Chapter Text
*************
November 1986
Lightning strikes from a distance outside the window. It’s been raining heavily the entire week, tonight seems to be the worst of it.
“Areum, what are you gonna tell your boy?” Iseul sits beside her daughter’s slumped form in the dining room chair. “The rumors about Changmin…”
“Eomma, you know I can’t tell him the truth. It’ll destroy him.”
“Eventually, he has to know…”
“But it might lead him down the same path as Changmin! Jimin is not like us. He is not invincible.”
“Your husband died an honorable death, if you don’t tell the truth of what happened to him–”
“But that’s exactly it, isn’t it? He died. I don’t want that for my son, or you… or me. For Jimin's sake, I cannot continue going down this road.” Areum cries as she hugs her mother, her tears soaking through her mother’s blouse. “He’s gone, eomma. He left me, he left me and Jimin.”
Iseul’s heart breaks for her daughter.
Areum continues speaking through her tears, “I just wanna keep Jimin safe. He is still too young. There will be a perfect time to tell him. But for now, I wanna give him his childhood at least.”
“I understand.”
“Does this make me a bad person? A bad wife for abandoning Changmin’s goals?”
“Areum, you are a mother first. As I am. I will be the last person to tell you to not put your child first.”
“But the fight isn’t finished-”
“Grieve, Areum, and then gather yourself together. You are right, the fight is far from over. But that just means you'll still have time to continue the fight later."
A seven-year old Jimin stands on the side, confused and unseen by his mother and grandmother.
Neither of them know about Jimin's recently discovered ability - he just found out he can turn invisible at will. Only his father knew. They were at the beach a few weeks ago as Jimin accompanied Changmin to paint. In the middle of a casual conversation, Jimin had suddenly disappeared.
Changmin almost had a heart attack when he turned to his son and he was no longer there but then reappeared after a few moments. He made a joke about how he’s never gonna get used to Jimin's and Areum's magic. He told Jimin to keep it a secret to everyone, including his friends. He said they’ll surprise his mother once Jimin can gain better control over it.
At first, Jimin was only able to go invisible for a few seconds before he’d reappear unwillingly. But two days ago, he could finally go longer than 30 minutes. He was gonna show his father when he got home that night.
But his father never did.
Jimin woke up in the middle of that night to the sound of his mother’s weeping.
His mother didn’t tell him anything, said she needed to find out what happened first. But Jimin saw the news anyway: Twelve people from an extraction site north of Haedong Yonggungsa Temple died that day from a site accident, allegedly due to the extreme weather, and that the authorities are still trying to recover the bodies. Jimin’s father works for the Korean National Museum of Magical Ancestry and his team were digging up something near the temple that day.
Park Changmin was gone.
Jimin cried for two weeks straight.
His father was his best friend. He didn’t go out of his room to talk to anyone - not even his other best friend, Taehyung.
Two weeks have passed and his mother still hasn’t really talked to him about it. So he decided to sneak up on his mother and grandmother to find out some answers.
All he got were even more questions.
*************
August 1990
“Jimin! Jimin, come out! Let’s play! Ignore Jeon Junghyun!” Taehyung knocks hard on Jimin’s door, locked from the inside.
“I don’t feel well, play with Hoseok hyung instead!” Jimin’s voice is muffled from inside.
“Yah, we need 3 players!” Hoseok shouts back.
Jimin’s grandmother hears the commotion and heads upstairs to where the two kids have camped outside Jimin’s bedroom door. “What happened? My grandson is being a killjoy, is he?”
“Uhmmm... yeah. Yes he is, halmeonim.” Taehyung answers reluctantly, not entirely sure if he should tell Jimin’s grandma what happened.
Hoseok on the other hand, has zero inhibitions and told Grandma Iseul everything in full detail. “The other kids were playing Humdamul in the playground after school today and Jeon Junghyun and Jeon Jungkook won’t let me and Jimin join. Junghyun said 'deoleoun' shouldn’t be allowed to play magic games. Then I got angry and said I will tell the teachers and my parents about him calling us that. I also said there are no rules that don’t allow half-bloods to play magic games. Junghyun said he’ll make his dad make it an official rule in the Council, or that he’ll do it himself one day when he’s grown up. He said if we wanted to complain, we can just become stupid rebels like Jimin’s dad except that we will definitely get killed for it… also like Jimin’s dad.”
“Jeon Junghyun said that?!” Grandma Iseul asks Hoseok and Taehyung heatedly. Then after a second, she scowls as she blinks ahead of her, as if realizing something distasteful. “Actually, you know what, I shouldn’t even be surprised.”
While Grandma Iseul has turned away, Taehyung elbows Hoseok hard for spilling all the details of a children’s dumb fight to an adult. Unlike Hoseok and Jimin, Taehyung isn’t quite used to talking about things like the discrimination against half-bloods.
While being pure-blooded themselves, Taehyung’s family isn’t quite discriminatory against honhyeol, but they also won’t rally for equality either - just like the majority of their magic community. Everyone just sticks to the status quo, afraid to go against the systems currently in place.
There are definitely worse sunsuhan than Taehyung’s family.
Jeon Junghyun isn’t afraid to call the honhyeol as deoleoun in public because he knows his father is way too powerful in the Council for his actions to be reprimanded, and because he knows his father doesn’t really care whether he calls the half-bloods by their politically-correct term or not.
The Jeons are pure-blooded elitists, and their head, Jeon Yuno is part of the Council’s highest circle and is second-in-command to the President. Families like theirs never have to keep their bullying of half-bloods behind closed doors, everyone expects it of them anyway. Everyone expects them to get away with it too.
Sure, it’s technically illegal to be discriminating against a honhyeol, but who’s to go against the most powerful magic weavers in the country?
It wasn’t until only a few decades ago that anti-discrimination laws were made official. The new laws in place definitely protect the honhyeol now more than ever, but the fight for equality is still not over. The law isn’t perfect and it’s implementation even less so. Throughout the years, the honhyeol had to rally for amendments to the law to better protect their rights.
But every little step forward had been a struggle, and was mostly only accomplished due to the help of the rebels.
Grandma Iseul turns to Jimin’s closed door. “Yah, Jimin-ah. Come out right this instant!”
Jimin groans from inside. “Halmeoni, I don’t wanna go ou-”
“You heard me!”
Jimin didn’t really want to but frankly Jimin had always been a little afraid of his grandma. Jimin reluctantly opens the door of his room.
“Come here.” Then she gestures to him stand next to his friends. “I told you never to mingle with those rich and powerful sunsuhan kids. They will always look down on you.”
Taehyung crosses his arms and pouts at Jimin’s grandma. “Halmeonim, not fair! I’m rich and powerful too, but I’m nice!”
Grandma Iseul’s previously serious expression breaks as she snorts and ruffles Taehyung’s hair. “You’re right. I’m sorry. You two have Taehyungie here. That wasn’t fair of me to say now, was it? Alright, not all sunsuhan are evil. He is correct. But the Jeons are.”
“Yeah! They are!” Hoseok agrees animatedly.
“Also the Lees and the Hans and the Kims and the-.”
“Hey! I just said-!” Taehyung protests again.
“Some Kims, then!” Hoseok amends.
“There’s a lot of good Kims!”
“I know, that’s why I said some, okay!”
“If you’re gonna mention Kims then you have to mention all the family names cause there are mean ones that are Jungs and Parks, too!”
In the middle of Taehyung and Hoseok’s bickering, Jimin’s quiet voice cuts through. “The rebels have a reason for rebelling, don’t they?”
All eyes turn to him, surprised, curious, worried. It’s easier to be punished by the Council when you are a half-blood mentioning the rebellion than when you’re a pure-blood calling honhyeol a deoleoun around here.
“Yah, don’t mention the rebels, do you wanna go to kid prison?” Hoseok says.
“There’s no such thing as kid prison!” Taehyung counters.
“How can you be sure? Of course there is-”
“You three, listen to me clearly.” Grandma Iseul suddenly turns serious. “I want you three to remember this, okay? This isn’t the last time someone will do something like this to you.” She looks towards Hoseok and Jimin particularly. “This just isn’t. This will happen again and again, all throughout your lives. So pick your battles and fight smart. Not every little fight is worth it and not every stupid sunsuhan is worth fighting, okay?” Then she gets closer to them with a pointed finger to emphasize a point, “But the entire thing is worth fighting for, you understand? You just have to figure out the best way to fight back.”
Hoseok and Taehyung glance at each other with confused faces.
“Uhm… halmeonim, I don’t know about these two but I sure didn’t get that.” Twelve-year old admits bashfully.
“You will understand this better one day when you’re older. But promise me you will remember me saying this, okay?”
The two kids glance at each other again.
“I’m not hearing any promises right now!”
Grandma Iseul can be so scary when she wants to be that Hoseok and Taehyung immediately nod their heads vigorously.
Iseul then turns to Jimin, who is looking at his grandma a lot less confused than the other two. Grandma Iseul looks back at Jimin, she also knows that her grandson understands more than the Hoseok and Taehyung.
Jimin remembers his father at that moment, remembers all the news saying the Council is abandoning all operations to find out what happened the day Park Changmin and his colleagues died. Jimin remembers hearing their neighbors talk about it: the Council doesn’t care about the incident because Changmin is human and is not part of the magic community. The Council has turned against his father.
So Jimin understands what his grandma is saying. Jimin already knows that there is a fight to be had and it is definitely worth fighting for.
“Jimin?” Grandma Iseul prompts him again.
“I promise.” Jimin replies.
*************
December 1999, present day
Ever since the school year started a few months ago, the entire student body of Dalshinbyeon had been buzzing about the big event happening this year - the Trials.
The Moon Trials happen only every three years in Dalshinbyeon, towards the end of the school year. The Moon Gauntlet chooses the 10 best and most deserving students from 3rd to 5th year to participate. Every student at Dalshinbyeon only gets the opportunity to be part of the Trials once.
It’s to Jimin’s relief that the Gauntlet chooses the participants of the Trial and not the school board, if it was up to them, Jimin’s not entirely sure a honhyeol like him would even have a chance to step into the arena, despite him constantly being at the top of his classes.
Dalshinbyeon is the Korean magic academy for advanced magic users. All weavers enter the school at around 17 years of age and spend 5 years honing their skills to reach their highest potential. Dalshinbyeon has been an institution in the magical community for hundreds of years. Upon the founding of the academy, the greatest weavers at the time came together to enchant the Moon Gauntlet to make decisions that uphold the highest values of being a magic weaver and to uphold the values of each of the five Houses. The Moon Gauntlet’s choices have always been regarded as final and with utmost respect.
Upon entering Dalshinbyeon, every new student gets a chance to hold the Gauntlet in the middle of the Hall. The Gauntlet decides which House the student will belong to. Once their handshake ends, the students will be in possession of their own unique stone with their names enchantedly carved on it. The kind of stone indicates which house they will belong to: blue sapphire for House Muhan, gold for Jinsiljeong, ruby for Beon-gae, emerald for Sinbi, and amethyst for Ungdae.
Before the Trials begin, all the students who wish to participate offer their stones back to the Gauntlet. And during the choosing ceremony, the Gauntlet would bring all the stones back, with 10 of them glowing. 10 stones that represent the participants of that year’s Moon Trials.
Once chosen, students are allowed to opt out of the Trials. Not that anyone wants to, or that anyone would openly admit to being afraid to be part of it. It’s a great dishonor to anyone and their family if they refuse the call. Some students try to do bad in their studies to not be chosen by the Gauntlet because their families force them to offer their stones against their will. The Trials are not easy to go through. It puts participants under taxing, life-threatening situations where they have to figure out how to use their intellect and magic-weaving skills to overcome each challenge. Throughout the years, students have unofficially dubbed it as the Death Trials just by how gruelling the Trials are not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. Not that anyone’s ever died from it of course, Dalshinbyeon’s academy board and the Council have always installed thorough safety precautions within the Trials.
Someone did die once. The voice in Jimin’s brain reminds him.
1927. A student named Gwan Na Bi died during the Trials. But they have ruled it a natural cause of death that unfortunately occured while she was in the competition, and not in any way due to the events of the Trials. The rumors surrounding the incident however...
Jimin shakes himself out of that train of thought. The stakes of the Trial are only leveled up to simulate life or death situations, the precautions that the academy and the Council have placed have never failed to ensure the safety of any participant. He has nothing to worry about except winning.
And Jimin really intends to.
Nobody expects him to of course, a honhyeol never won the Trials. Furthermore, two of the Jeons are participating this year. And throughout the history of the Trials, whenever a Jeon participated, they have always won.
Well, there’s a first time for everything, Jimin thinks.
Jimin had always known he wanted to be part of the Trials. Participating in the Trials is a big deal in the magical community even outside the school. After graduation, any participant is automatically ensured a good future in the Council.
And in the Council, Jimin needs to be. In the Council’s special secret army, specifically.
For Appa, Jimin reminds himself. I need to do this for Appa.
Despite all the mental hyping up Jimin does to himself, the anxiety is slowly seeping through and he can’t even take a single bite from the breakfast in front of him. Today makes or breaks everything he’s worked hard for the past four years. What if the Gauntlet doesn’t deem him worthy?
“Jimin, eat!” Hoseok scolds.
“You don’t have to worry, Jimin, there’s no way you’re not included. Yoongi too.” Seokjin reassures his friends as he takes a bite of bread. Not that a pure-blooded A+ student like Min Yoongi needed reassuring. Only Jimin is concerned.
Jimin absentmindedly plays with his food. “I know but, there hasn’t been a honhyeol who participated in the last few years, what if they-”
“The Gauntlet doesn’t really discriminate, Jimin.” Yoongi says matter of factly.
“You think there’s a chance the school board actually decides these things and just uses the Gauntlet as a front? I mean, has anyone checked the integrity of the Gauntlet nowadays?” Jimin knows he’s probably not making any sense as the Gauntlet’s integrity has always been intact and it was impossible to fiddle with the enchantment of the Gauntlet. Countless attempts were made throughout the decades and no one has ever been succesful with it.
“Don’t be silly.”
“Am I being silly? You know how Headmaster Hwang always gives me the stink eye right?”
“Yes, you are being silly, also even if that wild accusation was somehow true, have you seen the news? All the rumors of the rebels growing in numbers... if anything, the Council and the school board love the fact that you’re qualified for the Trials as it might help pacify the mass unrest.”
Hoseok pats Jimin’s back, “You got this. Yoongi hyung is right, the honhyeol community is aware of how well you’re doing here in Dalshinbyeon. If you didn’t get into the Trials, well, you already know the rebels will just use it to say that the entire system our community runs on is rigged to be unjust to half-bloods and it will just fuel their agenda. If I was Hwang Gyojang-nim, and I rigged the Gauntlet, I would definitely rig it to include you. Otherwise, a revolution.” Hoseok shrugs casually like he didn’t just imply Jimin’s inclusion or not would spark an actual rebellion.
Jimin stares at his plate. It’s true that the current mass unrest might work in his favor. But he hasn’t thought about what it would mean if the Gauntlet didn’t choose him. Oh god, what if his friends are correct and he doesn’t get into the Trials. Is he going to inadvertently start a war because rebels will use it as proof of discrimination when in reality it might just be because he is not actually as good a magic weaver as his grades suggest?
Jimin’s knee bounces up and down in nervousness.
To make his morning worse, Han Minhee’s annoying screechy voice suddenly breaks Jimin’s engrossed worrying as she and her other Beon-gae friends pass by their table.“You think you’re getting called, don’t you, Park?”
“Of course he does.” Choi Mingyu replies to his girlfriend mockingly in Jimin’s stead.
“What are you gonna do in there? Charm all plants and creatures to help you to eliminate the other participants? You really about to join something like this when you can’t even duel properly in magic combat class?” Beom Kihoon guffaws.
Kihoon hits a nerve. Jimin is bad in offensive magic weaving.
“Just say you're afraid a half-blood will actually win against you!” Hoseok defends his best friend.
“As if.” Minhee laughs with her friends as they walk across the hall towards where their other Beon-gae friends are seated.
House Beon-gae is notorious for being home to the most traditional, most discriminatory, and most powerful sunsuhan. A lot of the higher-ups in the Council of Magic and a lot of the most powerful and most influential families in the magic community are House Beon-gae alumni.
“I wanna set their entire House on fire.” Hoseok says.
Him and Jimin are the only ones in their group of friends who are subject to the mockery of Beon-gae students. The reality is that kids of today don’t really care as much whether one is pure-blooded or not as compared to years ago. But Beon-gae students apparently haven’t evolved much.
Hoseok’s father is a human non-magic weaver just like Jimin’s father was. Hoseok is part of House Ungdae, Beon-gae students’ favorite targets, given that Ungdae houses about 90% of Dalshinbyeon’s half-blooded students and therefore the weakest House… in Beon-gae students’ opinion.
“I’ll help you.” Seokjin offers. “I will literally save not one person from their House.”
“Same.” Hoseok agrees at first but then his eyes widen and he turns to Jimin when he remembered something. “Taehyungie, though.”
Jimin’s heart suddenly drops at the mention of his best friend.
Or ex-best friend, actually, which has been the truth since they started studying in Dalshinbyeon.
On sorting day, Taehyung opened his palm and revealed a ruby. He was to be part of House Beon-gae. It was expected but it was still the reason for their falling out. Not that Jimin can blame Taehyung. The rest of his House was probably giving him hell hanging out with someone like Jimin. Not long into their first year in Dalshinbyeon, Taehyung started pulling away from Jimin and Hoseok. It used to make Jimin mad, betrayed and extremely hurt. But now he understands - partly at least. He wouldn’t want Taehyung to be bullied by his own housemates anyway so he tries to forgive, even when he can’t understand Taehyung’s choice of friends - like the three assholes who passed by and like Jeon Jungkook. For all the collective hate they all had against Junghyun and Jungkook when they were kids, Taehyung had to go and be buddies with Jungkook now. But Jimin still tries to understand. At least he doesn’t seem to be friends with Junghyun. That is the line, Jimin thinks. Once Taehyung becomes friends with Junghyun then it’s officially not the Taehyung he used to know anymore. Junghyun is just pure evil.
Jimin still misses Taehyung sometimes.
He gained several good friends, however, two new hyungs aside from his Hoseok hyung. Kim Seokjin from House Jinsiljeong, oldest but sometimes acts like the youngest in their group, and Min Yoongi, another Level 5 like Seokjin and Hoseok. Yoongi is from House Sinbi.
Jimin was sure he’d open his palm and see an amethyst like Hoseok did when he entered Dalshinbyeon a year ahead of Taehyung and Jimin. But to his surprise, the stone in his hand was an emerald. He was to be part of Sinbi.
Yoongi is the head of their House this year but he’s always looked out for Jimin since day one, which Jimin is really thankful for. He doesn’t know how he would have survived in Sinbi, heck, in Dalshinbyeon if it weren’t for Yoongi’s guidance. Not just that, but Yoongi has sort of been a mentor for Jimin as well, teaching him how to better weave his magic and try different things with them. He’d learned a lot of tricks from Yoongi, one of which was how to use meditation to better tap into his powers. Magic weavers gain magical abilities throughout their lifetime. Sometimes, new abilities only manifest later in life. Jimin thinks a lot of his have manifested sooner rather than later after trying things the way Yoongi taught him to.
Yoongi is sure to be part of the Trials. He’s easily one of the best magic weavers in this school. And one of the smartest. His parents both work in the Council too.
All things about Min Yoongi’s background should indicate that he must be a lot like the Jeons.
Thankfully, he is not.
Being around students like Min Yoongi proves to Jimin that the sunsuhan of his generation don’t have to follow their parents’ footsteps and let the separation between half-bloods and pure-bloods perpetuate if they don’t want to. If only more of his Beon-gae classmates are like Min Yoongi.
House Sinbi only has a smattering of honhyeol among the sunsuhan majority. Jimin felt out of place in the beginning but all in all, the other Sinbi students were actually kind to him. And throughout the years, they grew to even love him especially given that he’s always brought merits to their House. It also helps that a lot of them don’t come from traditionalist families like the assholes in Beon-gae.
House Jinsiljeong and House Muhan have a good amount of half-bloods amongst them. Only Ungdae and Beon-gae consist of purely half-bloods and pure-bloods respectively. Jimin doesn’t know why Dalshinbyeon allows that today as it just fuels the separation between their kinds. But the Dalshinbyeon board always just say that the sorting is all done by the Gauntlet based on which House claims a student, they say it has no human intervention whatsoever involved in the process.
All five Houses in Dalshinbyeon are ruled upon by the five most powerful mythical magic creatures in Korea, to which the Houses were named after. The creatures were all named after five great virtues. Jimin, in his first few months of studying at Dalshinbyeon had always wondered why the dragon Sinbi had claimed a honhyeol like him. If not Ungdae, he thought he’d be in Muhan, where his mother was housed in when she was still studying. Currently, there are only three half-bloods in House Sinbi. All of them are excellent magic weavers, if their grades are any indication. It makes Jimin feel proud.
Jimin doesn’t know why the good-for-nothing Beon-gae assholes always bother him. He never gives them a reaction anyway.
Yes you do. You know exactly why they give you a hard time.
Beon-gae students think that just because the wolf Beon-gae never claimed a half-blood throughout the entire recorded history of their academy, they’re the absolute best students in all of Dalshinbyeon. But time and time again, Jimin, a honhyeol from House Sinbi keeps showing them up.
Everyone else thinks half-bloods can’t be as powerful as the pure-bloods. Jimin believes otherwise.
Jimin thinks it’s just mental conditioning in their magical society - being a honhyeol shouldn’t necessarily put a ceiling on a half-blood’s magic. Having only one magic parent can’t mean they’re weaker. Half-bloods and pure-bloods all have magic running through their veins and Jimin thinks hardwork and constant practice got him to where he is today. He considers himself a better magic weaver than most sunsuhan in this entire school. Jimin told his halmeoni his theory one time when he was around eight. Grandma Iseul gave him a wink and a ruffle on his head.
This exact mindset is the reason Jimin has basically painted a target on his back for the Beon-gae students to constantly aim at. It’s just unusual for half-breeds to actually excel in magic-weaving. A honhyeol just doesn't make waves, period. They’re expected to be flies on the wall, be at the bottom of the food-chain, eventually graduate and do jobs that no one else in the entire magical community want to do.
They think of Jimin as an anomaly, someone who tries too hard, too ambitious. Being a honhyeol should mean Jimin is unworthy of true greatness amongst the magic folk, it doesn’t make sense for them that someone impure like him is one of the top students in Dalshinbyeon.
Another point of mockery is that for all of Jimin’s excellence in almost all his subjects, he is absolutely terrible in Magical Combat.
While some students are good with combat magic like delivering strong hits or controlling fire and other elements, Jimin finds it easier to use less offensive skills - like healing, making plants grow, and talking to animals. This exact list of his expertise just fuel the Beon-gae students in their mockery of Jimin’s attempt to join something as cut-throat as the Trials.
“It’s like a little fairy princess wanting to join the army.” Beom Kihoon commented one time when he passed by and overheard Hoseok and him talking about the Trials in one of their classes.
Of course, Jimin has other skills he can do, like turning invisible (which people still don’t know about) and Yoongi’s meditation helped him discover that he can telepathically move objects (which is still a bit weak at this point, and sometimes just flat out refuses to work) but every magic weaver has a kind of magic they tend to lean towards, meaning that’s the kind of magic that comes easy to them like breathing. And to Jimin, it’s healing, fixing things, making things grow… it’s hard for him to conjure something that could potentially hurt others.
Knowing he’d eventually want to join the Trials, Jimin had consistently trained and worked out to stay as physically strong as possible. He’s not on the other’s level - again like the Jeons who train like crazy several times a day. But all in all, Jimin is not doing bad on that category.
Jimin had also done all the research he could do to prepare for it. He knows the Trials will have magical items littered all throughout and he’s tried to research and learn all the magical items they could possibly put in there. It’s one thing to know how to use them in theory and another thing entirely to be able to wield them in practice but the knowledge will definitely help. It’s not like the academy would just let him borrow them for practice. Those magical weapons are kept safe by the Council and are only brought out during the Moon Trials or in times of war.
Jimin more or less feels ready to head into the Trials. He’s been preparing for this for years. But he really, really needs to keep trying to do some offensive magic weaving.
Yoongi actually told him not to worry too much about it - that Jimin is smart and resourceful enough to overcome the challenges in the Trials without having to learn how to use magic to fight. Magic can be used to one’s advantage in an infinite number of ways, it’s not always as straightforward as just because someone is able to sucker punch other participants through magic means the person has definite advantage and that someone else won’t be able to neutralize that power somehow cause then what happens after their power gets neutralized? If a weaver only knows offensive magic, then it’s not gonna get them very far.
“You mean Jeon Junghyun don’t you?” Jimin asks Yoongi rhetorically once when they were talking about the topic.
“Of course. But who knows, Junghyun is cunning enough to get ahead, too.” Yoongi told him.
The Trials test for their wit and genius as well. There are an infinite number of scenarios they could face in the Trials, and the only way to get through them is to be smart about every resource available to them in every situation.
Jimin agrees with Yoongi and he knows that if he actually gets called to participate, he’ll worry about this in the two weeks they’re given to prepare for the Trials. For now, he has to worry about whether or not he’s even in.
Finally, the doors swing open and the headmaster enters the hall.
The entire student body quiets down as they all stand up as Headmaster Hwang Namgil’s long silver durumagi flutters behind him as he walks the entire length of the hall to get to the front. The ecstatic conversations has momentarily stopped but the energy in the air is still palpable.
The headmaster steps up to the pulpit and waves at everyone to take a seat.
Anyone can feel the excited undercurrent in the room - all of them are trying to rein in their anticipation of the upcoming announcement of the Trial participants. It was naturally a hot topic of conversation since the school year started - discussions made on who’s getting into the Trials, bets on who will be the victor and who are most likely to stay on until the last phase. Jimin’s pretty sure no one’s betting on him to win. Not when the Jeons are participating. Most people are just betting between Junghyun and Jungkook.
It doesn’t matter much to Jimin what others think. He’s used to being underestimated.
Jimin wonders what the other Jeon would feel if the other won. The legacy would continue but another will also be broken. The Jeons will have another win but it would also mean that for the first time ever, a Jeon will also have lost.
Maybe they’ll both lose. Jimin loves the sound of that.
The headmaster clears his throat.
“Lovely day, everyone. I’m sure you are all excited to find out the participants for this year’s Trials. As you all know, The Moon Trials is a revered tradition in our culture and being chosen to be a participant is a great honor. However, I am still to remind you all that you are allowed to decline the invitation should you wish to not participate any longer. You know the drill, let’s get on with it, shall we?”
On that, the crowd starts buzzing again.
The Headmaster collects ten stones from the Gauntlet. Everyone squints at it, trying to guess the stone colors at least, but it’s hard to tell when they’re all glowing.
“First participant, from House Beon-gae…”
Hoseok rolls his eyes. “Gee, wonder who it could be," he says sarcastically.
Jimin looks over to where Jeon Jungkook and his Beon-gae friends are seated and they’re all patting him and Junghyun on the back or nudging them.
“Level 5, Jeon Junghyun!”
An erupt of cheers.
“Jeon Junghyun, please stand up and collect your stone. Do you accept the invitation?”
“I accept.”
Another round of cheers.
Junghyun opens his palm and the moment the stone returns to him, the glow disappears.
“Very well. Welcome to the Trials, Jeon Junghyun. Next up, from House Sinbi…”
Jimin’s heart skips.
“Level 5, Min Yoongi!”
House Sinbi erupts in cheer. Jimin hugs Yoongi. No surprise there either. 8 slots left.
After Yoongi accepts the invitation, he sits down and puts a hand behind Jimin while he whispers in his ear. “You’re next, Jimin.”
Jimin tries to put a smile on his face for his friend.
Headmaster Hwang announces four more participants - Son Wunwoo, Level 4 Jinsiljeong, Yeo Sanggun, Level 5 Beon-gae, Lee Jeongyeon Level 3 Beon-gae, and Kim Joohyun Level 5 Muhan.
That’s 6 participants.
“Next up!” The Headmaster squints at the stone in his hand. “No shock here, I would say… Jeon Jungkook, Level 4, Beon-gae!”
Another eruption of cheers from said House. That’s 4 out of the 7 participants from their House.
Jimin groans.
“Heads up, Jimin.” Yoongi pats him on the back. “I know you’re in there.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you’ll be in it just as I’m sure no one from my House is included.” Hoseok jokes self-deprecatingly.
It’s true. No one from House Ungdae ever gets to join the Trials. Ungdae has always been considered the ‘inferior’ House. Jimin doesn’t believe so. Hoseok himself is pretty powerful, he thinks.
“Next one is from House Muhan…”
Jimin deflates again.
“Level 4 Kim Namjoon!”
Muhan House cheers. This one isn’t a surprise but Jimin feels bad for Kim Namjoon. They’re not close but they’ve interacted enough from their classes that Jimin got the feeling that Namjoon is one of those students who do really well in class but don’t really care for the Trials as much as his parents. Jimin likes being groupmates with Namjoon whenever there’s a chance cause truthfully, Namjoon is nothing short of a genius. But something as physically-demanding as the Trials is definitely not his area.
Nevertheless, Namjoon accepts the offer.
“And now… I’m sure this one is also not a surprise.” Headmaster Hwang remarks. “From House Sinbi…”
Jimin’s ears perk up. His heart starts beating overtime. It’s really just Han Sehun or him.
“Park Jimin, Level 4!”
And Jimin can finally breathe. Finally. He is in.
To Jimin’s surprise, there was a lot of cheer, not just from his housemates but from House Ungdae as well. Jimin’s heart swells at the realization that he might also have support from his fellow honhyeol. They are rooting for him in the Trials.
Jimin stands up and walks towards Headmaster Hwang.
The Headmaster looks at him like he already knows what Jimin’s answer will be. He has to ask nonetheless. “Park Jimin, do you accept the invitation?”
Jimin hears the murmurs in the crowd, feels the excitement coming from Ungdae and Sinbi, and notices the resentment in the eyes of those from Beon-gae.
None of them matter. Jimin is here on a mission.
“I accept.”
Another round of cheers and Jimin beams all the way back to his seat, where he receives several pats on the back and hugs from his friends.
He’s happy.
As he settles back down, his eyes accidentally wander across the room to where Jeon Jungkook staring at him with a scowl.
Oh, you’re not happy? Jimin thinks. Good.
“And the last participant joining this year’s Trials is…”
And the hall suddenly quiets. Headmaster Hwang just has one name left to announce, Jimin can think of at least 3 people who could be called.
“Level 3…” The Headmaster begins.
Level 3? Jimin is intrigued. The ones he’s expecting to be called are all either Level 4 or 5.
“Yun Chaerin from House Ungdae!”
Absolutely no one cheers as everyone murmurs in collective surprise and confusion. Someone from Ungdae got in? And only a 3rd year? And who is she?
“Woah. I heard she’s really smart but that’s it, I didn’t expect–” Hoseok’s mouth is agape, as his other housemates are, looking to where the tiny 3rd year is sitting, looking frozen and terrified.
“Yun Chaerin, to the front, please.”
“I didnt– I didn’t give my stone to the Gauntlet.” Her voice is so small and so afraid. “I thought I lost it.” Chaerin says.
The entire hall erupts in incredulous noises and various expressions of disbelief.
“What the hell is happening?”
“How could someone do that to her?”
“How the fuck does a level 3 Ungdae even be chosen?”
“I told you all the Gauntlet was a fake!”
“She couldn’t possibly be one of the participants, this is a shit show.”
“They’re probably trying to pacify the rebels using her and Park.”
The Headmaster walks back to the pulpit after having a small discussion with the school board members at the back.
Several Ungdae students flock around Chaerin.
“After some deliberation, we have decided that whether or not Yun Chaerin put her own stone in the Gauntlet, she has to either accept or refuse the invitation. We will look into that matter after but for now, Yun Chaerin, you must first step forward.”
Chaerin stands up hesitantly then decidedly looks at Jimin across the room. Chaerin looks at him like she’s asking him to tell her what to do. Jimin can only stare back at her. What could he even do?
“Do you think they’re doing this to help quell the mass unrest?” Hoseok whispers to their table.
“Possibly.” Yoongi answers. “But, I don’t know… the Gauntlet chose her.”
As Chaerin walks to the front, Jimin could hear more assents and dissents from the crowd.
“This has got to be a joke!”
“Leave her alone! We deserve representation!”
“Yeah, Chaerin go! Kick ass in the Trials!”
“For crying out loud, she won’t even make it past the first challenge!”
“Why? Say why right now if you’re so brave!”
“Look at her, she’s terrified, let her refuse!”
“Silence!” The headmaster roars through the crowd.
Chaerin reaches the front.
“Yun Chaerin, the Gauntlet has chosen you to be part of the Trials. Do you accept?” The Headmaster asks.
Chaerin turns around and looks back at Jimin pointedly again.
Jimin knows Chaerin wouldn’t be condemned if she refused, especially if it’s true that she didn’t put her name in the Gauntlet in the first place. In fact, that’s probably what most people expect her to do right now. The Trials will go on with or without her joining. There are plenty others willing to take her place.
But despite the earlier shock, Chaerin now looks at Jimin like she doesn’t want to refuse the offer but is just afraid to say yes. She looks at Jimin like she’s looking for reassurance.
And despite wanting to win, Jimin finds that he is willing to help Chaerin if she chooses to say yes. Chaerin participating would be a big deal to the honhyeol community.
In the first two phases of the Trials, participants usually formed alliances amongst themselves to help them overcome the challenges easier. Perhaps Chaerin is looking at Jimin for a confirmation that Jimin would choose to be her ally.
Jimin knows him and Yoongi will form an alliance. He’s not sure whether Yoongi would want her to join them but… he’ll just have to convince Yoongi later. The prospect of a level 3 Ungdae fucking up their sunsuhan opponents is too good.
If Chaerin truly doesn’t wanna refuse... then sure, Jimin will help her say yes. He gives Chaerin a subtle nod and a smile.
Chaerin’s expression breaks out in a relieved smile.
So she is okay with joining, Jimin thinks.
“I accept.” Chaerin declares as she turns back to the Headmaster.
The entire hall goes wild.
***************
Jimin wastes no time and heads to the library that afternoon to read up on how to improve his combat magic weaving. He knows he needs more practice, not more books but he has to start somewhere. Maybe somewhere in here, he can learn how to better summon the proper magic for a fight.
He’s also gonna have to ask someone to maybe practice duelling with him or something. He’d ask Yoongi but then Yoongi would know his skills by heart and if it came down to it… it might help Yoongi defeat him.
Nothing personal, Jimin just really means business. He absolutely has to win the Trials. It’s all part of his plans.
Forfeit the Trials, Park. A low voice suddenly speaks in Jimin’s mind as he’s perusing books.
Jimin tenses. He doesn’t need to turn around and look for who that voice belongs to.
Jimin scoffs and replies mentally as well. “Why? You’re that afraid of me?”
Please, I’m not scared of you. You can’t be in the Trials.
“Oh, don’t wanna taint the integrity of the Trials with a honhyeol smearing it or something, is that it?”
You don’t understand, there are powers much greater than yours-–
Jimin just has to laugh. “You mean yours, right?! You think I can’t handle myself when it comes down to it?”
I didn’t mean– this is bigger than your little dreams of greatness, Park. Your little healing magic tricks won’t be enough. This is way out of your league. You will not survive. You have to back out now.
How dare he? How dare Jungkook. Out of all the other students here making fun of his magic, how dare the one person he actually helped once with his healing magic. And Jungkook saying the Trials is way out of Jimin’s league? Jimin has heard this enough times to grow a thick skin but somehow Jeon Jungkook laying it out to him like this hits him different.
“You know what, fuck you, Jeon. I’ve worked hard for this all my life and I deserve to be in the Trials. I don’t know what you’re trying to achieve here because we both know I’m not backing out but if this is you trying to psychologically mess with me and my confidence in my own abilities or something, then it’s not working.”
Park, listen to me.
“I won’t. In fact, don’t come talking to me like this ever again. You weren’t welcome then, and you are most definitely not welcome now. I am part of this year’s Trials whether you like it or not. Goodbye.”
Jimin imagines putting up a mental shield against Jungkook. He’s never had to do it before and he doesn’t know if it worked or Jungkook just simply left him alone. He doesn’t dare look around the library if Jungkook is somewhere in there. Jeon Jungkook can go fuck himself.
Jimin has seen enough throughout the years of growing up together to know that no one is as bad as Jeon Junghyun, not even his brother.
But Jimin has a feeling that the Trials are about to bring out the worst in Jungkook. It’s already beginning to.