Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Amortentia causes the drinker to become infatuated, or even obsessed with the person who gave them the potion. This particular love potion does not create actual love. Instead, the feelings created are more akin to infatuation and not affection…When brewing the potion, pearl dust is the most essential ingredient. Along with this are rose thorns, peppermint, and powdered moonstone.”

“It is theorized that love potions either make the consumer fall for the person who gave it to them, or for the first person they see once they drink it. Therefore, a DNA sample of the person the brewer wants the consumer to fall for is an essential ingredient for the potion. The effects of other versions of love potions may either change or intensify over time, and would intensify especially fast when around the person the consumer fell for."

“In literature, love potions are used to create many possible plotlines. Often, they are used in romantic comedies and other romance genres. Depending on the story, they may be created using magic, folklore or ancient practices, a scientific experiment gone wrong, and the like.”

Jisung let the last book fall on the already enormous pile of books on his table. Aside from the books, various tabs were open on his laptop, and a worn leather bound notebook filled with messy handwriting lay open near his feet. All of them were about the same topic.

Love potions.

Technically speaking, love potions were illegal substances. They were banned ever since their first use, wherein the person who drank it became overly obsessed with the one who brewed the potion.

Jisung didn’t believe anything meant for love, made with love, could have any adverse effects. The wizard back then must have done something wrong. Maybe the ingredients weren’t developed enough. Maybe they accidentally stirred it the opposite way. The dose could have been too much, or too little, resulting in the deranged behavior of the person who consumed it.

“Let’s see,” Jisung murmured, grabbing his notebook from the floor. “What ingredients do we need?”

As a first year AB Music Production major in Seoul Magical University, he never expected to gain interest in love potions. The first time he heard of them was from his Potions professor. It was an infamous story at this point. Many years ago, a wizard tried brewing an effective love potion to get their beloved to return their feelings. Before then, only lust potions and ineffective love potion recipes existed. They first tested it by asking one of their assistants to drink it, then observed what happened.

The effects were disastrous. Since then, love potions were banned and nobody has been brave enough to take potion-making seriously and attempt to make them again.

That is, until Jisung.

He firmly believed something went wrong with the potion along the way. To prove it, he was going to make his own version of a love potion. Hence, all the books, search engine tabs, and the messy notes in his notebook.

Somewhere under the book pile, his phone pinged with a message notification. Still studying his notes, Jisung dug around the pile for the phone. It was buried beneath the book about early love potions and why they did not work. Jisung took one tired glance at the dim phone screen and balked at the clock on his lockscreen.

What do you mean it’s 3:25 AM???

Jisung scrambled out of his seat, knocking a few books onto the floor. He frantically started to gather all his school supplies and stuffed them into his backpack.

It was almost 4 AM. His first class was at 8.

With his bag packed – nearly bursting at the seams, really – he jumped onto his bed and buried himself under the blankets. Luckily, he fell asleep as soon as his head hit his pillows.

His phone lay abandoned on the edge of the table. Another message went through, but it was left unanswered.

—

“Jisung! Get up, you idiot, we’re almost late for class!”

Jisung, much like last night, scrambled out of his blanket cocoon at the shout. He wobbled around somewhere beside his bed, trying to blink away the sleep from his mind. Still groggy, he noticed his dorm room door wide open, and somebody tall was standing in front of him.

“I texted you at 3 AM just in case you forgot to sleep. You never learn, I swear,” the person was saying. They grabbed his shoulders and practically shoved him to the bathroom sink. “Wash your face, at least. Did you pack your bag?”

“Uhuh,” Jisung mumbled. He blindly groped around for the faucet, then turned it on to half-heartedly splash water on his face. He was in the middle of scrubbing his face dry when the person grabbed his arm and pulled him out the door. He heard the door’s lock click before being dragged along again.

“What’s first class?” Jisung yawned. His eyes had adjusted at that point. He recognized the pathway connecting the dorms to the main building of Seoul National University. Confused, he turned to look at who was pulling him along.

Ah, makes sense.

Jisung entered the main building, following behind none other than one of his classmates and friends, Hwang Hyunjin. Hyunjin was a first year dance major studying in Seoul National University. They met during the first years’ orientation days, and became friends through one of their common classes, which was coincidentally what they were having at that moment.

“We’re so lucky our professor is chill,” Hyunjin said. “Also, we’re having Lit right now. Please tell me you went through the reading yesterday.”

Jisung groaned. He, in fact, did NOT go through the reading at all. He buried himself in love potion research as soon as he returned to his dorm.

His friend, after sitting them down near the back, took one look at him and understood. Frustrated, he sighed, but started trying to explain the reading to Jisung anyway.

Luckily, their professor did not call either of them to recite. Before they knew it, the bell had rung and they were dismissed from the class.

“Sungie! Jinnie!” a voice excitedly called from near the professor’s desk. The two glanced up to see their other friend and Hyunjin’s blockmate, Lee Felix.

“Hey Lixie!” Hyunjin replied, smiling.

“We’re still eating lunch together, right?” Felix asked, moving closer to them as the class exited the classroom.

Once they confirmed their lunch schedules, they went their separate ways. Felix and Hyunjin had math class right after. Their walk was a little fast seeing as the class was located at another building. Jisung, meanwhile, walked to the cafeteria to eat something for breakfast.

—

Loud chatter echoed throughout the large cafeteria. A lot of the seats were already occupied. Although, Jisung knew his friends were dismissed half an hour earlier than he was, so there was a chance they saved seats for their entire group already. He continued pushing his way through the crowd to look for them.

Sure enough, he saw Bang Chan sitting beside Felix on one of the tables in the corner. Chan was their oldest, a 4th year student starting his thesis project as a music production major. He was the one who first helped Jisung find his classrooms and also sometimes reminded him to do his homework. Jisung was forever grateful to Chan, especially because he was also a magic student studying in Seoul Magical University.

“Hey guys!” he grinned, dropping his back on an empty chair.

“Hey Jisung,” Chan replied warmly. Felix looked up at him and waved cheerfully, then went back to what he was doing. Now that he was closer, Jisung noted the papers and highlighters scattered on the table.

Chan followed his gaze and chuckled. “Lix has a quiz next period,” he explained, wrapping an arm around said boy in a half hug. “They have to write an essay so he wanted to review the material again to make sure he knows it well.”

Jisung nodded along, finally taking a seat. The line for food looked a little too long, so he decided to wait it out first. Then, he noticed a part in the crowd from which Changbin and Minho emerged.

Changbin was another of his seniors in music production, currently a 2nd year in Seoul Magical University. Really, Jisung felt so lucky to have friends from both his course and his school, even if they weren’t in the same year.

And, of course, there’s Minho, the handsome, light brown-haired 3rd year dance major who was also part of SNU’s award-winning dance organization. He was in the same course and major as both Hyunjin and Felix, which was why they became friends in the first place. He was also one of the dance org members who performed during the freshman orientation. In fact, Jisung was starstruck by his dancing.

He remembered how the org members walked onstage wearing black outfits, each styled to fit the person wearing them. There was a moment of silence before the music started. At that time, Jisung stood cluelessly a little to the left of the stage. He had no idea what was about to happen. He had no idea his attention was about to be captured by the hottest, most mesmerizing dancer in the entire of Korea.

When the music started, Jisung couldn’t do anything except try not to blink. He didn’t want to miss a single micromovement from the dancer. He had to shake himself to snap out of whatever trance watching the dancer’s sharp movements and fluid transitions caused.

Imagine his surprise when Felix and Hyunjin casually brought that specific dancer into their friend group.

“-sung. Jisung, hey,” someone was waving a hand near his face. Jisung realized he had been spacing out for so long and snapped himself out of it.

“Oh, uh…” he laughed nervously. “Hi hyungs. How was class?”

Changbin immediately launched into a long-winded complaint of how one of his group mates contributed nothing to their project. He dropped himself on a chair near Felix and continued his ranting. Minho, meanwhile, shot Jisung a mildly concerned look before taking the seat by his side. Jisung felt his cheeks warm at their proximity.

Hyunjin arrived right as Changbin was describing his sleepless nights trying to finish the group project. He had a plate of food and utensils in his hands, which he set on the table before taking the last seat available.

Changbin, upon noticing him, stopped his complaints immediately. “Jinnie, darling,” he greeted with a large grin.

Hyunjin tried fighting his own smile. He wasn’t entirely successful. “Hey, Binnie hyung,” he replied.

Jisung immediately tuned them out, standing up to buy some food. He gave a half-hearted wave to the group before walking towards the food stalls.

Changbin and Hyunjin were together. They met 2 years ago during a summer arts program. Changbin took a liking to the other boy and the rest was history. Hyunjin tended to mildly brush off Changbin’s affection around other people, but Jisung had witnessed how assured both were of their relationship in private. They were content to bask in each other’s company, letting their gestures speak of their love.

Chan and Felix were a little more complicated. Jisung knew both of them had feelings for each other. It was probably their own self-esteem or negative thoughts that kept them from actually confessing to each other.

There was also Seungmin and Jeongin. Both were studying in different schools, so they didn’t see them that often. Jisung still doesn’t understand if those two were together and just kept denying everything or they were genuinely just “very close friends.”

And, of course, there’s Minho. As far as Jisung knew, Minho was not in a relationship. Really, that was the main reason Jisung was so delusional. If Minho had no significant other, then could Jisung be the one for him?

He ended up buying chicken, rice, and an iced Americano before going back to their table. He slides onto his seat and attempts to catch up to what was happening. Luckily, they weren’t talking about anything important. He was in the process of calming his thoughts when Minho decided it was a good idea to lean over to ask him a question.

“You all right, Jisungie?” Minho’s breath tickled his ear. Jisung barely managed to suppress a shiver.

“I’m fine, hyung,” he replied in the steadiest voice he could manage. “Just thinking.”

Minho, to Jisung’s relief, shifted back towards his backrest. “About what?”

“You know, school and stuff,” he vaguely gestured around, then suddenly blurted out, “Oh yeah, I haven’t done the reading for History yet.”

And whoops , he wasn’t actually supposed to tell anyone that. He knew he tended to be inconsistent in terms of academics, but he can’t help it okay? It’s not his fault love potions were more interesting than a 14-page pdf file about Korean history.

To his surprise, Minho smiled. “Guess you better get to it. You have History after this, don’t you?”

Jisung knew that. He may be absent-minded sometimes but he memorized his class schedule. He knew he had History right after lunch. How did Minho know that though?

Could it be possible? Does he like me back? Jisung wondered, feeling a little dazed. Unable to reply, he dug inside his pocket for his phone instead. He clicked open the pdf file but only stared at it blankly. He couldn’t bring himself to focus after what had just happened.

He admits it – he lied. You know, kind of. Believing that love potions were inherently good was only part of the reason he was so obsessed with them. The other part of that reason may or may not be because of his probably-not-so-secret crush on one Lee Minho.

Changbin often teased him about being a hopeless romantic. At this point, Jisung couldn’t even deny it anymore. After all, why else would someone try brewing a successful love potion if not because they had no idea how to confess? Why else if not because they’re scared their feelings are one-sided?

(Jisung never admitted it out loud, but as much as he had a crush on Minho, he also valued him as a friend. He never wanted to lose him. In fact, he’d rather never confess than to live in a world where they didn’t know each other at all.)

Jisung chanced another glance at the dancer. He took in the other’s soft, light brown hair and gentle eyes. Minho caught his gaze and smiled.

You’re so beautiful , he wanted to say, but didn’t.

You’re the most talented dancer I’ve ever seen, hyung. I wish I could watch you dance for the rest of my life.

—

After weeks of research, Jisung collected a reasonable enough list of ingredients to start attempting to brew his own love potion. Majority of the ingredients were stored somewhere in the university’s Potions storage room. The others he could hopefully search for in the university gardens.

Luckily, he had a vacant period in the afternoon every Tuesday and Friday. It was right after his Potions class, so he had an excuse for wandering around the gardens like a stray kid. Jisung slowly collected the ingredients over the next few weeks. He always wanted to share his progress with Hyunjin, mainly because his friend had to barge into his room and wake him up for Literature more often than not. He always stopped himself, though, because Hyunjin is  non-magic. He wouldn’t understand a thing.

Finally, after searching the gardens for rose petals and bleeding heart flowers, he could start brewing. It was a good thing the majority of his classes were in the morning, even if he hated waking up early just for non-magic and non-music classes. His schedule at least allowed him time for potion experimentation.

Jisung spent the next who-knows-how-many nights doing trial and error. All his class hours kind of blurred together and, once he was dismissed for the day, back to his room he goes. It was like a sugar rush. He was in a trance. At one point, the contents of his cauldron exploded. Embarrassingly, he had to call Chan over to ask for help in cleaning up. Chan did, no questions asked, but also advised him to do all his potions experimentations in one of the potions labs instead.

Jisung did just that, if only just to avoid the contents spilling over his floors, bag, and guitar again.

The final ingredients list ended up being a few drops of vanilla extract, around 2 cups of rose water, a whole bar of melted chocolate, 1 drop of bleeding heart flower essence, a few teaspoons of powdered moonstone, and a sprinkle of pearl dust. The bleeding heart ingredient was specifically an essence made using the flowers of the plant. Once he figured that out, the potion stopped spontaneously exploding. And, as for the most important ingredient, Jisung added a strand of his hair to test the effects of the potion. It was so he could control who the consumer of the potion would fall for.

He finally held a finished prototype in his hand after many failed attempts. He swirled the shimmery, pearl pink potion in the Erlenmeyer flask, observing it for any impurities, then yelled in pure joy. He transferred the rest of the potion into a potions tumbler, which looked just like any tumbler for water, and added the strawberry flavor. Now, if his calculations were right, it would taste just like a smooth strawberry shake.

The next morning, Jisung nearly missed his literature class again , if not for Hyunjin almost breaking down his door and practically carrying him to the classroom. It was a good thing he was able to grab the potion tumbler before his ass was hauled out of the door.

They met for lunch again that day. This time, it was Changbin and Hyunjin waiting at their usual table. “About time you got here,” Hyunjin said, beckoning him over. “You haven’t eaten lunch with us in weeks!”

“Where were you, man?” Changbin asked as he sat and set his food down.

“Oh, you know,” Jisung replied awkwardly. “Around.”

“ Riiight… ” Hyunjin stared at him suspiciously, but dropped the subject. He continued talking to his boyfriend about whatever they were talking about before Jisung came. After a while, their friends eventually squeezed themselves through the crowd to take their seats. The cafeteria had japchae and tteokbokki today. Other than those, their friends also held either kimbap wrapped in foil or homemade food in a bento.

Jisung easily adapted to their conversation topics even after weeks of eating stray pieces of bread and biscuits in his dorm all alone. Soon, he was laughing along with the others over a story of Chan’s about silly music experimentations they had to do as a warm-up activity. The fun lasted up until the school bell rang and Minho shuffled closer to him.

“Can I have some water?” he asked. “I forgot my tumbler at the dorms.”

Jisung took an embarrassingly long time trying to calm his heart down. “Sure,” he attempted to shrug nonchalantly, but probably failed if Minho’s mildly concerned face was anything to go by.

At his reply, Minho smiled. Then, as Jisung’s attention was pulled towards a question from Felix, the dancer reached over to grab the green tumbler on the table.

“I didn’t know you had strawberry shake,” Minho commented, but he kept drinking anyway.

“Oh yeah, I do,” Jisung replied offhandedly. He continued listening to Felix’s story about his classes when it clicked.

He, in fact, did NOT have strawberry shake.

What was Minho drinking, then?

Jisung froze and started buffering. His eyes darted around for any clues. Soon enough, they landed on the green tumbler in Minho’s hands. Strange. He was so sure his tumbler was black a few hours ago…

Oh, shoot! The love potion!

“Don’t drink that!” he exclaimed. He all but lunged towards the tumbler. Minho, understandably shaken, gave it to him immediately. At that point, everyone had stood up to go to their classrooms.

“What happened?” Chan approached them. “What’s wrong?”

Everybody’s attention was on them now. They all had varying levels of panic and concern on their faces. Jisung couldn’t spare a glance at them. He had to find out what the potion did, if it did anything at all.

“Do you feel anything weird?” he asked Minho.

Minho stared at him. “No,” he replied. “I feel perfectly fine.”

“Are you sure? No aftertaste? No anything?”

“No, Jisungie. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine,” Jisung said shakily. That meant the potion was a bust. He had to formulate a new version before he could test it again. That meant hunting for more ingredients. He’s sure he’s running out of bleeding heart essence, so he had to gather the flowers again to create more as soon as possible.

Felix started to fuss over them then, while the rest of their friends returned to their journeys to their classrooms. Minho, like he said, looked perfectly fine. There was nothing off in his appearance, and his eyes were still clear and not glazed over. Although, he did look a little more relaxed than normal, but that was all. The potion really didn’t work, then. Damn.

Jisung glanced down at the tumbler in his hands. Then, he grabbed his bag and followed his friends. The knowledge of Minho drinking the potion and feeling nothing new weighed heavy on his mind.

—

Jisung found himself walking around the school grounds a couple days later, surrounded by buildings and plants. His Charms professor suddenly cancelled their class at the last minute. He didn’t have any prior plans nor anything to prepare for the next class. Instead, he found a bench to rest on while thinking of something to do.

The breeze was cool in the early afternoon. Leaves rustled in the wind, causing a gentle tingling in Jisung’s ears. The sun shone through the trees, and the school cats lounged around the sun spots. He realized how rarely he allowed himself just to exist in the world. He usually locked himself up in his room to work on personal projects or was too busy sharing stories with his friends.

The leaves were falling around him now, showering him in orange and yellow. He glanced up in wonder as they swirled around, following them with his eyes until his gaze landed on a figure on the opposite side of the garden. The sight of light brown hair, hands inside pockets, and a sports bag slung across one shoulder told him that it was Minho.

Minho seems to have noticed him too. The dancer began making his way to the bench, and Jisung began to panic. This was his first interaction with Minho after he drank the love potion. Maybe it took a while to take effect, or it really didn’t work at all. Either way, Jisung had no idea how to act.

“Hey, Jisungie,” Minho greeted, and Jisung melted a little inside. “What are you doing here? Don’t you have class?”

“Our prof cancelled last-minute,” he answered. “So I have nothing to do right now.”

“Then, do you mind if I sit here?” Minho asked, but he had a large grin on his face and was already sitting down beside him.

“ Nooo, ” Jisung whines, fighting his own smile. "I do not consent! You can’t sit there!”

“Shut up, you brat,” Minho playfully swatted at him.

Jisung responded with a burst of laughter. A couple students were passing by, and their heads turned momentarily at the sudden laugh.

Eventually, his laughs died down, and Jisung was left to enjoy the breeze with Minho. They sat in peaceful silence for a while, all his worries about the love potion forgotten. It was nice to simply exist in the world, but it was also nice to coexist with someone else in silence.

Jisung felt a weight settle on his shoulder. He froze, surprised, especially once he realized it was Minho’s head resting on him. He fought his squirm as the other’s hair tickled his neck, and he tried his best to relax his body.

Minho usually wasn’t the physical touch type of person. Jisung found out early into their friendship that his love language was more acts of service than anything else. Physical touch was Jisung’s love language. Maybe Minho was tired from training?

Minho, as if he were reading Jisung's mind, leaned more of his weight on Jisung’s shoulder. They both said nothing, but Jisung felt his heartbeat quicken. It was so fast, he worried it would beat out of his chest at one point. He felt his cheeks redden as well. He might actually look like a tomato at that point. Luckily, majority of the university students either had class or were eating food in the cafeteria, so there weren't a lot of people who could witness his absolutely embarrassing gay panic.

For all his panic, Minho didn’t show any signs of complaining nor getting off his shoulder. They continued to sit there in (relative) silence – relative, since Jisung’s heartbeat was so loud, he wouldn't be surprised if the entire campus could hear it – until Minho spoke again.

“I have ballet in two hours,” he mentioned offhandedly. “But I’m free until then.”

Jisung’s eyebrows furrowed. “You want to do something together?” he asked. “I don’t have class until 3:30.”

This was how they now found themselves walking around in a nearby mall. Minho held an ice cream cone in his hand, but Jisung felt too cold to get his own. The aircon of the mall always seemed to be set at the lowest temperature unless it was winter. Jisung snuggled further into the jacket he was wearing. Minho draped it over his shoulders as soon as they entered the building. He let himself bask in its comforting scent and warmth, ignoring how red his cheeks were because of it.

They spent most of their time eating snacks and pointing out products in stores they never had enough money to buy from. They browsed books from a second-hand bookstore and inspected many different, random objects in the trinket store. It had everything from keychains, coasters, plushies, strange mugs, and even comically large pencils.

Their last stop was a store that sold donuts and drinks. The dessert and coffee helped replenish their energy for their late afternoon classes, especially since Minho’s class ran for three hours. Then, they returned to their campus with ten minutes to spare.

“That was fun,” Minho commented with a gentle smile.

They were walking the path towards the arts building. The dancer’s class was on the third floor, where all the dance studios were located, and Jisung’s next class was just a floor below that.

They stopped in front of the door of the studio. “We should do that again,” Minho continued.

“When are we both free?” Jisung asked. He knew his History professor announced that their class next week was cancelled to give the students time to do the readings. He also knew one of Minho’s professors had to go on an out-of-town errand next week.

“I don’t have ethics next week,” Minho answered, and the schedule was set.

Minho entered his classroom and Jisung started to make his way to his own classroom. There was no class before theirs, which meant he could chill in the classroom for half an hour, which is exactly what he did. It wasn’t until their class was starting and his classmates were looking at him strangely that he realized he was still wearing Minho’s jacket. He felt the dancer’s printed name burn from its place across his shoulder blades, and his cheeks burn along with them.

—

Jisung returned the jacket the week after, when they met for weekly lunch with their friends. Chan and Felix watch the exchange in confusion, while Changbin and Hyunjin completely missed it since they were still buying food. Minho smiled as he took the jacket. He also proceeded to tell Jisung he didn’t mind if he kept the jacket for longer.

Jisung doesn’t think he and his delusions would survive that. His emotions could only take so much of wearing a jacket with a large LEE MINHO printed across the back.

Everything they did when they hung out felt like a fever dream. He still couldn’t believe Minho rested his head on his shoulder, nor that Minho let him wear his SNU Dance jersey jacket, nor that they basically had a date in the middle of a school day.

It felt like deja vu, then, as he sat on the same bench and watched as Minho walked towards him with his bag slung across his body. Their midterms were coming up. Jisung thought that meant they wouldn’t hang out anymore, but Minho instead invited him to study in a cafe together.

“Do you have tests this week?” the dancer asked.

“No, but I have papers due next week,” Jisung answered sullenly. He would rather their surprise Potions pop quizzes than an essay about the present consequences of a historical event or whatever.

“That sucks,” Minho nodded sympathetically. “I have a group performance on Thursday. We still need to practice as a group, but we’re done with the choreo.”

“That’s great! Good luck, hyung, I’m sure you can do it!”

“Thanks, Sung-ah. I’m glad you believe in me.”

The gentle smile Minho turned his way made him melt. Jisung spent the rest of the walk desperately trying to hide how a simple smile could make his insides feel so warm.

The cafe was small but cozy. They ordered iced coffee and settled on a table in the corner. Minho immediately pulled out his laptop from his bag and started working. Jisung resigned himself to grabbing his notebook to try drafting sentences for his Literature paper.

Minutes passed wherein Jisung was actually able to concentrate on his essay. He had majority of his introduction down, along with brainstorming for the body and conclusion. Luckily, the topic for their essay was just analyzing an assigned poem. It was the easiest of all his required essays so far.

He decided to take a break after drafting multiple possible thesis statements. He pushed his hair back and stretched his arms. Minho sipped his coffee, eyes still trained on his laptop screen. Jissung allowed his eyes to linger on the dancer’s light brown hair, then his focused eyes, then his straight nose bridge, and lastly his pursed lips. Jisung’s gaze hovered on Minho’s lips long enough to become awkward for both of them. That was, until Minho looked up and caught his stare.

“Like what you see?” Minho teased with a cheeky smile. Jisung nearly toppled out of his seat.

“Um – uhhh –” he stuttered his way through the first excuse he could think of. “I was, uh, you know…thinking about my essay! Yeah, that. Yeah. My essay, you know. Yeah…”

He curled into himself, getting more and more embarrassed as random words spilled out of his mouth. He saw Minho’s smile gradually get more cheeky from the corner of his eye.

“Aw, Jisungie,” the dancer was full on grinning now. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

“ No,” Jisung quickly denied. “It’s just my essay, I swear. I’m stressed. Yeah, I’m just stressed. That’s all.”

“Okay, then. If you say so.”

Minho turned his attention back to his laptop screen. Jisung remained vibrating in his seat. What the hell was THAT? What just happened? Was Minho implying something?

His thoughts tumbled around his head even as they walked back to the dorms. Before they left the cafe, he tried to finish his essay draft, but he doesn’t even remember what he wrote anymore. Now, he mindlessly continued his walk to his dorm, expecting the goodbye from Minho when they reached the dorm garden. He was so out of it, he didn’t notice Minho was still walking beside him until they were halfway up the stairs.

“Ah, hyung,” he stopped mid-step. “Your dorm is in the other building.”

Minho smiled. “I know. I just wanted to walk you to your door. You know, as thanks for today.”

Jisung swore he was about to faint. “O-oh, I see…”

“Did you not want to see me anymore, Jisung-ah?”

“It’s not that! I was just…confused. But, thank you.”

“For what?”

“For walking with me.”

Minho’s smile grew soft, his entire body relaxing. “I’d follow you to the ends of the earth, jagi. You don’t even have to ask.”

Safe to say, Jisung found himself unable to sleep that night.

—

Between researching new possible versions for love potions, his academic requirements, and whatever was happening with Minho and his increased affections towards him, Jisung barely found time to sleep and eat properly. He was so lucky he had Hyunjin and Felix as friends. They would take turns barging into his room either to bring him food or drag him to the cafeteria. They eventually came up with the idea to invite him to a picnic along with the rest of their friends, just to get him to eat something.

One of the open fields of their school, beside the arts building, offered mats for rent so students could hold picnics and other events if needed. The six of them met by the doors of the arts building, with Chan and Changbin already carrying their rented mats.

They all brought food to share, Jisung’s being donuts from a shop just outside the campus. They settled under the shade of a tree’s leaves and started arranging the food.

Minho, like he’d been doing a lot lately, immediately gravitated towards Jisung. “The weather’s really nice today,” the dancer commented.

“I agree,” Jisung replied. The sun shone brightly in the sky, but the temperature was a little chilly. The autumn winds blew through the leaves and ruffled their hair.

Despite only having eaten with each other a few days prior, they chatted and bantered like it’s been years since their last meeting. They dug into the food they brought: the chicken from Felix, pork and beef from Changbin and Hyunjin, and rice from Chan. Minho brought dessert just like Jisung, so they set that aside for later.

Jisung watched as Hyunjin and Felix bounced off each other to tell a story about their latest choreography group activity in class. Chan and Changbin had such lovestruck looks directed at the dancers. Now, if only Chan would finally confess to Felix, so none of them would have to suffer anymore from their mutual pining.

Says you, the voice in his head mocked. You’ve never even confessed to your OWN crush!

Speaking of his crush, Minho was stuck to his side, as usual. Although, he seemed to become more touchy the more they hang out. Today, it was like they were glued together as soon as they sat down on the mats. Either their arms or their knees would be pressed together, side by side. Minho eventually lay his head on Jisung’s shoulder as they listened to their friends’ stories.

It wasn’t that Jisung wasn’t enjoying the physical affection. In fact, if he were allowed to do so, he would cling to Minho like a koala and never let go. He would hold his hands and link their fingers together. He would kiss the other’s lips as often as it would take to convince the dancer that he was good enough, and that he would always be good enough.

It’s just that Minho never used to be like that. Back then, he kept to himself and often had a neutral expression on his face. Nowadays, whenever Jisung saw him, Minho’s face would light up. And, every time they separated to return to the dorms at the end of the day, Minho looked so pleased and satisfied with himself.

Now, Minho shuffled closer to him and adjusted his head placement. “You okay, Hannie?”

“Yeah, hyung. This is just…really nice, you know?”

“What do you mean?”

“Hanging out with our friends. It’s not as easy as it used to be. We’re not all in the same year, and we barely share the same classes. If our schedules were more different, we might not even get to eat lunch with each other anymore.”

Minho lifted his head to look at him. “Is that what you’re scared of?”

Jisung shrugged a little helplessly. “It’s not that I’m scared, hyung. It’s just that I don’t know if I could ever survive college without you guys.”

He didn’t know when the mood suddenly became somber. All he knew was that he couldn’t tell Minho whatever he was actually thinking. Just because he was becoming more affectionate, it doesn’t mean he returned Jisung’s feelings.

It was that, and also because Jisung considered Minho his muse. He had a collection of poems and song drafts in one of the notebooks he always brings, all inspired by Minho. He also thought of Minho whenever they do emotion-based magic, especially in their Charms and Transfiguration classes. If he lost his muse, what then?

Minho looked at him with a level of understanding Jisung couldn’t even begin to comprehend. He silently panicked and wondered if Minho was actually secretly a magic student and was reading his mind.

“I get it,” Minho started quietly. “I experienced that too. But, I promise that we’ll always be here for you, jagi. You can message me whenever you want. I’ll always make time for you.”

As they were walking back to the main area of the college campus, Jisung found himself being pulled away from Minho’s side and into the arms of Hyunjin and Felix.

“Soooooo,” Felix started. “When did you plan to tell us you were dating Minho hyung, huh?”

“You guys were all over each other,” Hyunjin added. “I’ve never seen hyung ever do that before.”

Jisung’s thoughts grind to a stop. He and Minho were WHAT NOW??  

“I’m sorry, WHAT? ” he jumped away from his friends’ grips. “What are you guys talking about? ”

They both leveled him with an unimpressed look. “You can’t hide anything from us, Han Jisung,” Hyunjin told him.

Felix placed a reassuring hand on Jisung’s shoulder. “We’re not mad or anything, Jisung-ah. We just wanted you to know that you don’t have to be scared to tell us you’re dating Minho hyung.”

“It’s about time, really,” Hyunjin laughs. “You’ve been pining after him for so long. We’re so glad you finally confessed, Jisung.”

His friends looked genuinely happy for him. He would be happy too, if he understood even a single word they were saying. Since when has he been dating Minho? Because, really, that would be the best dream he’s ever had. Also, if he really WAS dating his crush from his first ever day in college, then wouldn’t it make more sense if he himself knew about it?

“Guys,” he started, still very much confused. “What are you talking about? I’m not dating anybody!”

Felix grinned in reply. “Come on, man, we saw you and hyung during the picnic. If that’s not dating, I don’t know what is.”

Jisung let out a laugh, feeling a little hysterical now. “I’m not dating Minho hyung,” he tried saying as clearly as possible. “I would know if I were! And I haven’t even confessed to him yet!”

His friends were looking at him with concern now. It doesn’t make sense. The only thing that changed was how Minho started acting more affectionate with and around Jisung. That only happened the time they saw each other again after Minho accidentally drank the–

Jisung blinked. Oh, shoot.

The love potion. Minho accidentally drank his love potion.

Hyunjin and Felix stopped walking, making Jisung stop to look at them in question. They were all awkwardly standing beside the Physics building. Their other friends were already farther along the path towards the education complex.

“You…haven’t confessed to him yet?” Felix asked uncertainly.

“No,” Jisung answered.”

“Then why is he so affectionate with you now?”

“I don’t know. To be honest, I thought I was just being delusional for the past two weeks.”

Two weeks, Hyunjin mouthed, brows furrowed. He then shared a look with Felix, both of them confused. Jisung took that time to digest what he realized from the conversation. Minho accidentally drank the love potion he made three weeks ago. There were no immediate signs that it worked after he drank it, but the dancer started acting more affectionate the week after. He also seemed to grow more affectionate every time they saw each other again.

All of a sudden, it clicked. One of the books he used for research told him that there was a possibility of creating love potions that manifested their effects over time. This was an effect that could be sped up whenever the potion’s consumer meets, sees, or hangs out with their beloved.

“I have to go,” Jisung said abruptly. He took off for his dorm without looking back. Distantly, he heard his friends calling for him in a panic, but the sound of rushing wind in his ears soon replaced their voices.

He ran all the way to his dorm building. He took the stairs two steps at a time and practically slammed his door open as soon as he unlocked it. His bedframe creaked as he dove towards his mattress and buried himself underneath his blankets. He was upset. He knew he was upset, but he didn’t know why.

Eventually, his heart calmed down after the emotional rollercoaster of a conversation he had with Hyunjin and Felix. The blankets were warm on his skin. His pillows were the softest they’d ever been. And, without realizing it, Jisung drifted off to sleep.

—

Jisung blinked his eyes open blearily, taking in his dark surroundings. At first, he was confused. He reached for his phone to check the time. 8 o’clock. That’s good. Jisung let out a relieved breath and let his screen dim.

Wait.

Hold on a minute.

The horror dawned on Jisung. Shoot, I’m late for school!

With that, he jumped out of his bed and ran to the bathroom to freshen up. Halfway there, he had a moment of clarity, came to an abrupt stop, and glanced at the window. He accidentally left his curtains open before falling asleep. The sky outside was dark, which made no sense. What time was it again??

He grabbed his phone from the bed and checked his alarms. His 7:30 AM alarm wasn’t going to ring for another 11 hours. He checked the time again. 8:05 o’clock. Right there underneath it were the tiny letters spelling out “PM.”

Jisung felt like an idiot. But, at least he’s awake now.

Unfortunately, being awake meant remembering his conversation with Hyunjin and Felix. The only good things that resulted from that were that he now knew he wasn’t hallucinating any of Miho’s touchiness, but also that the love potion actually worked. Except, the love potion working meant none of Minho’s actions for the past two weeks have been a result of his own feelings. They were all because anyone who drank the potion he made would fall for Jisung whether they wanted to or not.

Jisung almost, almost, gave in to the urge to simply crash onto the floor.

He took either just a few minutes or a couple of hours standing in the middle of his room, trying to figure out what to do. In the end, he decided to grab his potions research notebook to write down the effects of his love potion. It hurt to record his experience of unrequited love, but didn’t he already know Minho would never love him back?

Jisung stopped in his tracks. His pen fell to the floor from his slackened grip. The rest of the world seemed much more silent than it was a few minutes ago.

Oh, he realized. So THAT’S the reason why . 

All this time, it wasn’t just a crush, not anymore. Jisung laughed, a little too loud and a little too hopelessly.

Damn, he thought. I’m in love with Lee Minho. What do I do now?

Unfortunately, there was no one who could help him find the answer to that particular question. Jisung thinks he would forever mourn the fact there was no class on love potions in Seoul Magical University. He would’ve absolutely loved it if a professor could tell him what to do when his crush accidentally drinks a love potion and falls madly in love with him.

—

The next time they saw each other, Minho invited him to watch his dance practice. Their studio class midterm was in a few days, and to say the dancer was stressed was an understatement. Jisung, a little confused and more than a little wary of the potion’s effects intensifying, told Minho he might be more of a distraction than an emotional support. 

Minho chuckled in reply. “Jagiya,” he smiled. “You won’t be a distraction, I promise. Plus, I could use the company.”

That’s how Jisung now found himself walking to the arts building with Minho by his side. He could tell he was acting a little off and was more awkward than usual. Luckily, or unluckily, depending on how you think of it, Minho was overthinking his choreography too much to notice.

They had dance studio 5 to themselves, all thanks to the reservation Minho made days ago. The dancer flipped open the light switches as they entered the room. And, whoa , the studio was bigger and more beautiful than Jisung thought. As a music production major, he’s never had a class at a dance studio before. The light-colored wooden floors were obviously clean and well-maintained. The mirrors spanned three fourths of the room, allowing them to see themselves in different angles. The lights were bright and white, making them feel like spotlights.

They dropped their bags off at the side, then Jisung sat on the floor while Minho walked to the center of the room to start his warm up exercises. Jisung zoned out and missed most of the warm up. It was currently 5 PM, and Jisung was sleepy. He didn’t know how Minho still had the energy to dance after a whole day of classes. Still, that was one of the things he admired about the dancer.

“That’s because I love it,” Minho once answered when someone asked how he could still be so passionate about dancing after all those years he spent dancing. “I love dancing. It’s a part of me. That’s why I don’t stop. There will always be something we still need to improve on.”

Jisung is snapped out of his thoughts by the music suddenly playing over the studio’s speakers. It started with a piano instrumental he found vaguely familiar. In front of the mirrors, Minho started marking the movements in his choreography. Earlier, when they were walking to the studio, Minho explained the midterm to him. They were tasked to create a contemporary choreography to any song about something they wanted to tell the important people in their lives. Now, as Jisung listened to the song’s lyrics, he understood. Minho has always been a very reliable person. That was another thing Jisung loved about him. Based on the song choice, what Minho wanted to tell everyone he cared for was that he would always be there for them.

Jisung smiled at him fondly. Minho remained oblivious, still reviewing the choreography. Jisung watched as the dancer kept his determined gaze glued to the mirror, double checking his movements. The music restarted once or twice, and Minho repeated the process all over again along with the music.

There was a familiar feeling of warmth and excitement in Jisung’s chest. It was one thing to watch Minho perform on stage. He was always fierce, determined, and passionate. Not to mention, he always looked so good in whatever makeup and clothes the dance organization’s styling team made him wear. His movements would be sharp and precise, clearly drilled into his body after multiple practice sessions. He always performed spectacularly, leaving Jisung in awe.

The version of Minho in the dance studio was different. At one point, when Jisung spaced out while admiring him, Minho switched on a different set of light switches. Within a second, the room went from white to golden. The lights bounced gracefully on Minho’s hair, giving an illusion of a halo on his head. Then, Minho restarted the music and returned to the center.

Minho looked like an angel under all the golden lights. He was wearing nothing special, just an oversized, plain white shirt and loose pants. His bangs were plastered on his forehead and he was sweating like crazy. Still, Jisung watched as he glided across the room and the floor, completely and utterly mesmerized.

There was a vulnerability in Minho inviting him here, he realized. Performances were repeatedly drilled and practiced until they were perfect. Makeup was applied to add to the mood and concept, as are the clothes they were made to wear. At that moment, none of that perfectness mattered to Jisung. Right now, it was just Minho and him, all alone in a dance studio and bathed in gold. What he was witnessing was the rawest form of a dancer. It was such a privilege that Jisung was invited to witness Minho in all his glory.

Later that night, on their way back to the dorms, Jisung couldn’t help but sing a slower and softer version of the song Minho choreographed to. He finally recognized it as Livingston’s “Neon” around the fourth run. After a while, Minho hummed along with his singing. 

It was the most peaceful Jisung had felt in a while. Their voices echoed between the surrounding trees and buildings. It was accompanied by the distant sounds of cars exiting the campus and noise from late night org activities. The campus street lamps lit their path. Just like the studio lights, they felt just like spotlights.

They passed through the barely lit part of the campus, and Jisung became distracted by all the stars. He didn’t notice that he stopped walking, staring up at the night sky. Minho stopped beside him, and they stood in awe under all the star light. Quietly, they pointed out the constellations they recognized in the sky. There was Taurus looking like a V as always, the Big Dipper a little farther away, somewhere above the Social Sciences building; and a few strange shapes they couldn’t make much sense of. Of course, Jisung’s eyes automatically searched for his favorite constellation. He eventually found it somewhere above the library. There, in all its glory, shone Orion.

“Look,” he said. “It’s Orion. I love Orion.”

Minho aimed a smile at his direction. “Why specifically Orion?”

“I don’t really know. I just remember the time I tried looking for constellations but I didn’t know what they looked like, all except Orion’s belt. It’s the first constellation I ever found and I see it all the time. It’s comforting to see it in the sky. Maybe that’s why.”

Minho led Jisung to one of the benches to look at the stars for longer. They sat there in silence, only the sounds of their breaths disturbing the night. It was the most peaceful he’s ever felt around Minho. It became natural, at that point, for them to gravitate towards each other. For the third time, Minho lay his head on Jisung’s shoulder. This time, his hands reached out to hold both of Jisung’s. They were a little cold against Jisung’s perpetually warm skin, but their hands fit into each other like puzzle pieces. Just like they were always meant to be together like this.

“What did you think of the choreo?” Minho asked softly.

“It was beautiful, hyung,” Jisung answered honestly. “I felt like I was watching you dance for the first time all over again.”

A dazzling smile appeared on Minho’s face. The stress seemed to be seeping out of his very being. His body melted like pudding against Jisung’s side, and while Jisung was still worried his heart would someday beat out of his chest, he snuggled closer to Minho too.

“Thanks, Jisungie. I was so worried it wouldn’t be good enough.”

The words rubbed Jisung the wrong way. As far as he could tell without being a dancer himself, Minho did wonderfully. He hit all the right beats, showcased his talent through well-placed tricks, and embodied the spirit of the song completely. Jisung still couldn’t get the image of Minho dancing for an audience of one (that just happened to be him!!) out of his mind. He looked so divine under the mood lights.

“It’s way more than just good enough,” Jisung insisted. He placed his hands on Minho’s shoulders to make him face him. “Believe me, hyung, I don’t think I’ve seen anything more beautiful than your dancing. You’re gonna ace that midterm, I’m sure of it!”

For a while, Minho said nothing. He spent time searching Jisung’s gaze, still looking a little uncertain, but seemingly for a different reason. Jisung let his hands release the other’s shoulders to hold his hands again. He stared at the other’s brown eyes patiently, giving him an encouraging smile.

The smile seemed to break down all of Minho’s barriers. He gripped Jisung’s hands tight and brought them closer to each other. He had a very determined look in his eyes, not unlike the expression he wears while dancing. “I love you,” Minho said, and Jisung’s heart stopped. “I love you, Han Jisung.”

And, before he fully registered it, Minho had pulled him into a kiss.

Jisung’s thoughts all screeched to a halt. The kiss itself was chaste and soft, exactly the way Jisung had always imagined kissing Minho would be like. He would’ve melted into the kiss if he were a little more out of it. Currently, though, he had enough awareness to remember that Minho was under a love potion. That meant his feelings for Jisung were never real in the first place.

Jisung grabbed Minho’s shoulders again, but this time, it’s to push him away. Minho jerked back and stared at him like a kicked puppy. Jisung almost wanted to pull him back in for another kiss, but he didn’t. It wasn’t right. Minho didn’t know what he was doing, and Jisung doesn’t want to take advantage of that more than he already did.

At first, Minho resisted his hold. He tried getting closer multiple times, sending Jisung more confused looks every time he was denied. Midway through another attempt, he abruptly stopped. His eyes were glazed over, Jisung observed for the first time, but they seemed to become clearer the more seconds that passed. It took a few seconds, but Jisung understood. He had read about that particular potions effect enough times to know what it meant.

The love potion’s effects were gone, and Minho was cured.

However, that also meant he didn’t love Jisung anymore.

“Jisungie,” Minho said slowly, his gaze shining with clarity. Jisung let go of his shoulders and backed away warily. It had been a long day. Jisung admitted that he forgot about the potion situation once he witnessed Minho dance again. That was his mistake. But, at the same time, he really didn’t want to be rejected by his crush at 7 PM on a bench in the center of their dimly lit campus. And so, he backed away.

Minho realized what he was doing and tried reaching for him. That only made Jisung back away faster. “Jisungie,” Minho said again, a little desperate now, a pleading look on his face. “Jisungie, what’s wrong?”

Jisung refused to answer. Instead, he turned and bolted towards the dorms as fast as he could. “JISUNG!” Minho exclaimed, but Jisung barely registered the scream. His own panic didn’t allow him to. He remembered doing the same thing after the conversation with his friends on the day of their picnic. It was like deja vu all over again, except this time, tears streaked down his cheeks as he ran.

Minho was cured. He doesn’t love Jisung anymore.

But Jisung still loves Minho, so what does he do now?

—

Jisung managed to sleep through two of his morning classes before Hyunjin barged into his room. He was quickly followed by Felix and, to Jisung’s surprise, Chan. Without even waiting for Jisung to get up, they all squeezed in to sit on the free spaces on his bed. Jisung let out a groan.

“What do you want?” he grumbled tiredly. He had barely been able to sleep ever since that night. He yearned for Minho’s kisses, even more now that he got a taste of them, but he can't have them. He isn’t even sure if he could face his hyung ever again.

“You weren’t in class,” Hyunjin said flatly.

Felix was a little more gentle in his approach. “We got worried when you didn't show up to Literature. We thought you suddenly got sick so you skipped class instead.”

Chan leaned over to press the back of his hand on Jisung’s forehead, then his neck. “No fever, thankfully,” Chan reported, taking his hand back. “But you look really tired, Hannie. Did you get any sleep last night?”

Jisung shook his head, avoiding their gazes. He buried his face deeper under his blanket when his friends shared concerned looks. He spent the entire night overthinking everything that happened – from the dance practice, to the stargazing, to the kiss, and finally to the moment Minho was cured from the potion. Jisung couldn’t even begin to describe how hurt he felt after everything. All the affectionate touches and considerate actions really led him to believe he had a chance with Minho. And now, he ruined everything between them, all because of the potion.

“Channie hyung,” he said, his voice raspy. “I need to tell you something.”

“Of course, Hannie,” Chan nodded. “You can tell me anything. I’m all ears.”

Jisung hesitated. “Can it just be the two of us?”

Chan’s brows furrowed, then his eyes locked with Jisung’s. They spent a few moments silently communicating through their gazes. Jisung could tell the exact moment Chan finally understood what he meant. “Hyunjin, Lix,” he said. “I think it’s better if you exit the room first.”

The two didn’t make any attempt to protest. They simply started heading out of the room. It must’ve been the serious tone of his voice. Once the door closed, Chan let out a sigh. “Okay, Jisung, what did you do?”

Jisung was thankful that Hyunjin and Felix thought of bringing Chan with them. He knew he had to tell at least one other person about what he’d been up to the past few months. As non-magic students, Jisung can’t reveal his love potion research to either Hyunjin or Felix. Chan, however, was magic. Plus, he already helped Jisung fix the damage his early potions caused to his room.

“So,” Jisung started, already preparing himself for the inevitable disappointment. “Minho hyung may or may not have accidentally drank a love potion I brewed for research three weeks ago. I only found out it worked a few days ago. It’s the type of potion wherein the effects need time to fully manifest.”

Jisung continued the story, telling Chan the stories of all the times he hung out with Minho. He cherished those memories, of course, but they became bittersweet after the realization that none of them were ever Minho’s ideas. It was all because of the potion.

Chan raised a hand to stop Jisung from rambling more about the nicknames Minho started to call him by. Jisung paused mid-sentence, confused.

“So, are you telling me that Minho is still under the effects of a love potion?”

“He was, but he isn’t anymore. I healed him a few nights ago. He should be back to normal by now.”

Jisung couldn’t help the way his voice broke near the end. He didn’t know if he could still handle a Minho who was quiet, blank-faced, and kept to himself. He felt as if, if he were ignored by the dancer the next time they saw each other, he would simply break down on the floor right then and there.

Chan looked more confused than disappointed now. “What do you mean by Minho being…'back to normal’?”

“Oh, you know,” Jisung smiled painfully. “He’s now back to the normal Minho hyung who isn’t in love with one Han Jisung. That’s Lee Minho.”

If anything, that only seemed to make Chan more baffled. Which, in turn, made Jisung baffled. “Why are you so confused?” Jisung doesn’t get it.

“Well,” Chan said uncertainly. “Have you talked to Minho about this?”

“No, I haven’t. He doesn’t need to know that I love him.”

“But why not?”

“Because he won’t return my feelings anyway! What’s the point if friends is all we could ever be?”

“Well, then, what if it’s still possible for you to become more than friends with him?”

Chan’s tone was firm. Jisung opened his mouth, but no reply came out. His eldest hyung was looking at him, a determined expression on his face. “You have to talk to Minho about this. You never know. This entire thing could just be one whole misunderstanding. What is important is proper communication.”

Jisung’s shoulders slumped. He knew he couldn’t avoid the situation forever, but hearing it directly still wasn’t easy. Chan’s expression softened. “You know, if you really love Minho, it would be best to hear his answer directly from his own mouth. So, do you love him?”

“I do love him,” he answered automatically. Chan smiled.

“Then go talk to him.” Chan patted Jisung’s shoulder. “For what it’s worth, I think it’s going to go better than you think it would.”

Jisung sure hoped Chan was right about that.

—

Funnily enough, Jisung experienced another case of deja vu. His professor cancelled their 12:30 to 2 o’clock class again, so Jisung had free time. He walked to the garden where he and Minho saw each other before going on their first ever “date,” planning to think through what he would tell Minho. Then, as if his thoughts could summon the dancer, he spotted Minho on the bench he himself usually sat on. He stalled in the hallway for a few seconds, trying to decide whether he was ready to talk to Minho or not.

You know what? he thought. Screw it, just do it!

He walked over and tapped the other’s shoulder. Minho startled, immediately standing up to check who touched him. Jisung watched as Minho’s entire body relaxed when he realized it was just Jisung.

“Jisung-ah,” he greeted with a smile. If Jisung were more delusional, he would’ve viewed the smile as the same one Minho used to give him under the effects of the love potion.

“Hi, hyung,” he tried smiling back. It came out a little wobbly, but it was there. “Can I talk to you about something?”

Minho’s expression shifted to concern. “Of course, Jisungie. After all, I promised you could talk to me whenever you needed it. I’ll always make time for you, remember?”

“I–” Jisung paused. Those words were very familiar, and he’s sure it wasn’t from the time after the potion’s effects were lifted. “You…remember that?”

“Of course I did. So, what do you need?”

“Do you – do you maybe remember feeling anything different when you drank my, um, strawberry shake three weeks ago?”

“Strawberry shake?”

“Yeah, strawberry shake. You told me you forgot your tumbler in your dorm, so you asked if you could drink from mine instead.”

“Ohh, yes, I remember that. Did I feel anything different that time? I mean, not really…? I only remember liking the strawberry flavor, but that’s it.”

Okay, so Jisung’s theory about the potion not taking effect immediately was right. That’s why nothing looked off with Minho that day, and Minho himself didn’t feel anything different either.

“What about the weeks after? Was it like there’s something wrong? As in, were there things you did but you didn’t want to do them?”

“That’s such a suspiciously specific question, Han Jisung,” Minho snorted. “But no, I didn’t feel like anything was wrong with me. If there was, it might’ve just been midterms stress. And no, everything I did were things I’m sure I really wanted to do.”

Suddenly, Minho lit up, like a lightbulb spontaneously appeared beside his head. Then, his expression shifted into something more subdued. “I think I know what you wanted to talk about now.”

Jisung blinked at him nervously. “Uhh, whatever do you mean…?”

Minho smiled, but he looked more resigned than happy. “You don’t have to apologize, Jisungie. I'll admit, I practically forced myself on you, so it’s my fault.”

“Forced yourse – hyung, what are you talking about?”

“The kiss, jagi. Don’t you remember? I’m talking about our kiss.”

Jisung’s brain all but short-circuited. This was NOT where he expected the conversation to go. “I– you –” Jisung spluttered. “But I thought the potion wore off! Why do you still love me?”

Minho stilled. His brows furrowed and his lips turned down into a frown. He looked at Jisung as if he suddenly shapeshifted into a quokka. “Han Jisung, I’ve always loved you.”

Jisung’s world expanded right before his eyes. His mouth was open so wide, his jaw might as well be resting on the floor. What do you mean Minho had ALWAYS loved him???

Minho’s frown deepened. “Is that why you ran away from me that night? Because you thought I didn’t love you?”

Jisung merely nodded. He didn’t trust his voice to come out after the other’s confession.

Minho’s expression softened. He reached out and held Jisung’s hands, bringing their faces closer together. “I love you, Jisung-ah. I’ve liked you since Hyunjin told me you watched our performance during orientation. He said you had such an awestruck expression on your face. He also told me that you focused the most on the street dancer with light brown hair and a straight nose bridge.”

Jisung’s face burned. He remembered that moment. He met both Hyunjin and Felix right after the SNU Dance performance. They, as dancers, commented on how well the members of the organization showcased their individual talents and charms. Jisung, still starstruck, couldn’t help but gush about the dancer who caught his eye. That dancer just so happened to be Lee Minho.

The same Lee Minho who was now telling Jisung that he loved him.

Minho, seemingly enjoying the effects his words had on the other, continued talking. “I realized I loved you the first time you brought your guitar to lunch. I think you sang ‘Love me or Leave me’ by Day6 that day. It was like I saw you in a whole different light. Your voice was stuck in my head for days. Sometimes, I found myself hoping your singing was meant for me and me alone.”

Jisung turned even more red at that. That was the day he finally learned his first Day6 song on guitar and wanted to show his friends. He remembered being directly in front of Minho when their friend group formed a circle to listen to him play.

“What if…” Jisung started saying cautiously. Minho tilted his head, curious. “What if I told you I actually learned how to play and sing that song for you?”

Jisung slowly raised his gaze from the grass to Minho’s eyes. The other sported the brightest smile on his face. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Minho asked, his smile growing even bigger. How was that even possible?

A smile slowly bloomed on Jisung’s face as well. “If what you think I’m saying is that I love you,” he paused, taking a deep breath and gathering all his courage. “Then yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. I love you, Lee Minho. I’ve always loved you.”

At that moment, it didn’t matter that they were practically in the middle of the school campus where everyone could see them. All they cared about is that they loved each other. And so, without hesitation, they leaned so close to each other, their lips almost touching.

“I love you, Jisungie.”

“I love you, hyung.”

It was a confession, but also a promise. Their lips finally met, and it was sealed. They loved each other. They were never letting the other go.

—

Later, in Jisung’s dorm, he sat on his desk and wrote down everything he learned in his notebook. Minho already loved him before he accidentally drank the love potion. That was partly the reason why the potion didn’t immediately take effect. Other than that, they concluded that the potion didn’t create Minho’s feelings from scratch, but only intensified them. Under it all, it was still Minho’s feelings taking charge. And of course, the most important learning of the day: that Minho loved Jisung just as much as Jisung loved him.

Jisung knew he would be scolded because he told a non-magic student about magic. He’d deal with that later, though. After all, it was the love potion that ultimately brought Jisung and Minho together. It also helped Jisung gather more information to add to his research on love potions.

“Jisungie,” Minho called from the bed. He was already in his pajamas and mostly buried under the blankets. “It’s so cold. Come here so I can finally sleep.”

Jisung, despite knowing his boyfriend was just being dramatic, immediately left his desk to join Minho in bed. Minho smiled at him fondly as he tucked them both in and reached over to switch the lamp off. Before they knew it, they were both asleep, safe and content in each other’s arms.