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In retrospect, Yeosang should have known something weird was up when he dreamed of blood red petals flowing through the wind, taking a humanoid shape. There’d been a serendipity to the dream that had left him waking up actually feeling well rested—having one of those main character moments: smiling at the sun gracing his face, yadda yadda. (Maybe he should have felt more suspicious about waking up so well rested, that wasn’t a normal occurrence for a college student.)
Yeosang wasn’t really one to believe in curses or magic, but he bet his pathetically little life savings that everything that happened that day could be traced back to him befriending Wooyoung eight years ago. All bad things traced back to the fact that he’d befriended Wooyoung in high school.
But being the naive fool he was, Yeosang brushed the dream aside, more preoccupied with shutting off his hellish alarm and making it to the shower before his flatmate—Jongho—could. Once the main character moment was over, his morning was like any other: a disaster. After getting ready, he flew out of the apartment, speeding down the streets to his favorite coffee shop—Mist Coffee—which was right around the corner.
The one thing Yeosang had learned about college (aside from suffering) was that he couldn’t attend his morning classes without a caffeine fix, else he would wither away like a particularly frail flower. He had once fallen asleep in class and the mortification of it still haunted him, enough to have him wake up ten minutes early every day so that he could get a cup of coffee.
As he made his way down the familiar neighborhood, Yeosang caught a striking figure on the other side of the street: a person with bright red hair, dressed in all black—decked out in e-boy aesthetic. Even from a distance, Yeosang could sense that they were intense.
And they seemed to be staring straight at Yeosang.
“What the—?” Yeosang muttered under his breath, quickly looking away.
He almost tripped over his feet, startled. His heart was racing; was he going to get mugged at 7:35AM? He glanced at the person again, who kept staring at Yeosang while they walked on the opposite side of the street. It was unnerving. Even more unsettling were the two figures faithfully following the redhead: one had bold pink hair, the other sported a mix of blue and green.
A whole fruit collection, Yeosang noted. Who are they? What do they want?
Thankfully, Mist Coffee was right at the next intersection, and Yeosang practically sprinted to it. He surged through the front door, a little breathless. There wasn’t a queue, but a group of students stood by the sugar-and-other-spices, cup lids, napkins, and what-not stand, giving their respective coffees some final touches.
The barista shot Yeosang a polite if not a little freaked out smile. It was the same guy as most mornings: Yunho. “Good morning. The usual?”
“Yes, please,” Yeosang wheezed. He turned, seeing red, pink, and blue-green approach the coffee shop. His heartbeat increased in fear. Oh, god. “Hey, man,” he called out for the barista.
“Yes?” Yunho raised his eyebrows, he was in the middle of foaming Yeosang’s milk.
“Can you see those people, like, are they real?” Yeosang wondered, pointing at the fruit collection.
Yunho looked about done, like he wanted to quit on the spot. Yeosang couldn’t blame him, but he’d had a strange morning, he just needed the confirmation that he wasn’t imagining them.
“Yes…” Yunho dragged out the one syllable word, staring at Yeosang in exasperation. “That’ll be 3,700 won, by the way.”
The answer wasn’t as reassuring as Yeosang had hoped it would be. They were real, not some strange hallucination he was having. They were real, and they had followed him to Mist Coffee. Maybe it was a coincidence, they looked young enough to be college students as well. Okay, maybe Yeosang was overreacting.
Taking in a very deep breath, Yeosang threw a 5,000 won bank note onto the counter, muttering, “Keep the change,” and took his coffee. Not forgetting human decency in his frenzy, he thanked Yunho and dashed off, foregoing to put any sugar in or a lid on his coffee.
Maybe it all was a coincidence, he kept thinking—hoping.
Yeosang’s optimistic outlook shattered the moment he bumped into the fruit collection outside of the establishment, his coffee dangerously close to sloshing over his hand. By luck and some higher power, the liquid stayed inside the cup.
“Whoah!” Yeosang yelped.
The redhead’s face lit up, their eyes crinkling as they met Yeosang’s panicked ones. “Greetings, my—”
Yeosang dodged their hand, and actually sprinted to campus, straining the hand that was holding the cup to keep it from shaking with all the movement. Too many challenges were thrown at him way too early in the day, he probably would clock out by twelve.
“Oh, but wait!” they called after him. “You mustn’t be scared of me. I’m your—”
Yeosang half turned his head, seeing that the person was about to follow him, but their friends held them back, shaking their heads as they muttered something to them.
Thank god.
Yeosang had almost forgotten his strange morning—almost, no one went through that and just forgot about it—when it came back to haunt him.
It was his third class of the day and the professor was late as usual, giving the students about ten minutes to settle in. Usually, Yeosang would talk with Mingi, a friendly dork who took almost all the same classes as him, but he was in the middle of ranting about his strange morning to Wooyoung; his text message was going to reach the word limit soon.
“Who’s that?”
Mingi’s voice dragged him out of his furious typing. He looked up, following Mingi’s line of sight. Yeosang almost dropped his phone.
“And why are they looking right at us?” Mingi continued, his voice wavering with confusion. “Wait, are they staring at you?” He glanced at Yeosang for confirmation. “Oh, they are!”
“No, they’re not,” Yeosang said immediately; his face felt hot. What the fuck was happening?
“They are,” Mingi insisted. “Uh oh, is that your partner?”
“No!” Yeosang cried, mortified. “I don’t even know them.”
“True. Wooyoung would have told me if you were dating someone,” Mingi agreed. “Then they’re an admirer.” He giggled, making Yeosang cringe. “That’s exciting. I wish I had an admirer.”
Admirer. Yeosang scoffed. More like a stalker.
“You should go talk to them. Prof Ji isn’t gonna be here for another ten minutes,” Mingi suggested.
“Absolutely not.” Yeosang ducked his head, looking away from the red haired stranger. Strange, the color of their hair reminded Yeosang of the petals he’d seen in his dream. “They—They freak me out. They followed me to Mist Coffee this morning. I think they’re dangerous.”
Mingi’s eyebrows raised at that, his expression becoming somber. “Is that so? I’ll have a talk with them.”
“No, you won’t.” Yeosang lightly punched his shoulder. “I can handle this myself. They look like a stick.”
Subtly, Yeosang took his time studying the stranger: they were about Wooyoung’s height and constitution, meaning short and narrow shouldered, but the aura they emitted was ferocious. Especially with that blood red hair. Their features were sharp, from their eyes to their pointy nose to the shape of their face. They reminded Yeosang of an 80’s rockstar—and a little bit of an otherworldly creature.
Yeosang realized that the stranger had caught him staring—how could they not? They’d been staring right back at Yeosang!—and winked at him. Yeosang sputtered, returning his gaze onto his phone screen. He hit ‘send’ in his panic, a half finished rant appearing on the screen. It wasn’t the worst thing, Wooyoung and him often communicated in unfinished sentences.
“That wasn’t subtle at all,” Mingi commented.
Yeosang hissed at him. “Where is Prof Ji when you need her?”
“They’re walking over to us.”
Yeosang looked up and indeed the redhead was approaching their row at the front of the classroom. Yeosang stiffened. Mingi pretended to be invested in their campus online portal while he was very obviously observing the interaction.
Yeosang smashed his phone’s keyboard, sending the most nonsensical string of emojis to Wooyoung, who was now typing. What a disaster!
“Hello,” the stranger spoke, their voice was melodic and gentle. It didn’t really match their intimidating exterior. “Finally I can speak to you, my beloved.”
And whoa! Yeosang did drop his phone at that. Mingi wasn’t even trying not to pay attention, his head whipped around to stare at the stranger. Hastily, Yeosang picked up his phone, dusting off the (thankfully unbroken) screen.
“Have I spoken ill? If so, I am terribly sorry. It’s been difficult adjusting to your world,” the stranger carried on. “I have a matter of utmost importance to discuss with you.”
Yeosang kept staring, the words were not making any sense to him.
“Of course!” They snapped their fingers, very much in a eureka gesture. “Where are my manners?” They shook their head, disappointed in themselves. “I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Fae Majesty Hongjoong of the Seelie Court.”
“I’m… human student Mingi from Seoul,” Mingi said, slowly, like he wasn’t sure what to say. “And this is human student Yeosang, also from Seoul.”
Hongjoong smiled. “Oh, I know it is Yeosang. How could I not? He is my beloved—”
But before Hongjoong could finish their sentence, their two friends barged into the room, getting a hold of them.
“Majesty!” the pink haired one hissed. “You mustn’t run off like that! Your father would have me decapitated.”
“And you know I cannot live without Seonghwa,” the blue-green haired one said, gravely. “I beg of you, be more responsible.”
Hongjoong rolled their eyes. “My apologies.” They gestured at their… friends? Subjects? “Please meet my brave and loyal Knights: Seonghwa and San. They have accompanied me from far and wide to seek thee out, darling one.”
“Uhm.” Yeosang stared. What was he supposed to say? “What the fuck? Is this a prank? Did Wooyoung set you up for this?”
Hongjoong faltered. They glanced at their friends, Knights, whatever. They seemed just as lost.
“I’m afraid I don’t quite understand what you mean, dear. Who is this Wooyoung you mention?” Hongjoong frowned. “Although it is true that fairies are of mischievous nature and often trick humans, I would never do that to you! You are my soulmate.”
Mingi choked on his spit, coughing loudly. Yeosang would have worried if he wasn’t freaking out himself, wishing to disappear.
Professor Ji walked into class that moment, throwing Hongjoong, San, and Seonghwa a confused look. “Are you transfers? I wasn’t notified of this.”
“Hello, ma’am! I’m Fae Majesty Hongjoong of—” Hongjoong’s cheerful introduction was cut short by Yeosang. He’d regained his ability to function, yanking Hongjoong out of the classroom by their wrist.
Professor Ji raised her eyebrows. “Mr Kang, are you sure you want to risk another absence—”
“I’ll be right back! I promise!” he called over his shoulder. He wasn’t going to miss the class, just kindly tell Hongjoong to fuck off.
“Oh, y-you are quite strong,” Hongjoong noted, their cheeks faintly pink. “Are we going somewhere? If so, my Knights should chaperone us. It’s hardly appropriate for us to be alone like this.”
“Uh, what?” Yeosang glanced into the classroom. Seonghwa and San were hastily trying to follow them. “Can you please stay out here and not follow me around? It’s freaky.”
“But I must talk to you, darling, it’s of utmost importance.”
“Don’t—” Yeosang blushed. “Don’t call me darling.”
“Of course.” Hongjoong nodded. “You are like me, conservative—”
Now that was just insulting. “Excuse me?!”
“You want me to wait with the loving nicknames for after our marriage.”
“I’m not following—Marriage?” Yeosang laughed. This was completely insane. “I’m not marrying you.”
Hongjoong looked genuinely hurt at that. “B-But Seonghwa and San, my Knights, they got married right away when they discovered their soulmate bond—”
“Your Majesty!” Seonghwa huffed. Him and San had finally caught up. “Did he harm you?”
Hongjoong shook their head. “No, he would never. We are soulmates.”
“Oh, trust me, your soulmate can hurt you,” San muttered.
Seonghwa glared at him. “You said you liked it when I pulled your hair.”
Yeosang scrunched up his nose. That was way more information than he needed.
“Okay.” He took in a deep breath, counting to three. “Stay out here. My class finishes in an hour. If you are still here by then and this wasn’t just a wild dream, we can talk.”
“Fair enough,” San said, nodding.
“But I—” Hongjoong reached out. “I want to talk to you now.”
“Sorry. I’m kind of failing this class so it’s pertinent I don’t fucking skip it.”
His words came out harsher than intended, but in Yeosang’s defense, he was kind of overwhelmed and confused and pissed. He felt a little bad, especially because Hongjoong seemed very genuine in wanting to talk to Yeosang, which was weird—very weird—but slightly flattering as well, if Yeosang was honest. Wooyoung would probably scold him, telling him his quick ability to adapt to strange situations was insane and dangerous. Yeosang liked to believe he was a very chill guy.
Without waiting for a reply, Yeosang walked back into the classroom, slipping into his seat. Mingi shot him a questioning look; ‘what was any of that?’ his eyes seemed to scream. Yeosang wished he could answer, but all he offered his friend was a hopeless shrug.
Unsurprisingly, the fruit collection was exactly where Yeosang had left them, like they’d been afraid that if they moved a centimeter, Yeosang wouldn’t have talked to them. It was kind of endearing. No, it wasn’t. It also wasn’t endearing how Hongjoong’s face lit up when they saw Yeosang, a sharp smile blooming on their face. It really wasn’t.
“You have returned.”
“Uh, yeah. I said I would.” He cleared his throat. “So, you’re still here.”
“Of course; where else would I go? By your side is the only place I shall exist in.”
Yeosang cringed at the line.
Mingi, on the other hand, melted. “I wish someone would court me with those lines.”
Yeosang faced Hongjoong. “I have lunch now, and you’re coming with me. We need to talk about whatever the fuck this is.” He gestured between them. “Your bodyguards are not included.”
“Knights,” San corrected him. “Though, I suppose, in your world, bodyguards is an appropriate term. And we are absolutely included, we mustn’t let the royal majesty out of our sight.”
“No.” Yeosang shook his head. “I really don’t want an audience. That’s embarrassing.”
“We will chaperone from a safe distance,” Seonghwa offered.
Yeosang groaned. “Fine.”
“Should I call Wooyoung?” Mingi wondered. “I’m going to call him. Maybe he knows what’s going on.”
Yeosang doubted it. Although Wooyoung had been highly entertained by the events, sending a long voice message of him just howling with laughter, he was just as bamboozled by it as were Yeosang and Mingi. The fact that this wasn’t an elaborate prank by Wooyoung was both alarming and relieving. Maybe Yeosang did kind of like the idea that this really hot stranger was apparently into him.
(What the fuck was wrong with him? The whole situation was hysterical and odd on so many levels, yet he was already growing accustomed to it and basking in Hongjoong’s undivided attention.)
After getting himself and Hongjoong each a sandwich from the cafeteria, Yeosang guided them to the campus park right outside the Science faculty. Stray cats roamed around; usually they were quite shy, but they flocked around Hongjoong as if they were a magnet. Hongjoong didn’t seem to mind or really notice, petting them after they sat on one of the many wooden benches. Seonghwa and San stood at a distance, glancing around the park.
“Ah, it’s beautiful here,” Hongjoong noted.
Yeosang agreed, during spring the campus park was beautiful: wild bushes and flowers bloomed everywhere, filling the air with a sweet scent; almond and orange trees peeked out from the pine trees surrounding the campus. The university was heavily focused on the Science faculty, especially the Biology department. They had built the park with that in mind. Yeosang loved to walk through it after class, studying its different fauna and flora.
“So,” Yeosang started, peeling the paper around his sandwich back, his fingers quickly becoming grease soaked. Hongjoong handed him a napkin. “Thanks. So, uh, who are you? Why have you been following me?” he asked, genuinely curious. He probably lacked some kind of survival instinct, but he didn’t think Hongjoong and their Knights were dangerous. “And no funny tricks, or I’ll call campus security,” he added for good measure.
Hongjoong blinked, eyes wide, taking Yeosang’s threat to heart. “As I said before, I am Fae Majesty Hongjoong from the Seelie Court, and I have traveled to your world to seek thee out. It was revealed to me who my soulmate is.” They stared at Yeosang, their eyes roaming around his face like they couldn’t get enough of him. “And I must say, I am relieved and blessed that it is you, who my soul belongs to. You are beautiful.”
Yeosang coughed on a piece of ham, which landed on Hongjoong’s pants. In extreme embarrassment, Yeosang flicked it off—a stray cat immediately stole it away—and dabbed at Hongjoong’s pants before realizing that he was touching their thigh, so he flinched and withdrew his hand, awkwardly running it through his hair.
“Uh, sorry,” he muttered, mortified.
Hongjoong’s cheeks were pink, they struggled to meet Yeosang’s eyes. “It’s fine.”
“Just don’t say weird things like that while I’m eating,” Yeosang scolded them. “Or ever.”
Hongjoong looked at him, nervously tugging at their red hair. Yeosang followed the movement, and he caught a glimpse of Hongjoong’s left ear. What the hell? Yeosang had to be hallucinating. The tip of Hongjoong’s ear was pointed, in a very humanly impossible way. Yeosang would know, he studied Bio-Chem. Okay, perhaps he was failing one of his Biology classes, but he knew it was impossible to have ears like that unless surgery was involved.
(However, he highly doubted that Hongjoong had gotten plastic surgery, which only left the theory that Hongjoong’s ears naturally looked like that, and that was a very interesting result.)
“I apologize,” Hongjoong muttered. “It appears as though I am constantly displeasing you with my words. Tell me what I can do so you aren’t disgusted—”
“I’m not disgusted,” Yeosang cut them off. Yeah, maybe he was a little spooked, but he didn’t want Hongjoong to think he was disgusted by them. That was way too extreme. “I’m just confused.”
Hongjoong hummed. “What confuses you?”
Everything, he wanted to answer. “What is the Seelie Court?”
The expression was faintly familiar, but Yeosang couldn’t remember for the life of him where he’d heard it before. Hongjoong had said they were fae royalty; were they talking about faeries? Because Yeosang wasn’t quite sure what to make of that. He had heard from Wooyoung that there were several subcultures of people that dressed up as all sorts of supernatural creatures and role played as them. Were Hongjoong and their Knights just a bunch of cosplayers doing extreme roleplaying?
Yeosang cringed at the thought. He hoped not. He didn’t like the idea that someone was deceiving him.
“The Seelie Court is one of the two faerie courts. It is known to be on friendly terms with humans, often exchanging favors,” Hongjoong explained. “I am the youngest child of the royal family of the Seelie Court. Just three nights ago the ancient nature spirits visited me in my dreams to reveal the identity of my soulmate. It is our custom that when we turn two hundred years old, we are fit to meet our soulmate.”
“Pardon?” Yeosang choked. “T-Two hundred years old?”
“Twenty-and-one in human age,” Hongjoong clarified.
“Oh.” Yeosang’s shoulders sagged in relief. “That’s less concerning.”
“Time flows differently in the faerie realms,” Hongjoong explained.
“Faerie realms?” Yeosang echoed. “Earlier you referred to this,” he gestured around, “as ‘my’ world, as if you aren’t from here. What—What did you mean?”
“I come from a different world or realm than yours. It has existed for as long as your world has—for as long as forests and meadows and ponds have existed.”
“Sure.” Yeosang nodded. “Cool, cool, cool. That’s just fucking great.”
Hongjoong blinked. “You possess quite the naughty vocabulary.”
“What?”
“Your imprecations.”
“My what?”
“You say a lot of curse words,” Hongjoong tried.
“Oh. Well, welcome to my world.”
Hongjoong laughed, their eyes crinkling. Yeosang perhaps stared for a beat too long. “I have noticed people aren’t as refined with their speech around here,” they noted. “But it matters little to me. I am quite fond of rebellious souls.”
They winked, and it took Yeosang way too long to realize that Hongjoong was flirting with him.
~*~
“Wait, hold on. Run that by me again.”
“Okay. An actual, human-sized faerie insists I’m their soulmate and wants to marry me, and I’m freaking out because I’m starting to believe this might be real and also they’re really hot,” Yeosang repeated. “Like insanely hot.”
Jongho squinted his eyes, then wrinkled his nose. “You think they’re hot?”
“That’s really not the point.”
“To me it is,” Jongho said. “How hot? Does it influence you on the believability of the story?”
“No.” Yeosang absolutely lied there, but Jongho didn’t need to know. “Have you ever heard of fairies being real?”
Jongho gave him a look. “You’re losing it, hyung. Where are they now?”
Yeosang pointed at the living room window. “Down by the community park. I told Hongjoong and their Knights to wait there.”
“Knights,” Jongho scoffed in disbelief. “Well, invite them up. It’s about to become night time, they can’t sleep in the community park… That would only bring unnecessary questions.”
“Are you suggesting they sleep here?” Yeosang questioned, waving his hands around their small apartment.
Jongho grinned. “Yeah.” He glanced down at the fruit collection, appraising them. “This Hongjoong could sleep in your bed, it’s big enough. And the Knights on the couch. Easy.”
Yeosang considered a multitude of evil pranks he could play on Jongho. “I hate you.”
Jongho just did a finger-gun in response, winking obnoxiously.
Resigned, Yeosang went down to the community park—leaving the cleaning up to Jongho—and told the fairies that they were invited to stay in the flat. Seonghwa and San were a little suspicious about it, but Hongjoong accepted the invitation gracefully, smiling brightly.
(The journey back took longer than necessary because San found the elevator to be a really cool human invention and pressed all the buttons. Yeosang and Jongho lived on the tenth floor.)
“Such a… charming establishment you own,” San muttered upon entering the flat.
“Yes, it is so… homey. Downright humble,” Seonghwa added, not as elegant in hiding his distaste as San.
“I quite like it. It’s, er, quaint,” Hongjoong said, smiling softly at Yeosang. “We are very grateful.”
“It’s nothing,” Yeosang said.
“Where will we be sleeping?” Hongjoong asked.
“Um…” Yeosang blushed. “There is only space for one more person in my bed. The other two will have to sleep on the couch.” He pointed at it, unsure if fairies even knew what a couch was.
Even if he didn’t explicitly suggest anything, a prolonged and awkward silence followed.
“Absolutely not , Your Majesty. That is improper!” Seonghwa cried.
“Well, I—”
“You must be joking.”
Yeosang was a little confused at the outburst. He glanced at San, but the Knight just shrugged, unbothered. He walked over to the couch and sat down.
“This couch, as you call it, is surprisingly comfortable,” San said, loudly, interrupting the two arguing fairies.
Seonghwa frowned. “My beloved, not you, too. You cannot possibly be okay with that?!”
“I’m afraid so, dearest.”
Yeosang wasn’t sure what made him cringe more: the archaic language or the use of pet names.
“I promise you I won’t bite,” Yeosang joked, hoping to ease some of that tension. “The royal majesty will live.”
San and Seonghwa gave him very unimpressed looks.
“It’ll be fine,” Jongho piped in. He came from the kitchen, cloth swung over his shoulder, his hand dripping with soap. “Also, where are my manners? Nice to meet you, I’m Choi Jongho: Yeosang’s flatmate and the number one reason why he made it this far into adulthood. He didn’t even know how to boil an egg before meeting me.”
Yeosang laughed nervously, promising sweet revenge to Jongho while their guests were busy bowing. Jongho only winked in response. What a little shit.
“Oh, our Hongjoongie is just as disastrous when it comes to cooking. Quite embarrassing, if I may be so honest,” Seonghwa commented.
Hongjoong sputtered, their cheeks pink. “That is not true. I am a moderate cook!” They glanced at Yeosang, apprehensive.
Seonghwa rolled his eyes, like it was a recurring argument. San just shook his head.
“It’s settled then? You two, er, Knights take the couch? Hongjoong and Yeosang take his bed; god knows it’s big enough,” Jongho said.
Seonghwa sighed. “I suppose so.”
“Nice!” He appraised them. “Have you ever played video games?”
San tilted his head in confusion. “What kind of games now?”
Jongho’s grin was terrifying. “Oh, the three of us are gonna have so much fun!”
Seonghwa looked doubtful, but let himself be dragged into it, taking seat next to San.
“Oh, that is comfortable,” he commented quietly.
Yeosang turned his back on the bizarre scene of Jongho teaching two out-of-touch, extremely ancient beings the wonders of Kirby. Hongjoong seemed just as concerned, but their attention was quick to fall on Yeosang, tilting their head slightly in expectation.
“Let me show you where you’ll sleep, Hongjoongie,” Yeosang said, bravely cheeky.
Hongjoong glared, but they seemed quite content about Yeosang using the nickname.
Gently, Yeosang pushed Hongjoong toward his bedroom. He felt a little—no, a lot—nervous at the prospect of having a stranger in his room. Especially Hongjoong. If they were telling the truth and they actually were a faerie—you know, a supernatural being—then they surely had seen better than a college student’s disorganized bedroom. Yeosang wasn’t necessarily a messy person, but he did have a hard time constantly cleaning everything. That was just a hassle.
“It’s a nice room,” Hongjoong commented, politely. They sat on his bed, staring around with curiosity, drinking in every little detail.
Yeosang swallowed, nervous. “Sure is, sure is. Anyway, you’ll sleep in the bed. I have a futon somewhere.”
Hongjoong stood up. “Don’t be ridiculous! Your friend was right when he said the bed is big enough to accommodate the two of us,” they insisted. “And as you promised earlier, I, too, scarcely bite in my sleep.”
“But sometimes you do?”
Hongjoong raised their chin, indignant. “I shall not dignify that with an answer.”
Yeosang smiled. “Alright. You convinced me.”
The situation was definitely a weird one, and he was still trying to wrap his head around the faerie part—and the other realm and two hundred years old parts—but Hongjoong was infinitely endearing. Yeosang liked their ways.
~*~
Weekends meant that Yeosang was free from the shackles of university and now belonged to Burger King. More specifically, he belonged to the annoying eighteen year old assistant manager who was the son of the actual manager and liked to order them around unnecessarily.
“He must be the burger prince then?” Hongjoong asked, curious.
Yeosang rubbed his eyes. “No, he’s just a brat. There’s no actual royalty at Burger King…” he explained, scrubbing the table next to the one Hongjoong and their Knights were occupying.
It’d been five days since Hongjoong’s arrival, and they had no intention of leaving just yet. Perhaps Yeosang didn’t particularly see a reason for them to leave prematurely either. He enjoyed their presence, more than he thought he would.
In between arduous classes and the little things that constituted daily human life, the week flew by quickly. Hongjoong and their Knights had accompanied Yeosang to his classes, to the grocery shop, to the gym, and all other places he went. At first it’d been strange to be escorted everywhere by the fruit collection, but Yeosang adapted quickly. And, as it turned out, Hongjoong was quite the Biology geek—being a supernatural creature that had a deep connection to nature and all that—and helped Yeosang study. Late nights at the faculty’s library, working through terms and definitions with Hongjoong’s attentive aid had become a regularity. Yeosang learned a lot about the faerie royalty, finding himself to be a little enamored.
“Have you decided what you’ll get?” Yeosang inquired.
“The Double Whopper?” San tried, tentatively. “Such odd words.”
“I will get what Yeosang recommends to me. I trust your judgment, my darling—” They flushed. “Apologies! It slipped out.”
Yeosang rolled his eyes, fondly. “It’s alright. You can… You can call me darling.”
Fuck, damn it, his face was burning.
But it was true, he didn’t mind it all that much anymore, to be called sweet pet names by Hongjoong. The way they effortlessly rolled of their tongue made Yeosang tingle in all the right places. Wooyoung would cackle at him, but thankfully he was too busy to pay Yeosang’s developing feelings any attention.
“Oh.” Hongjoong’s eyes widened, their cheeks a lovely shade of pink. “I shall keep that in mind.”
Seonghwa eyed them and rolled his eyes. “I’ll choose the Whopper King Menu. I’d like to eat like a king.”
“It’s not—” Yeosang tried, but Seonghwa’s dignified expression made him shut up. “Never mind. Whopper King Menu it is, have it your way,” he added, sarcastically.
(At least they didn’t make him say that cursed expression anymore, two years ago it had been mandatory and Yeosang nearly quit. Jongho said it was impressive how long Yeosang had lasted at Burger King. Probably his greatest achievement so far.)
Seonghwa raised his eyebrows. “Oh, I will have it my way, thank you.”
“He always does,” San whispered, conspiratorial, and shot Seonghwa a love-sick smile.
“Great! Thanks! I’ll be right back.”
As he attended customers from the counter (bless the higher powers he didn’t have to attend the drive-in window), he closely observed Hongjoong and their Knights. San seemed confused at first, picking the burger apart, and resolved to eat the individual pieces. Seonghwa, for all his poshness, ate the burger like a teenage boy that has been binge-playing League of Legends. Hongjoong kept throwing glances at Yeosang, making sure they were eating the crispy chicken burger correctly. Yeosang threw them a thumbs up.
At least the fairies were blissfully unaware of the alarmed glances the locals were giving them.
About half an hour before his shift ended, Yeosang decided to be nice and brought them a bag of fries, “On the house.”
He watched with detached fascination how Hongjoong went bonkers, marveling at the flavor. They insisted on meeting the chef. Yeosang found himself forced to call out the young girl who had fried them. She was embarrassed and confused by the compliments, but accepted them gracefully nonetheless.
“She should become the burger queen!”
“Again, there’s no actual royalty here…”
(But Yeosang let it slide, secretly very endeared by it.)
Once Yeosang clocked out of work, leaving the greasy horrors behind, he met with Hongjoong outside the fast food restaurant, but the two Knights were nowhere to be found. When Yeosang inquired about it, Hongjoong explained they had gone to check out the playground, saying it reminded them of a faerie portal and they had to make sure it was sealed properly. They had also said something about how they entrusted Hongjoong with Yeosang. He had passed their vibe check (not that Seonghwa would ever use those words, but that was what his archaic speech boiled down to).
“The moon looks beautiful tonight,” Hongjoong observed. They looked up at the cloudy sky, from behind the Burger King establishment a bright circle peeked out.
Yeosang snorted. “That’s the Burger King logo…”
“Oh, I’m quite relieved then. I had thought that perhaps your world has a really ugly moon and I would be forced to lie about liking it for you.”
Yeosang raised his eyebrows at that. “You would lie for me?”
“It does sound morally wrong if you put it like that,” they admitted. “But there is quite a lot I would do for you, Yeosang.”
Yeosang hummed, thoughtfully. How moral would it be of him to gently push Hongjoong up against the outer wall of Burger King and kiss them senseless? He heavily considered his options.
“So, how soon will Seonghwa and San be back?”
“If they don’t encounter any distractions, they should be back soon. Why do you ask?”
“What do fairies think about kissing before marriage? Is that acceptable or completely inappropriate?”
It took Hongjoong a moment to understand Yeosang’s indirect question, and when it finally sank in they blushed fiercely. Yeosang was grateful for his own tan skin to not reveal his own blush. When had he become so bold?
“Oh… Oh!” Hongjoong bit their bottom lip, studying Yeosang’s face. “Well, we hardly have any rules on it. And even if we did, I would be more than thrilled to break them. With you.”
“Yeah, you mentioned you’re into rebellious souls,” Yeosang quipped. He took a step forward. Hongjoong did not yield, staying put, and kept biting their lower lip, like they were purposefully trying to drive Yeosang mad with want.
Because yeah, in the short amount of time he’d gotten acquaintanced with Hongjoong, it had become increasingly difficult to ignore just how pretty they were. The fiery red hair, the dazzling brown eyes, the enticing pink lips, the sharp cheekbones and jawline… They were ethereal.
“Then I will steal a kiss, if you don’t mind.”
“You can steal as many kisses as you desire, Yeosang, for you are my soulmate.”
The words that had spooked him before now filled him with a strange sense of reassurance. If soulmate were actually real, he didn’t mind his being this faerie.
“Well, I’m a polite burglar. I prefer to ask before I steal.”
Hongjoong rolled their eyes, reaching out their hands to take hold of Yeosang’s uniform shirt, pulling him towards them. They stood on their tiptoes and kissed him. It was searing, soft, and just so, so right. Yeosang melted into it, locking his arms around the nape of Hongjoong’s neck to kiss them deeper.
When it was over, Yeosang felt a little dazed. How would he ever live without this? Suddenly the fear that Hongjoong would have to eventually return to the faerie world engulfed him.
Hongjoong blinked, a small smile curling at their lips. “I quite enjoyed that,” they whispered. “It appears my Knights might take a while before they return.”
Yeosang hummed, pushing his fear away in favor of leaning in again. The kiss was deeper than the first one, and Yeosang used one of his hands to run it through Hongjoong’s red hair, not at all surprised that it was silky soft. Of course it’d be. He angled his face to the side so he could run his tongue over Hongjoong’s bottom lip, relishing in the way the faerie let out a quiet gasp, their fingers tightening in the front of Yeosang’s t-shirt to hold him closer.
This time, when they pulled apart, the traces of their kiss lingered on Hongjoong. They smiled. Warm, small, mischievous. The corners of their eyes crinkled and their nose scrunched up slightly.
Yeosang stood still, air caught in his lungs, feeling like he’d got hit by a freight train.
Oh, fuck. Was it love?
The moment they got back to the apartment, Yeosang practically ran into the shower. He couldn’t retreat to his bedroom since Hongjoong was in there for a change of clothes. (On their way back from Burger King, they’d gotten caught in a spring downpour.) He needed to sort his thoughts. The kiss had turned his world upside down. Or well, more accurately, Hongjoong had turned his world upside down.
After their kiss in the Burger King parking lot—Jongho would give him so much shit for it, it was the least romantic spot on earth—they hadn’t been able to talk about it a whole lot, Hongjoong’s Knights had chosen that moment to come back, announcing that the playground was in fact not an unattended faerie portal. When Hongjoong had asked them why they’d taken so long, Seonghwa had explained, begrudgingly, that San had needed to climb the slide and squeeze through it. Three times.
Yeosang began scrubbing his scalp, shampoo dribbling down the sides of his face. He stared resolutely at the pale green tiles as he thought about the kiss, about the fact that he’d (inevitably) fallen in love with Hongjoong. Hongjoong who was a faerie, who was his soulmate, who had to eventually go back to the fae realm.
What would that mean for their developing relationship? Would Yeosang have to permanently move to the faerie realm, abandoning his studies, his future career, his friends and family? He didn’t want that. But he also didn’t want to lose Hongjoong.
They had to talk, preferably immediately. Yeosang was a patient person, most of the time, but when he set his mind on something, he became impatient very quickly. It took everything in him not to march out of the shower in his shampoo mohawk, towel wrapped around his waist, and confront Hongjoong.
Half an hour later, Yeosang sat on his bed, nervously readjusting his thick socks. It was that time in spring when the days were already warm but the nights still held a cold edge.
Jongho was making food in the kitchen, teaching the two Knights the wonders of instant ramyeon. Hongjoong had gone to join them, but Seonghwa kicked them out, claiming that Hongjoong would only set the kitchen on fire.
Dejected, the faerie came back into Yeosang’s bedroom, pouting slightly. “I was kicked out.”
“Yeah, I heard.”
Hongjoong sat on the edge of the bed, folding their legs, and eyed Yeosang with mild apprehension. It was clear they wanted to talk as much as Yeosang did.
“I spoke with my trusted Knights earlier,” Hongjoong spoke, voice quivering. “They agree that we must go back soon. Possibly by Monday. We… stayed longer than any of us expected.”
Yeosang played with the sleeves of his hoodie, nervously. “Oh.”
“Seonghwa and San got together quite quickly. They hardly courted each other. Not that,” Hongjoong was quick to add, “I haven’t enjoyed courting you. I have, believe me!” They reached out their hand to take Yeosang’s in a reassuring gesture, but hesitated, dropping it instead. “But I cannot stay here forever. I have important duties to attend back home. I came here to find you, Yeosang, and propose to you as is fae custom.”
“But I’m,” Yeosang started, hesitantly, “I’m too young to get married. I’m in the middle of college, I don’t—I can’t get married right now.”
Hongjoong looked away, out the window, where the sky was rapidly darkening. “I was certain we would fall in love. You are my soulmate. But perhaps it was preposterous of me to believe that you would harbor any affection for me in return…”
“No, that’s not—” Yeosang interrupted them, quick and clumsy. He reached out his hand to take Hongjoong’s, soft and warm. “That’s not what I meant!”
Hongjoong looked down at their hands, a flicker of hope in their eyes. “What did you mean then?”
“I really like you, Hongjoongie,” Yeosang admitted, quietly. Shyly, Hongjoong ducked their head at the nickname. “At first I thought you were trying to scam me or something, but… You’re lovely and I,” he squeezed Hongjoong’s hand, “I don’t want you to leave thinking I don’t like you back. I do. I really do.”
Hongjoong’s lips curled into a sly smile, their cheeks turning pink. “You like me? How much?”
Oh, this was embarrassing. But Yeosang was courageous. “So much that I wish you could stay here. I know you have to return, eventually. And I can’t come with you, my life is here. But despite that I want us to be together.”
“D-Does that mean that you will marry me?”
Yeosang laughed. “Yeah, probably. Not right now, though. Ask me again when I’ve finished my degree.”
Hongjoong smiled, wide. “Can I kiss you?” They turned their body so they were facing Yeosang, they dropped their second hand to hold Yeosang’s with both of them, softly rubbing their thumb over the back of Yeosang’s hand in a very distracting manner. “Now that I know you return my affections and I do not have to worry about never seeing you again.”
“I thought it was obvious from the first time we kissed, that I like you back,” Yeosang muttered. He used his free hand to cup Hongjoong’s face.
“Not really. Us fairies are quite direct and honest. I would not have known…” Hongjoong trailed off, their dark eyes flickering around Yeosang’s face, gracing his lips more than once.
Yeosang, tired of waiting, leaned forward and kissed Hongjoong, gently pushing them onto his bed.
They still had a lot of talking to do, but with the heaviest out of the way, knowing that they both wanted this and were ready for the challenges that came with a long-distance-relationship—well, different-realms-relationship?—Yeosang allowed himself to melt into Hongjoong’s body.