Chapter Text
For the first 29 years of Jeon Jungkook’s life, he didn’t believe his life was capable of holding such magic.
Firstly, he didn’t even believe in magic. In his mind, magic exists only in the games he plays or the manhwa he reads.
Secondly, even if magic existed, why would it grace him? He was nothing special. His days were pretty uneventful and repetitive. That’s not to say he was depressed over it; in fact, he’s good on his own- he keeps his head down, does his work, occasionally hangs out with the few friends he has, and that’s enough for him.
Sometimes though, he couldn’t help but wonder if there was more .
It seems, however, that for the first 29 years and 364 days of his life, he wasn’t destined for anything else.
It was the day before he turned 30, and he starts his day just like any other- he wakes up late, he prepares for work as fast as he can, he passes by the convenience store near his apartment to get some ready-made snack for lunch later, and tries to survive the morning rush.
Eventually he does get to work, and immediately he is greeted by his longtime colleague Jung Hoseok, whose workspace is beside him.
“Jungkook, late again I see!” Hoseok remarks good-humoredly.
“You really don’t need to say it everytime, hyung.” Jungkook mumbles while turning on his work computer.
“I’m just messing with you, Jungkook-ssi. By the way, isn’t your birthday tomorrow?” Hoseok asks, turning his office chair to face Jungkook.
“Erm, yes. I’d prefer if you didn’t go around telling anyone, though. I mean, nobody would even care, but still.”
“Too hard on yourself as usual.” Hoseok tuts. “Anyway, I do have a reason for asking. You’ve told me before that you’ve never seriously dated anyone before. Is that really true?”
Jungkook frowns. “Wh-why are you suddenly asking me this?”
Hoseok grabs him by the shoulders. “Come on Jungkook-ssi. Is it true?”
He nods, a little embarrassed. “Y-yes.”
“Eh? So are you…” The older man’s voice drops to a whisper. “Are you a virgin, then?”
Jungkook shoves his senior. “What? This is sexual harassment already, hyung!” He notices a few of their colleagues turn their heads at his sudden outburst. He ducks his head to avoid making eye contact with anyone and Hoseok chortles.
“Calm down, Jungkook! I really have a reason for asking. You’re turning 30 tomorrow, right?”
Jungkook glares at the other man who remains undeterred. “What about it?”
“Haven’t you heard? They say that if a person reaches the age of 30 and they’re still a virgin, they’ll become a magic user!”
Jungkook scoffed. “Magic user? That’s what you’re harping about? Stop believing in urban legends, hyung!”
“Alright, alright. Still, don’t you think it would be interesting if that were true? If you get any powers tomorrow, you have to tell me!” Hoseok ruffles the younger man’s hair before sliding his chair back into his workdesk.
“Ahh!” Jungkook gives a frustrated sigh, fixing his hair. “Just get to work, hyung!” He hears Hoseok faintly chuckle before turning his attention to the screen in front of him.
It’s not that he planned to be a virgin all this time. He has gone out on dates before; he’s even fallen in love before. But somehow, everything always ends up not panning out and he’s left to become a 30-year-old virgin. Why did Hoseok-hyung have to remind him, anyway? He likes the other guy but sometimes he can be a pain.
His thoughts are interrupted by tittering at the far end of the room.
“Taehyung-oppa! What are you doing Friday night?”
“Do you like wine? We could get drinks, Taehyung-oppa!”
He turns his head at the slight commotion, and sees two of his female co-workers excitedly talking to a man wearing a three-piece suit that was probably altered by the way it seemed to fit him exactly, with his lush, brown hair brushed back yet some locks still fall strategically on his forehead, his trademark boxy smile directed to his companions, looking every bit like a model rather than a salaryman.
Ah, Kim Taehyung- ace of the Yongsan Stationery Company’s sales department, top sales achiever for 3 consecutive years. The bosses love him and shower him with praises endlessly. The people in his office either want to be him or want to date him. He’s effortlessly charming and affable in a way Jungkook could only ever hope to be. Apart from entering the company at the same time, Jeon Jungkook really doesn’t have anything in common with Kim Taehyung.
“Should I ask our boss for an office get-together, then?” Kim Taehyung responds to his questioning officemates (or fangirls , Jungkook thinks to himself).
“Can’t it just be the three of us?” The two women whine in an attempt to be cute, (Jungkook fights the urge to roll his eyes), but Taehyung brushes them off gently and excuses himself. He walks across the room, about to pass Jungkook, and Jungkook realizes too late that he was still staring. Taehyung meets his gaze and gives him that patented smile. Blinding.
“Good morning, Jungkook-ssi.”
“A-ah, good morning, Taehyung-ssi.” He mumbles, bowing his head slightly. Pathetic, Jungkook .
In his peripheral vision he sees Taehyung tilt his head to the side. “Are you okay?”
Jungkook nods dumbly, firmly looking at the ground.
Taehyung bends down slightly, peering at Jungkook’s face. “Don’t hesitate to ask for help if you need anything, okay, Jungkook-ssi? Have a great day.”
When he hears the other’s footsteps start again, Jungkook looks back up to watch Taehyung walk away. There he goes, Mr. Perfect Kim Taehyung - s mart, handsome, talented. He probably never had to worry if people liked him, because that’s a given.
Jungkook, on the other hand… If he could just find someone who likes him, truly, from the bottom of their heart…
Ah, there is no room for wishful thinking here.
He gets back to work.
The morning of his 30th birthday, he checks his phone to see a couple of messages:
Mom : Happy birthday, my baby boy! Take care of yourself! Come visit soon.
Park Jimin : Happy birthday, Jungkookie! See you soon~
Jung Hoseok-hyung : Happy birthday, magic user! Don’t be late!
He rolls his eyes at the last message. He texts his mom: Thank you, eomma! I’ll visit soon . To his closest friend, Park Jimin, he replies: See you soon, Jiminie! With that, his birthday celebration is done. He gets up and goes on about his usual routine.
He didn’t think anything special was going to happen today, but apparently he was wrong.
It starts at the convenience store, without so much as a preamble.
He grabs some snacks and a pre-packed meal and sets them on the counter. The cashier is polite enough, chirpy even, as he tells Jungkook his total. He takes out money from his wallet and hands it to the man behind the counter, and in that gesture his fingertips touch the other man’s palm.
Here he is again!
“Huh?” Jungkook looks questioningly at the cashier, confused. He thought the other man said something- he clearly heard his voice- but the cashier’s lips hadn’t moved and he was now busy operating the cash machine.
Jungkook shakes his head. My brain’s probably still half-asleep, he says to himself.
“Here you go.” The convenience store worker hands him his change, and this time it’s the man’s fingers that’s brushing against Jungkook’s receiving hand.
He hears the man’s voice, again. Doesn’t he ever get tired of eating these every day?
“What?” Jungkook blurts out in surprise.
“Hmm?” The cashier looks back at him, oblivious.
“N-nothing!” Jungkook runs out of the store.
He rushes to the main crosswalk, heart racing. What the hell is going on?
He is suddenly surrounded by fellow commuters, and he finds himself pressed up against people in his immediate vicinity, and it happens again:
This is taking so long!
It’s too hot!
I’m gonna be late !
I really don’t feel well at all.
I hope he gets fired today.
Multiple voices talking all at once, despite no one speaking at all.
Jungkook’s eyes widen. What is happening??
The moment the crosswalk light turns green, he dashes to the other side and hides in an alleyway, crouching to hide his head between his knees.
He must’ve cut quite the disturbing figure, breaking down like that in the streets, because a moment later a police officer approaches him. “Sir, are you okay?” Before he can answer, the officer lays a hand on his shoulder. Suddenly-
A drunk this early in the morning? Are you kidding me?
Jungkook looks up, startled. Thoughtlessly, he shouts, “What? I’m not drunk!” The officer looks completely bewildered, but before he could say anything, Jungkook runs away.
He somehow makes it to work, still shaken. He immediately slumps down on his desk, head in his hands.
“What’s wrong with you today? Being thirty not sitting well with you?” Hoseok interrupts his mental breakdown. He merely looks at his senior.
“Oh, so gloomy today.” Hoseok mock-pouts before exclaiming, “Well, happy birthday anyway!” He places a box with a transparent lid in front of Jungkook. A chocolate cupcake. Jungkook is touched by the gesture, until he reads the card: Happy birthday, magic user!
Jungkook’s eyes grow wide, looking at his hands. No way.
He then turns to Hoseok, who’s staring at him confusedly. He grasps the older man’s wrist. “Hyung.”
When he doesn’t say anything else, Hoseok’s brows furrow. Then-
Jungkook’s acting weird today. Well, he’s always been a little eccentric, but it’s usually cute. Now it’s just disturbing. I wonder what’s up.
That was clearly Hoseok’s voice, but he hasn’t uttered a word out loud.
Jungkook withdraws his hand, gazing at it partly in horror, partly in wonder.
“No way.”
It’s been a week since his birthday, aka that disastrous day Jungkook found out he can read minds.
He doesn’t get around to actually telling Hoseok about what happened that day, because what would he even say? Hi hyung, apparently you were right- I am a magic user now!
Ridiculous.
He’s a little afraid of his newfound magic, to be honest. It’s a bit too powerful- he only needs to be in contact with another person, no matter how small the touch is, and their secrets are his for the taking.
It’s absolutely horrifying.
So he tries his best to keep to himself even more. He wakes up earlier than usual, so that he can avoid the crowds during his early morning commute. He uses electronic payments for his purchases. As it turns out, despite his magic, his life is still the same as before.
As he stands by the elevator leading to his office floor, successfully getting to work without accidentally hearing another person’s inner thoughts, he wonders if he really has powers or if he had imagined it all.
In any case, if the urban legend is true, if he loses his virginity, he should lose his powers too.
Am I going to be stuck with powers for the rest of my life? I sure hope not. He sighs.
“Is something troubling you, Jungkook-ssi?”
Lost in his own musings, Jungkook had not noticed that someone else was waiting for the elevator. He turns his head and finds Kim Taehyung- the Kim Taehyung- smiling at him.
It’s too early to be this bright , Jungkook broods. “I-it’s nothing.”
Taehyung makes a humming sound in acknowledgement. “We just missed it, huh.” He tilts his head towards the elevator.
Jungkook just nods. He notices Taehyung’s smile falter slightly at that, but the other man presses on. “Should we take the stairs?”
“Eh? But our office is on the 10th floor.”
Taehyung laughs. Even his laugh sounds good, Jungkook contemplates, slightly annoyed, because this is bordering on being unfair . “It’s good exercise, though.”
Before Jungkook could reply, the elevator doors open. He gets in and stands to the side, Taehyung falling into position behind him. Other people pile in, and Taehyung greets them with an amiable “good morning”. So this is a glimpse into the life of a popular guy. Jungkook purses his lips, thinking of how a guy like Taehyung will probably never have to worry about being a 30-year-old virgin cursed with magic. He’d probably lost his virginity a long time ago.
Someone enters the elevator in haste, as the doors were closing, and suddenly Jungkook gets pushed backward- right into Taehyung. He can feel his back coming into contact with Taehyung’s chest, and then he hears it-
AHHH I’m so lucky! I didn’t think we’d run into each other first thing in the morning! It’s just the inspiration I need. I can’t stare too much though, I’d look suspicious. I can’t help myself, though!
The intensity of Taehyung’s thoughts, in contrast to his outwardly calm demeanor, surprise Jungkook. Oh? Taehyung likes someone in the office? And they’re here right now.
Jungkook cranes his neck to take a look at the people with them in the elevator, curious. Who’s the lucky person the one and only Kim Taehyung likes?
The elevator stops and a person from the very back pushes his way through to get off, accidentally shoving Taehyung towards Jungkook. Taehyung braces himself against the wall, effectively pinning Jungkook against him. “I’m sorry! Are you okay?” Jungkook is startled by the sudden closeness, but he manages to croak “Y-yeah.”
But then Taehyung’s inner thoughts burst out, SHIT! He’s so close! What do I do what do I do
Jungkook looks at Taehyung’s face, alarmed. WHAT? The other man simply smiles at him and sets himself upright once everyone else has settled again inside the elevator.
Taehyung is behind him once more, and Jungkook, shocked and needing more information lest he spontaneously combusts from the mind-fuck, shifts so that his shoulder is in contact with Taehyung.
It almost feels so wrong that I’m this lucky today!! ahhh my heart is beating so fast!! Jungkook-ssi why do you have to be so cute??
Jungkook ducks his head down to hide his face from Taehyung, eyes wide as saucers, because WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK
The moment the elevator doors open at their floor, he bolts to the nearest restroom before Taehyung could say anything. He paces inside, frantic, hands running through his hair in shock, before turning to his reflection in the mirror and asks-
“Taehyung likes me? What the actual fuck?”