Work Text:
The earthy musk and humid air wash over you in a comforting hug. Something about a rainy day makes you crave a warm, chewy treat. Lucky for you, the small bakery tucked on the corner of Seoul was open and awaiting customers.
You had heard great reviews about said bakery and were dying to try it. All the mouth-watering pictures you've seen online intrigued you. You kept telling yourself that you would go, yet you never found the time.
Today was the perfect moment to finally go through with your plans. The stormy atmosphere canceled your plans and cleared your schedule, giving you the perfect excuse to finally try it out.
You begin your journey to the warm bakery, umbrella in hand. You breathe in the fresh air as the never ending storm continues.
The bell jingles when you open the door to the cozy bake shop. The warm scent of freshly baked bread and sugary vanilla wraps around you like a blanket. The boy at the counter greets you with a warm, friendly smile that leaves you feeling content in this new environment.
'He has a beautiful smile' you think, as the brown haired boy wipes down the counter with a damp rag, flour clinging to his apron. Light freckles dust his already gorgeous face.
stepping up to the counter, you contemplate on what to order. You scan the scones, trays of cookies, and all the other sugary pastries. You have never been a fan of sweet treats but something about this place pulls you in.
"What can I get for you?" The boy asks, his voice rich and unexpectedly deep. Too deep for his angel-like face. Your shock must have been apparent because he giggles at the expression on your face.
"Can I get one brownie, please?" You ask the glowing boy. The dim lighting of the bakery seemed to make him shine even brighter.
"One brownie coming up!" he beams. you admire his face as he wraps the dense treat with care. He slides the packaged item towards you and rings up your order.
"Your total is $1.99"
You hand him some spare cash and wait for your purchase to be complete.
"My name is Felix by the way, what's yours?" he asks after handing you your change.
You tell him your name and exchange small chit-chat about the weather. Once you notice other customers entering, you bid your goodbyes and exit the comfy atmosphere of the bakery.
Felix watches you go, captivated by your beauty. Something about you intrigued him. Felix found himself desiring your presence and craving your love.
He wants to see you again. Wants you to feel what he is already feeling towards you.
and he knows just how to make that happen.
────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───────
Felix spent the rest of his shift daydreaming about you. He could still see your smile, hear your laugh. He remembered the way your damp hair clung to your cheeks. His coworker, Seungmin, quickly picked up on his distracted behavior and got him to spill his guts.
Felix gushed about you, rambling his dazed thoughts to his poor coworker.
Closing time came quickly. Seungmin wiped down tables and Felix mopped the floor. Felix was lost in his thoughts, dreaming of you once more.
"You don't even know the girl.. she might not even like you back." Seungmin said, breaking the silence.
"But she will." Felix put down the mop and rushed to the bakery's kitchen. He pulled out a dusty recipe book. Though, this book wasn't a normal recipe book. No, it was a spell book.
He flipped to the page he was looking for: A love spell.
A spell that when consumed, caused the eater to fall for the first person they locked eyes with.
'To be consumed by one with an open heart. The first gaze they meet shall bind their affection eternally.'
"You can not be serious right now." Seungmin sauntered over to where Felix held the book open. "Is this even FDA approved?"
"Trust me, it's harmless. it will just give her a little.. nudge. Strengthen what's already there." Felix assured.
He began gathering the ingredients listed in the book, making sure not to miss anything. He grabbed a vial of shimmering pink liquid, labeled 'essence of longing.'
"You can't just sprinkle affection over people like powdered sugar." Seungmin shook his head in disapproval.
Felix ignored his remark and began the baking process. He started with the brownie batter and slowly added each enchanted ingredient with care. The batter shimmered with love and longing as he mixed gently.
Before he could pop the treat into the oven, guilt washed over him. His mind raced with worry and fear of something going wrong.
"What if she doesn't come back tomorrow? What if she only likes me because of the spell and not for who I am?" he thought aloud.
"Maybe you could just, I don't know.. talk to her? Like a normal human being?" Seungmin suggested.
Felix shook his head. With a deep breath, he pushed his concerns to the side and slid the tray of brownies into the oven, setting the timer. Standing back, he watched the baked goods glow a soft pink as they baked.
"If she falls in love with a lamppost, don't come crying to me." Seungmin muttered as he grabbed his things and clocked out for the night.
────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───────
You woke up to another stormy day. The rain pounded against your window, tapping insistently on the glass. You sighed, the rainy weather reminded you of the previous day at the bakery; the sweet boy at the counter. Felix, that was his name.
You found yourself craving another warm treat from the sunshine boy's bake shop. So, you dragged yourself out of bed and left the house.
The familiar jingle of the bell rang through your ears when you entered the building. Felix lit up and smiled brightly when he saw you again, his heart thudded nervously against his chest.
"Back so soon?" he grinned, watching as you stepped up to the counter.
"Something about the rain pulled me in," you admitted, giggling softly.
Felix was so lost in your beauty that he almost forgot about his plan. He snapped back into focus and quickly grabbed a tray of brownies from behind the counter.
"We're actually doing a free brownie sample today as a promotion! Would you like one?" he offers the brownie to you, silently praying that you would take one.
"That sounds delicious, thank you!" you beamed, grabbing the small dessert from the tray.
Just as you were taking a bite, the bell jingles. You turn your head instinctively, locking eyes with a tall, black haired man who walked into the bakery
Your heart immediately stopped.
Your hands suddenly felt clammy and your heart raced with a newfound desire for the random stranger in front of you.
"You're staring." the man told you, raising an amused eyebrow.
"You're very handsome" you blurted, a blush rising to your cheeks. You didn't know where all this emotion came from, but you felt insanely attracted to him.
The man chuckles at your confession, offering his hand out to you.
"Why thank you. I'm Hyunjin." he said smoothly "And who might you be, beautiful?"
You introduced yourself to the man you now knew as Hyunjin. You smiled like a school girl in love as you two made small talk.
Felix felt his heart break and his mood die with it. He hadn't expected anyone to walk in at this time; and in the pouring rain?
He cleared his throat, getting the attention of both you and Hyunjin.
"Oh! So sorry, we'll get out of your way. Thank you again for the brownie Felix!" you apologize and step out of the line.
Felix watched as the two of you continued to chat. Your laughter rang out again, this time not for him.
His chest ached. He watched you offer Hyunjin your number. Watched you suggest grabbing food. Watched Hyunjin accept your invitation.
Felix frowned as you left the bakery. The once cozy atmosphere turned into something more gloomy, something lonely. He hated it. He just wanted you to see him like he saw you, but now he wasn't sure if you would ever be back.
────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───────
You and Hyunjin strolled through the city. The sky had cleared up since that morning and was now a cloudy blue. You ended up choosing a restaurant about a block away from Felix's bakery.
The two of you are seated soon after arriving. Your waiter took your drink order before leaving you and Hyunjin alone.
You felt unusually bubbly, almost giddy; not at all like yourself. You studied Hyunjin's face, feeling highly attracted to him. His face felt like a drug; every time you looked away, your eyes ached to return.
The two of you make small talk, laughing at anything and everything.
All of a sudden, something washed over you. You felt that everything you were saying felt unnatural and completely unlike you and exaggerated. The words tumbled out too smoothly, as if someone else was feeding you lines. Even your laugh felt rehearsed.
Hyunjin also seemed to pick up on your insistent behavior. He pulled his hand away when you grabbed it, keeping the distance in between you.
"You know, we just met not that long ago.. Are you sure this isn't moving too fast?"
"no, no, not at all!" you assure him "I think.. I think I might be in love with you." It was the love spell talking; not you, and you knew it.
As soon as you said that, you felt your heart lurched; not with affection, but a sharp, sour disgust. an overwhelming sense of confusion crashing over you. There was no real spark, no love, just the influence from the love spell that you were unaware you consumed.
Hyunjin's eyes widened, shocked at your sudden confession.
"Hey, listen. You're a sweet girl, I'm sure, but we just met. I don't feel comfortable going into a relationship when I barely even know you. I hope you don't take this personally." He explains with sincerity.
The desperate words slipped out before you could stop them.
"I thought you liked me back? Hyunjin please, I need you!" You blinked. It was the spell talking, not you. You didn't mean to say that, it wasn't you.
"It's almost like you're under a spell. Listen, I'm sorry but this is not going to work." Hyunjin got up and left the restaurant.
As soon as Hyunjin was out of sight, you felt as if you were woken from a daze. You took in your surroundings and reflected on the words that left your mouth. Everything felt so unnatural and your mind raced with overwhelming thoughts.
You left the restaurant with your cheeks burning and your heart twisting in knots. The drizzle had started again, and this time, it felt like the sky was mocking you.
────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───────
Later that night, you were back at your house. You couldn't stop thinking about how uncomfortable and unnatural the day felt.
You open your contacts and hover over Hyunjin's name, heart pounding with embarrassment.
'Hey it's me from earlier. I'm truly very sorry about how I acted today. I'm not really sure why I was acting like that either. I hope you can understand that I wasn't trying to move too fast or anything. Maybe we can stay in touch and just be friends?'
You send the message, making sure it didn't sound like you were coming on too strong.
You go to bed with a headache, too confused to think about what had happened.
────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───────
You hadn't been to the bakery in a week. The days had been sunny and didn't call for a cozy treat.
You often found your mind drifting off to the sunshine boy behind the counter. You thought about how his brown hair framed his freckled face, his bright energy that lit up the dim shop.
Today when you woke up, the rain had returned. The steady stream of water brought a sense of comfort over your foggy mind.
Without putting much thought into your actions, you started to make your way to the bakery which comforted you on these rainy days.
There was the usual sound of the bell when you entered, the usual boy, Felix, who was standing in the front. His expression didn't look usual though. It looked gloomy, sad almost.
"Good morning," you greet, now standing in front of him
Felix nods in acknowledgement, not greeting you back.
"You know," you say, trying to lighten the mood, "last time I was here, the strangest thing happened." you continue to speak, even if you weren't getting a response.
Felix looks guilty after you said that. He knew this was his doing and he felt horrible.
"I'm sorry. I'm so, so, sorry." His voice breaks with the heartfelt apology.
"What? What are you sorry for? you didn't do anything."
"I.. That brownie I gave you, the free sample? I spiked it with a love potion." he admits, the guilt present in his voice.
Your jaw dropped slightly, and you blinked at him. A love potion? That should have made you angry; but it didn’t. Instead, your chest warmed. That freckled, nervous face in front of you was the one you hadn’t stopped thinking about all week.
Rather than being upset, you actually found it quite endearing. You crack a small smile, heat rising to your cheeks.
"Felix.. you know, I was interested in you from the moment I stepped into this place? You don't need a love potion for me to fall for you, I already have."
Felix meets your eyes, and this time, you could feel it; not magic, not enchantment, but something real.
"So," he said with a shaky laugh, "you're saying I gave you a free brownie for nothing?"
"Not for nothing"
You smile softly, gesturing for him to give you a brownie.
"another please!"
He immediately complies to your request, taking the baked good and placing it in your hand.
You take a bite, savoring the sweet, chocolatey flavor.
"Let's see what happens without the magic"
And Felix just melts.