort Seokjin spent looking after him in all the obvious and invisible ways. There’s many things Jungkook can’t do; he’s sure he would have been lost without Seokjin’s secret hand of guidance. Under this roof, he hasn’t known loneliness and he wants to pay it forward.
Seokjin offers Jungkook the controller, but Jungkook shakes his head. He moves to the door, and Seokjin calls out, “Where are you going?”
“To talk to the fairy,” Jungkook answers before running outside. There’s a big smile on his face that only grows bigger. His face muscles hurt, but he feels light. He crosses the bridge and turns right on the forked road. He enters the field and picks up a dandelion. He blows out the seeds and picks up another dandelion. He repeats it again and again, hoping the more he blows out, the faster Yoongi will get here.
A gruff voice says, “Are you here for another wish?”
Jungkook turns around to face Yoongi whose smile is warm and welcoming. “Do you want to come over for dinner?”