Chapter Text
So, Keonho is pissed. Seonghyeon dragged him to a fortune teller in Hongdae, the one Martin, ugh Martin, recommended.
Supposedly, she knows her stuff. And Seonghyeon wants to prove to Martin that, no, she does not know shit, she's a scam. Because how would she know when Martin will fall in love? That he'll be in love and happy in 2026?
They're here because Martin genuinely believed her. Just before they left, Seonghyeon and Martin got into a fight- You decide what to do with your life, have a fucking backbone versus What's wrong with believing in something as long as it makes me fucking happy?
And the reason for Keonho's pissy mood? The fortune teller just told him he has a 50% chance of dying alone and being a miserable loser.
"Okay, you know what? I was trying to be nice and just go along with whatever you say, and get the hell out of here. But you're taking it way too far, lady."
"I say what I see, and I see a miserable future for you. But only if you-"
"And I see a money- hungry scammer who plays with people's emotions for a career."
"You will not talk to me like that, kid."
"I just did. What you gonna do about it?"
"This personality of yours, this quick anger- it will be the reason for your miserable life."
"Nah, fuck this. I'm outta here."
But before Keonho can leave, Seonghyeon grabs his shoulder, forcing him to sit down again.
"So, based on, what, his palm? His palm says he will have a miserable life? Be for real." Seonghyeon scoffs.
The fortune teller sighs, a deep, tired sound. "Fifty percent-"
"See? Anyone can come up with something and say, oh, it's fifty-fifty, blah blah. This is bullshit. Can't believe Martin believed her." Keonho retorted, glaring at the lady.
Something glints in her eyes at the mention of Martin's name, "Ah, that boy? He shouldn't be so carefree with his heart. Too fragile."
And that gets Seonghyeon's attention. "You remember Martin?" Gotta be their Martin, how many Martins are there in Korea?
"Yes. So, he is your... friend?" she asks, staring intently at Keonho, hands on her tarot card.
"What about it?" Seonghyeon elbows Keonho to shut up. Don't tell her more information about us.
She starts shuffling her tarot, muttering something under her breath when two scary-looking cards fall onto the desk. "The Tower. Reversed Death. Ah..." She looks at Keonho. "Your miserable life is connected to his."
"Huh?" Keonho is losing his patience again. "Make some sense, maybe??"
"Your hollow, nasty energy can affect others around you. Like bacteria. Like an infection. You, my boy, are a sad excuse for a human."
Keonho stands up. "Ok, fuck you."
She smiles.
Seonghyeon pulls him away, steering him toward the door, when the fortune teller says, "I tried not to, but you gave me no choice. Sometimes, I can't control where I channel my energy." Some cryptic bullshit that has Keonho showing the middle finger.
They both come back to the dorm mad. Pissed. Their mood horrible ever since they left the lady.
Their night turns into James and Juhoon standing between them and Martin's door, because the moment they entered, the fight started, telling Martin how much of an idiot he is for believing such a scam. And Martin yelling back at them to fuck off.
It started small.
"Why the hell would you even believe something a stranger told you?" Seonghyeon asked, arms crossed as he stared at the vision board covered in magazine cutouts of couples, restaurant names, and hastily scribbled affirmations in Martin's messy handwriting, 2026, love life.
"Why the hell not? I mean, what's wrong with believing in it? Also, she used her cards- "
"Oh my god, grow up, Martin. So what, if she says you'll have to go bald or else you'll have a miserable life, you're just gonna shave your head for the rest of your life?"
"The hell? Nah. I believed the part about my love life. In 2026, I will be- "
"That's exactly why you're an idiot," Keonho cut in, flipping through Martin's journal without permission. "Look at this shit. 'Couple cafés to visit.' 'Matching outfit ideas.' You don't even have a girlfriend, man."
"That's the whole fucking point!" Martin hissed, "I'm preparing. I'm manifesting. And it's none of your business what I do with my time- "
"It is our business when you're sitting here playing dress-up for some imaginary relationship because a scammer told you it'd happen." Seonghyeon snatched the journal from Keonho's hands and held it up. "This is- You have control over your life, you loser. Not her, not some pictures glued on your journal. "
"Give that back- What's wrong with believing in something that makes me happy? I'm just- I'm just trying to- "
"Trying to what? Live in a fantasy?" Keonho scoffed. "Wake up, Martin. She saw a desperate guy and took your money. That's it. How dare she charge 70.000 won for that. "
"Fuck you." Martin lunged forward, trying to grab his journal back, but Seonghyeon held it out of reach. "You don't know anything about her. She knew things. She knew- "
"She knew how to read people, yeah. That's what scammers do."
James and Juhoon had been watching from the couch, amused at first, even laughing a little at the absurdity of the argument. But when Martin's eyes started to glisten, they both shot to their feet.
"Okay, that's enough." Juhoon stepped between them, hands up. "Give him the journal back."
"Stay out of this," Seonghyeon said.
"No." James moved to block Martin's door, his expression hard. "You made your point. Now back off."
"He needs to hear this-"
"He needs you to stop being an asshole," James said flatly. "Both of you."
Martin snatched his journal back the moment Seonghyeon's grip loosened, clutching it to his chest. His face blotchy, "Get out. "
"Martin- "
"Get. Out."
Seonghyeon opened his mouth like he wanted to say more, but Juhoon physically turned him around and pushed him toward the door. "Move."
Keonho lingered for a second, something tingled in his skull, a weird pressure, as he watched Martin swipe at his eyes with the back of his hand. But he didn't apologize. He just followed Seonghyeon out.
James shut the door behind them with more force than necessary. Through the thin walls, they could hear Juhoon's low, soothing voice, though the words were muffled.
"That was fucked up," James said, glaring at both of them. "What the hell is wrong with you two?"
"We were just trying to make him see- "
"Make him see what? That you think he's stupid? That his happiness is a joke to you? I keep telling you two specifically, to take it easy on him. You two joke too much sometimes."
Seonghyeon looked away, guilt flickering across his face before he shoved it down. "Whatever. He'll get over it."
"You better hope so." James turned and went back into the room, closing the door firmly behind him.
After waiting for Juhoon to leave their room, Keonho goes inside, Martin is already in bed, facing the wall.
Keonho sighs, taking off his clothes. He can feel the tension radiating off Martin, the pointed silence.
When he pulls his jeans off, something falls from the pocket and hits the floor with a soft thwack.
He picks up the card and the hair on the back of his neck stands up.
It's that fortune teller's card from earlier. The one with the skeleton holding a scythe, the Death card, he thinks it's called.
He doesn't remember taking it. Doesn't remember her giving it to him.
"Fucking creepy," he mutters, throwing it toward the trash can. It hits the rim and falls to the floor instead, landing face-up. The skull seems to stare at him.
He leaves it there.
Keonho climbs into bed and pulls the covers up, trying to ignore the weight in his chest and the pressure around his skull. From across the room, he hears it, a soft, choked sniffle.
Keonho closes his eyes and feels a smidge of regret settle somewhere behind his ribs. But he doesn't say anything. He just lies there, listening to Martin try to muffle his sobs into his pillow, and eventually, somehow, he falls asleep.
Next morning, the mood is horrible. Martin can barely open his eyes, swollen from all the crying. James glares at Seonghyeon and Keonho. Juhoon is hovering next to Martin, giving him ice for his eyes.
Seonghyeon isn't talking to anyone, still pissed from the night before. And Keonho? Keonho has the worst headache of his life. After Martin took the ice and went back to his room, the headache started and it's like his veins might actually explode inside his brain.
Keonho groans, closes his eyes, takes deep breaths through gritted teeth, but, just like how it started, it vanishes. He opens his eyes to see Martin getting another ice pack from the freezer.
"Thanks," Martin mutters to Juhoon, his voice hoarse and small. He doesn't look at anyone else as he shuffles back toward his room.
The moment Martin's door closes, the headache slams back into Keonho's skull.
"Fuck," he hisses, pressing his palms against his temples.
"Serves you right," James says coldly, not looking up from his phone.
"James," Juhoon warns quietly.
"What?" James shoots another glare at Seonghyeon, who just stares at the wall, jaw clenched.
Keonho tries to ignore them, tries to ignore the splitting pain in his head. He stumbles to the bathroom, splashes cold water on his face. It doesn't help. Nothing helps. The pain intensifies, throbbing behind his eyes, in his temples, at the base of his skull.
He stays in there for what feels like hours but is probably only ten minutes. When he comes out, Martin is in the kitchen again, filling a water bottle.
The headache disappears.
Keonho freezes in the hallway, one hand still braced against the wall. Martin glances at him, just briefly, before turning away and heading back to his room.
And the pain returns.
"What the fuck?" Keonho whispers.
By noon, Keonho has tested it three times.
Once when Martin emerged to grab some crackers from the pantry, Keonho actually followed him into the kitchen, desperate for relief, and Martin gave him the strangest look before hurrying away.
And once when Martin sat in the living room with Juhoon, who was clearly trying to cheer him up with some dumb video on his phone, Keonho lingered in the doorway, pretending to check his own phone, and for those blissful five minutes, his head was clear.
The moment Martin stood up to leave, the pain came crashing back.
"Are you okay?" Juhoon asks, noticing Keonho wince.
"Headache," Keonho manages.
"Take some medicine."
"I did. Doesn't work."
Juhoon frowns but doesn't push it. Martin is already gone anyway, back in his room, and Keonho is left gritting his teeth against the pain.
By evening, Keonho is desperate. The headache hasn't let up for a single second unless Martin is nearby, and he's starting to feel nauseous from it. His vision is blurry at the edges. He can barely think straight.
He finds himself standing outside Martin's door. Their door, but Martin is inside, and the door's locked.
He knocks. Once. Twice.
"What?" Martin's voice is flat, defensive.
"Can I... can I come in?"
Silence.
Keonho presses his forehead against the doorframe, the cool wood doing nothing to ease the throbbing in his skull. "Martin, come on."
More silence. Then, finally, the click of the lock.
The door opens a crack. Martin's eyes are still puffy. He looks exhausted. "What do you want?"
The headache is gone. Completely gone.
Keonho almost sags with relief, his hand braced against the doorframe to keep himself upright.
"I..." He doesn't know what to say. I need you nearby or my head feels like it's going to explode sounds insane. "Do I need a reason to go into my own room? Besides, I wanna apologize."
"Now? After you called me an idiot and trashed my stuff?"
"I didn't trash- we didn't trash anything, we just- "
"No." Martin starts to close the door.
Panic flares in Keonho's chest. The edge of the headache already starting, warning pulse at his temples. "Wait- "
He shoves his foot in the gap before the door can close, and Martin jerks back, startled.
"What the hell- "
"I just- " Keonho pushes the door open wider, stepping inside before Martin can stop him. "I need to-"
"Get out."
"It's my room too!"
"I don't care. Get out."
But the relief is overwhelming. No pain. No pressure. Just... nothing. Blissful nothing.
Keonho closes the door behind him and leans against it, eyes closed.
"Are you serious right now?"
"I'm not leaving." Keonho opens his eyes and moves to his own bed, sitting on the floor and leaning back against the mattress. He needs to be here. He needs to figure out what the hell is happening to him.
Martin stares at him,
"This is my room too," Keonho says, but it comes out weaker than he intended.
"Seriously, fuck you." Martin scoffed. He turns away, climbs back onto his own bed and starts doing his thing on his laptop.
Keonho sits there in the silence, his head blessedly clear, and tries to figure out what the hell is happening to him.
Your hollow, nasty energy can affect others around you. Like bacteria. Like an infection.
Your miserable life is connected to his.
I didn't want to do this, but you gave me no choice.
That ho- That fortune teller did something to him, didn't she?
And, of course. Of course, it had to be Martin.
Out of everyone, James, Juhoon, Seonghyeon, anyone else, it had to be the one person Keonho can barely tolerate on a good day. The one who takes everything personally, who cries over fortune tellers, who leaves his shit everywhere and plays his music too loud and makes everything about his feelings.
Martin, who he's spent the last year bickering with over everything from line distribution to what to order for dinner.
And now Keonho needs him- Needs to be near him.
This is going to be hell.
Keonho wakes up to Seonghyeon fixing Martin's journal on the floor. Ripped edges and pictures carefully getting put back together. When he catches Keonho's eyes, he rolls his eyes toward Martin's sleeping form, but goes back to gluing the pictures.
Keonho blinks away the remnants of sleep and looks at the scattered journal pieces, then at Martin's back. Taking a deep breath, he stands up quietly and sits down next to Seonghyeon on the floor. They both start fixing it in silence, passing the glue stick back and forth, smoothing down wrinkled pages, matching torn edges like a puzzle.
After deeming it well done, not perfect, but better than it was, Seonghyeon stands and stretches, then heads to their fridge, pulling out mint chocolate ice cream. Martin's favorite.
Keonho nods at the unspoken plan. Him and Seonghyeon's way of apologizing, Martin's favorite ice cream and his fixed journal on the kitchen table when he wakes up. No big speech. No drawn-out apology. Just... this.
Keonho picks up the journal carefully, holding it like it might fall apart again, and heads toward the bathroom. He'll leave it on the counter, the bathroom vanity, that white thing, so it can dry properly, while Keonho washes up.
Completely forgetting about the weird headache thing.
The moment Keonho steps into the bathroom and closes the door behind him, his head feels like it's splitting open.
He winces, vision blurring at the edges. He doubles over, grabbing his head with his hands, and in the motion, something slips from his grip.
The sound of paper hitting water echoes through the small bathroom.
Splash.
"No. No no no- " Keonho groans, cursing a streak in Korean, hand gripping the edge of the sink as he forces himself to look down.
The journal is in the toilet. Face down. Pages already darkening as the water soaks through.
"Fuck. Fuck." He lunges forward, fishing it out with both hands, water dripping everywhere. The pages are already warping, ink bleeding, the pictures they just glued down starting to peel away again, floating in the toilet.
"No, come on- "
The bathroom door swings open.
Martin stands there in his sleep shirt and boxers, eyes barely open, hair sticking up in every direction. He blinks at Keonho, then at the dripping journal in his hands, then at the toilet.
For a moment, nobody moves.
Then, "What the fuck did you do?"
"I didn't- it was an accident, I swear-"
"You threw it in the toilet?" Martin's voice is rising. "Are you fucking kidding me right now?"
"No, I dropped it, we were trying to fix it-"
"You threw my journal in the toilet?" Martin looks pissed.
"Martin, listen to me-"
"No!" Martin snatches the journal out of Keonho's hands, water splattering across the tile floor. The pages are falling apart in his grip. "You- you ruined my journal."
"We were trying to apologize!" Keonho's head is fine, but the panic, the knowledge of him ruining something precious to Martin is making him nauseous. "Seonghyeon and I, we were fixing it, we got you ice cream-"
"I don't want your ice cream!" Martin's voice breaks completely. He's crying now, tears streaming down his face, and Keonho follows the tears with his eyes, always a crybaby. Flushed cheeks, his lashes, his eyes always look pretty-
Keonho snaps out of whatever that was when Seonghyeon appears in the bathroom doorway, mint chocolate ice cream container in hand, spoon still in his mouth, "What's happening?"
Martin whirls on him. "You." His voice is shaking. "You were in on this too?"
"In on what? We were trying to-"
"Trying to what? Make me feel even worse?" Martin shoves past Seonghyeon, the journal clutched to his chest, water dripping down his shirt. "Congratulations. It worked."
Seonghyeon pulls the spoon from his mouth, looking genuinely confused. "Martin, we spent two hours- "
Martin spins around. In one swift motion, he scoops a handful of the mint chocolate ice cream from the container in Seonghyeon's hand and smashes it directly into his face.
"Fuck. You."
Seonghyeon stands there, frozen, mint chocolate dripping down his nose, his cheeks, his chin. The bathroom goes completely silent.
"Yo, dude-" Keonho starts.
"Don't." Martin's voice is cold now, "Just... don't."
He turns and walks towards James and Juhoon’s room, leaving wet droplets across the floor, the ruined journal still pressed against his chest.
Keonho and Seonghyeon stand in the bathroom, one with a splitting headache, the other with mint chocolate ice cream slowly sliding down his face.
"Well," Seonghyeon says finally, voice flat. "That went great."
Keonho groans, his head throbbing so badly he can barely see straight. "We're so fucked."
Seonghyeon wipes mint chocolate off his eyebrow and stares at it on his fingers. "Yeah. We really are."
"I thought you just liked teasing Martin?"
Keonho is face down on his bed, having lost the privilege of being near Martin now that he's holed up in James and Juhoon's room. He looks up and sees Juhoon leaning against the doorframe.
"What?" Keonho's voice is muffled against the pillow.
"All that roasting, making fun of Martin, I thought that was a lighthearted joke. Your way of, I dunno, just... a thing you and Martin had going on." Juhoon's voice drops lower. "You know we can't afford this kind of tension right now. Not with comeback prep starting next week."
"...What?"
Juhoon rolls his eyes. "What I'm trying to say is, it doesn't look like you're joking around anymore. It's like you actually don't like him. I mean, c'mon, his journal of all things?"
Keonho groans, pressing his face harder into the pillow. None of what Juhoon is saying is making sense through the pain. Every word feels like it's coming from underwater.
"Why isn't he here?"
Juhoon blinks. "Huh?"
Keonho lifts his head, squinting through the throbbing. "Why are you here instead of him? Why isn't he here yelling at me himself?"
"Look-"
"Can't he, for once, have a fucking backbone and come here and talk to me himself?" The words come out harsher than he means them to, he needs Martin.
Juhoon's expression shifts, something between annoyance and disappointment. "...Maybe because I'm Martin's friend? And maybe because I'm trying to keep this group from falling apart?" He sighs, tired, rubbing his face. "Just make peace with each other. It's exhausting for the rest of us."
He turns to leave, and panic spikes through Keonho's chest.
The pain is unbearable. He can't spend another second like this, so, stands up, stumbling slightly, and follows Juhoon down the hallway. As Juhoon enters his shared room with James, Keonho pushes in alongside him before the door can close.
Pain gone. Just like that. Martin is sitting on Juhoon's bed, knees pulled up to his chest, and when he sees Keonho, his expression hardens into a glare.
Juhoon looks between them, "Keonho-"
"I'm staying." Keonho doesn't wait for permission. He walks in and sits down on the floor, right there in the middle of the room, back against James's bed. He can live with Martin's glare. He can live with the anger, the resentment, the cold silence. Better than the headache. Way better.
Martin's eyes follow him, narrow and furious. Juhoon shifts his weight, clearly uncomfortable.
The silence stretches.
Keonho finally looks up at Martin. "You look horrible."
No reply.
Martin's jaw tightens, and he looks away, staring at the wall instead. Silent treatment, huh.
"Seriously," Keonho continues, because apparently he can't help himself. "When's the last time you slept? You look like death. We have dance practice tomorrow."
Still nothing.
Juhoon clears his throat. "Maybe now's not the best time-"
"I'm just saying." Keonho leans his head back against the bed frame. "You can be pissed at me all you want, but don't let it mess you up like this. The cameras are gonna notice."
Martin's glare snaps back to him. "Fuck off."
"There he is." Keonho almost smiles, but catches himself. Wow, he missed this, missed Mart- "Thought you lost your voice."
"Fuck. Off."
"Can't. This is Juhoon's room. You want me gone, you'll have to drag me out yourself."
Martin's hands clench into fists against his knees, and for a second, Keonho thinks he might actually get up and try to throw him out. But then Martin just turns away again, facing the wall.
"Great," Juhoon mutters under his breath. "This is exactly what I wanted. Two people having a silent standoff in my room." He grabs his phone and wallet. "While I'm gone, can you two at least try not to kill each other? We have a schedule in two days."
Neither of them responds.
Juhoon leaves with a heavy sigh, and the door clicks shut behind him.
The room falls into silence again. Keonho closes his eyes, savoring the absence of pain, even as the weight of Martin's anger presses down on him from across the room.
Your miserable life is connected to his.
So, Martin and Keonho start spending every hour, every minute together, Keonho makes sure of it. Mostly Martin glaring at Keonho, and Keonho following him around like a shadow. Keonho knows he's pushing his luck, he keeps teasing Martin, ignoring, or not caring about, the fact that Martin is pissed at him.
"Why are you wearing that?"
"Since when did you like this song?"
"That choreography looks sloppy."
"Yo, eat your damn food. We ordered that nasty pineapple pizza. Ew, by the way. Who even eats that?"
Martin pushes Keonho away from him when Keonho stands a little too close during their water break at practice. "Get the fuck away from me, oh my god. What the hell is wrong with you?"
"I'm just existing."
"You're following me around. Why?"
"No reason."
Keonho smiles at Martin, making him cringe away. When Martin walks to his studio after practice, of course, Keonho follows.
"Is this your way of apologizing?"
"Why would I apologize?" Keonho sighs at himself the moment the words leave his mouth. Why is he like this?
"Oh, I dunno, maybe because you tried to flush my journal down the toilet after calling me names for liking something?"
"You didn't just like that fortune teller, you believed her. Like an idiot."
"Oh my god, fuck you. Why do I even bother?" Martin throws himself into his studio chair, spinning away from Keonho.
Keonho leans against the doorframe, arms crossed.
The door opens behind him, and Keonho steps aside to let Seonghyeon in.
Martin is not talking to him either.
"I bought that Dubai chocolate we talked about." Seonghyeon says, sitting down on the sofa next to where Keonho eventually settles. He unwraps the packaging, the sound of crinkling foil loud in the small studio.
"Eat that outside. Fuck right off." Martin mutters under his breath, not turning around.
"C'mon, Martin. We apologized. When will you stop being pissy about that?"
"You didn't apologize. You put my journal in a toilet."
"We fixed it, and Keonho dropped it. The point is we fixed it."
"And somehow my journal is not usable anymore."
"Look. Martin." Seonghyeon holds up his hand when Martin turns to glare at him. "That fortune teller is a scam- but, okay, hear me out- but, I'm okay with- okay, not really. I don't understand why you would believe that. But we were wrong to call you stupid."
"I can believe whatever the hell I want and somehow that makes you mad?"
"No, I'm just saying, believing a scam is wrong- "
"Don't call it a scam!"
"What, am I supposed to call it 'real future reading' or something? That's bullshit. No one can decide your life other than you!"
"No, you don't have to say shit. Just mind your own fucking business and leave me alone. Take that Dubai shit and get the hell out of here. Take Keonho with you."
"I didn't say shit, why do I have to leave?" Keonho protests.
"Because, Keonho, I don't want you here. Get that?"
"Stop being child- "
"Don't you dare finish that sentence." Martin spins around in his chair, glare settling on Keonho. "Don't you dare call me childish when you two are the ones who can't respect a single boundary I have. I asked you to leave me alone. I locked my door. I moved to another room. And you still- You still won't just let me be."
The studio goes quiet. Even Seonghyeon looks uncomfortable, the Dubai chocolate forgotten in his hand.
"I don't want your apologies. I don't want your company. I don't want- " Martin's breath hitches. "I just want you to leave me the fuck alone. Is that really so hard to understand?"
Keonho feels something twist in his chest, he always liked seeing Martin pissed off, also, the thought of leaving, of walking out that door and feeling his head split open again, makes his skin crawl.
He stays silent.
Martin laughs, bitter and broken. "Of course. Of course you won't leave. Why would you? It's not like my feelings matter, right?"
"Martin-" Seonghyeon starts.
"Get out. Both of you. Now."
Seonghyeon stands, wrapping the chocolate back up. He glances at Keonho, jerking his head toward the door. Let's go.
But Keonho doesn't move.
He can't.
"Yo, dude. C'mon." Seonghyeon grabs Keonho's arm, but Keonho stays seated, rooted to the spot. Keonho knows Seonghyeon is also getting fed up, he keeps saying, "Now's not the time, dude, c'mon, let's go."
When Seonghyeon finally drags him up by the elbow, panic floods Keonho's chest. He really can't deal with another headache. The words tumble out before he can stop them.
"I- I like it."
Both Martin and Seonghyeon stare at him.
"I like fortune telling."
"Nah, dude, what the hell?" Martin mutters, his eyebrows drawing together in confusion.
"And- I- I like being near Martin." Fuck, shut up, Keonho. He tells himself, but his mouth keeps moving. "And yes, this is me apologizing. By being near you. S-sorry, Martin."
And he sits back down, face on fire.
Seonghyeon blinks at him like he's grown a second head. Martin's expression shifts from confusion to something softer, something almost... touched.
Keonho feels the worst feeling ever when he lifts his head up and sees Martin genuinely smiling at him. Not a bitter smile. Not a sarcastic one. A real, warm smile that reaches his eyes, crinkling at the corners.
Keonho really is a horrible person, isn't he?
Seonghyeon sighs, running a hand through his hair. "Okay, fine, sure. I- I'm sorry too. For- " He pauses, visibly cringing. "Okay, James-hyung called me controlling, idiotic, and self-centered for trying to- I'm sorry for being all that."
Martin's smile widens just a fraction, and Seonghyeon hurries on, encouraged.
"I just thought, me saying 'you have control over your own life' was, like, me looking out for you. What if you get your hopes up believing every fortune teller out there?"
Martin rolls his eyes, but he's still smiling, and Seonghyeon's shoulders relax visibly.
"I won't believe every fortune teller. Just the good ones." Martin's tone is lighter now, teasing almost.
"That's literally the same thing-"
"Seonghyeon."
"Right. Sorry. Your life, your choices." Seonghyeon holds up his hands in surrender, then thrusts the Dubai chocolate toward Martin like a peace offering.
Martin takes it, and his face lights up like an excited child who finally made peace with his friends. "Oh my god, I've been wanting to try this for weeks."
"I know. That's why I bought it." Seonghyeon sits back down on the sofa, looking relieved.
Martin takes a bite, eyes closing in satisfaction. "Oh, this is so good."
Keonho watches him, and the guilt sits heavy in his stomach. Martin looks happy. Actually happy. Because he thinks Keonho cares. Because he thinks this is real.
And all Keonho can think about is how he's only here because he needs Martin nearby to stop the pain. How every word he just said was a lie designed to keep Martin close. How he's not a friend, he's a parasite.
He feels like throwing up.
"You okay?" Martin asks, noticing Keonho's expression.
"Yeah," Keonho lies. Again. "Just tired."
James is laughing at them, calling them idiots for fighting over a fortune teller, but he looks happy, so happy that they made up.
Juhoon is teasing Martin about one of the date locations, calling him cheesy for choosing a late-night walk around Han River. Martin just smiles and goes into explaining why it's the perfect date place, gesturing with his hands, his whole face animated.
Seonghyeon is in on the teasing, but then he asks what else the fortune teller told him. When Martin quiets down, uncertainty flickering across his face, Seonghyeon smiles and tells him he wants to know, genuinely.
And that makes Martin launch into animated storytelling mode.
"She saw my palm, and there was this deep line- and that's my heart line. Apparently I'm sensitive as hell." Everyone nods, agreeing without hesitation. "And then she says I need to be careful with my heart. And that I trust too easily."
"Accurate," James mutters, earning a playful shove from Martin.
"How can she know that from my palm though? And also-" Martin leans forward, eyes bright. "She said someone already entered my life. Someone that will ruin my life and, du dun, I will want that."
"Was that a drum noise?" Juhoon asks, trying not to laugh.
"No, the dramatic movie soundtrack thing."
"Okay, go on with the story."
"And then, he- I mean, that person- will change my life. Change everything. And I will fall for him. But at the end, it's fifty-fifty-"
Seonghyeon cackles, but quiets down when James glares at him.
"Fifty-fifty, that person might break my heart or actually stay. Isn't that crazy?" Martin's smile is wide, almost breathless with the romance of it all.
James is quiet now, his amusement fading into something more thoughtful. Juhoon is looking at Martin, exasperated.
"Martin, you know I have your back, right? Like, you can trust me. But that fortune teller... ain't it."
"Aw, c'mon, why?"
"She told you fifty-fifty?"
"That's the best part!" Martin insists. "It means it's up to me too, right? Like, I have agency. I can make it work if I try hard enough."
Everyone sighs and laughs, shaking their heads fondly.
Everyone except Keonho.
He's been quietly listening to this whole conversation, sitting on the floor with his back against the wall. His face feels cold. His hands feel numb.
Someone already entered my life. Someone that will ruin my life.
He will change everything.
Martin said 'he.'
Fifty-fifty that person might break my heart.
The fortune teller's words echo in his head, mixing with Martin's excited retelling.
Your hollow, nasty energy can affect others around you. Like bacteria. Like an infection.
Your miserable life is connected to his.
Keonho stares at Martin, at the way his eyes light up when he talks about this mystery person who's supposed to change his life. At the hope in his voice.
And all Keonho can think is: Please, don't let it be me.
If someone enters Martin's life and hurts him, Keonho can fight them. Kick their ass and drag Martin back. He'd do it without thinking twice. But what if he's the one who hurts Martin? What if it's him?
Can he put Martin before himself?
The question sits heavy in his chest because he already knows the answer. He's been using Martin. Following him around like a shadow, not because he cares, but because he needs relief from the pain. He's selfish. He's always been selfish.
He loves making Martin mad. Loves making fun of him, reducing his excitement to a dull smile, reducing his happiness into anger, just because Keonho likes seeing him angry.
He can't deal with the fact that he might be the reason Martin's heart breaks. Too much responsibility.
But also, and this is what makes his stomach turn, he knows that he can, actually can break Martin's heart. He's already halfway there. Martin trusts him now. Martin smiled at him. Like they're friends again. No, not again, were they even friends?
It's all built on a lie.
Fifty-fifty.
But Keonho knows the odds are worse than that. Because he's not capable of being what Martin needs. He's not capable of putting someone else first. He's proven that over and over again.
And Martin has no idea. It’s like Martin is cursed, that fortune teller also cursed Marti-
"Keonho?" Juhoon's voice breaks through his thoughts. "You good? You're being weirdly quiet."
Everyone turns to look at him.
Keonho swallows hard, his throat tight. Martin is looking at him with those open, trusting eyes.
"Yeah," Keonho manages, "Just... thinking."
"About what?" Martin asks, tilting his head. There's no edge to the question, no suspicion. Just genuine curiosity.
About how I'm going to ruin you if you let me and there's nothing I can do to stop it.
"Nothing," Keonho says. He forces himself to look away from Martin's face. "Just tired."
"Comeback prep is killing all of us," James agrees, stretching. "We should probably get some actual sleep tonight."
"Sleep? What's that?" Seonghyeon jokes lamely, and everyone laughs. “We are exhausted if yall find that funny.”
Except Keonho.
He stays on the floor, back against the wall, watching Martin laugh with the others. Watching him be happy. Watching him be hopeful about a future that Keonho might be destined to ruin.
Your miserable life is connected to his.
And for the first time since this whole nightmare started, Keonho wonders if the headache would have been the kinder curse.
The comeback comes and goes. They break records, gain more fans, get invited to shows, and go to the airport more times than they can count.
And Keonho is glued to Martin's side. Not like he can help it.
When they had to do separate shows, Martin, James, and Juhoon on one variety program, Keonho and Seonghyeon on another, Keonho threw up because of the pain and fainted backstage. The staff panicked, called their manager, and when he woke up in the van speeding toward the other studio, thankfully Martin was beside him.
Yes, he woke up to Martin's smiling, concerned face hovering over him.
And Keonho wanted to die.
The guilt is eating at him, because Martin is slowly but surely getting super close to Keonho. Close as in, Martin is being affectionate, caring, and... cute towards him.
Even his mean jokes gets a giggle now. Martin used to glare, shove him away, turn his back to Keonho. But now, it's like Martin thinks Keonho's mean attitude is affection, like a weird foreplay.
That's Martin's problem, isn't it? Falling too fast. And Keonho also knows Martin is piecing two and two together, figuring out that maybe Keonho is who the fortune teller told him about.
The signs are everywhere.
Martin is falling for him.
And Keonho is letting it happen because he's scared of a headache.
Now that the busy schedule is done, now that they have a week off before the next round of promotions starts, Keonho needs to find a way to go to that fortune teller with Martin and undo whatever she did to him.
Before Martin falls for him any more than he already has.
He finds Martin in their shared room, lying on his bed scrolling through his phone, one of those damn couple café pages open on his screen.
"Hey," Keonho says, leaning against the doorframe.
Martin looks up, and his whole face lights up. "Hey! I thought you were hanging with Seonghyeon?"
"Nah. He's napping." Keonho steps inside, closing the door behind him. His heart is pounding. "I wanted to ask you something."
"Yeah?" Martin sits up, giving Keonho his full attention. That's another thing, Martin always gives him his full attention now. Like Keonho is the most important person in the room.
Keonho prefers angry Martin.
"That fortune teller," Keonho says carefully. "The one in Hongdae. Do you... do you still- I mean, you believe her right?"
Martin's eyes widen slightly. "Yeah. Why?"
"I want to go see her."
"Really? Why?"
"Yeah. I just-" Keonho scrambles for an excuse. "I want to know what she sees. You know. About my future."
It's not entirely a lie. He does want to know. He wants to know if there's any way to break this curse without breaking Martin in the process.
"Oh my god, yes." Martin is already grabbing his phone, texting someone. "She gave me her number, by the way, I can try to get us an appointment. When do you want to go?"
"As soon as possible."
Martin smiles, typing quickly, and Keonho watches him, watches the way his hair falls into his eyes, the way he bites his lip when he's concentrating, the way his whole body radiates happiness.
Before Martin falls for him more.
But looking at Martin now, at the way he's smiling, at the way he's already fallen, Keonho wonders if he's already too late.
He pulls Seonghyeon aside, finally wanting to tell him about the headache, about that fortune teller putting a curse on him. Keonho knows Seonghyeon would understand and help him, he has to. So when Keonho carefully gets up while Martin's sleeping, and motions for Seonghyeon to follow him to their balcony, near enough to Martin that the headache won't return but far enough that Martin won't hear them, Seonghyeon follows.
But whatever Keonho has planned on saying dies in his throat the moment Seonghyeon opens his.
"Letting me in on something, now? Are we surprising Martin? Are you finally gonna ask him out?"
Keonho freezes. "What?"
"Come on, dude." Seonghyeon leans against the balcony railing, grinning. "It's so obvious. You've been glued to his side for weeks. And now you want to go to the fortune teller with him?"
"That's not-"
"It's romantic as hell, actually." Seonghyeon crosses his arms, looking pleased with himself. "I was wondering when you'd finally make a move. Martin's been dropping hints like crazy."
"Hints?"
"Yeah. Look, I get it if you're nervous." Seonghyeon's expression softens. "But honestly? You two are good together. Martin's been happier these past few weeks than I've seen him in months. And you- " He pauses, studying Keonho's face. "You're different around him. Less of an asshole, actually."
"Seonghyeon, that's not why I-"
"I know I gave him shit about the fortune teller thing, but if this is what it took for you two to finally figure your shit out?" Seonghyeon shrugs. "Then maybe I was wrong. Maybe she actually did see something real."
"No, you don't understand-"
"What's there to understand?" Seonghyeon grins. "You like him. He likes you. Just ask him out already. The whole group is waiting for it."
"The whole group?" Keonho's voice is barely a whisper.
"Dude, James literally has a bet going with Juhoon about when you'll confess. Juhoon says before the end of the month. James says you'll chicken out until next comeback." Seonghyeon laughs. "I'm with Juhoon on this one."
Keonho stares at him, his mind reeling.
"So what's the plan?" Seonghyeon asks, eager now. "Are you gonna confess at the fortune teller's? That's so cheesy. Maybe not there- "
"I'm not confessing."
"Then what- "
"There's a curse." The words burst out of Keonho. "The fortune teller- she cursed me. I get these headaches, terrible ones, and they only go away when I'm near Martin. That's why I've been following him around. That's why I fainted. Not because I- not because I like him."
Seonghyeon's grin fades. "What?"
"I'm not joking." Keonho's hands are shaking. "She said my miserable life is connected to his. She said I'm like an infection, that my hollow energy would affect him. And now I can't be away from him without feeling like my head's going to explode."
Seonghyeon stares at him for a long moment. Then he laughs. "Dude, come on. That's- that's not real. A Curse?"
"It is real. I'm telling you- "
"No, you're just- " Seonghyeon shakes his head. "Is this you being scared of your feelings?"
"I don't have feelings for Martin!"
"Look," Seonghyeon says quietly. "I don't know what's going on in your head. But Martin cares about you. A lot. And if you keep stringing him along because you're too scared to admit you care about him- "
"I'm using him." Keonho's voice cracks. "Don't you get it? I'm using him to stop the pain. That's all this is. And when he finds out- when he realizes I don't actually-"
"Don't actually what?" Seonghyeon's eyes are sharp now. "Care about him? Because from where I'm standing, you care a lot more than you're willing to admit."
"You're wrong."
"Am I?" Seonghyeon steps closer. "Then prove it. Go in there right now and tell Martin the truth. Tell him you don't give a shit about him, that you're just using him. That's it. End of the problem. Actually, you could have told him everything earlier, way earlier. Why didn't you?"
Keonho's throat closes up.
"That's what I thought." Seonghyeon turns away, heading back toward the door. "You like his company enough to keep it a secret. Figure your shit out, Keonho. Before you actually do break his heart."
And then he's gone, leaving Keonho alone on the balcony, the weight of everything crushing down on him.
Inside, Martin stirs in his sleep, and Keonho doesn't understand the itch, sudden urge to go up to him and-
He doesn't know what's worse, the curse, or the fact that he's starting to wonder if Seonghyeon is right.
Why do I have to take responsibility?
The thought circles inside Keonho's head like a mantra, over and over.
Why do I have to take responsibility?
He's going to the fortune teller now. With Martin. They take the subway to Hongdae, Martin chattering beside him, and Keonho barely hears a word. His jaw is clenched so tight it aches.
When they arrive at the small shop, Keonho pushes the door open without hesitation.
The fortune teller is already sitting at her table, cards spread in front of her like she's been expecting them.
"Welcome back." She smiles at Martin. Martin only.
"Hello." Martin says shyly, ducking his head a little.
Keonho stays quiet, hands shoved in his pockets.
He sits down across from her, and she flips the cards without asking what he wants to know. Same as before. The Tower. Death reversed.
And for Martin... she reaches into a small bowl on the table and gives him a candy.
Weird.
Martin takes it, confused but polite. "Thank you?"
She looks at Keonho, her expression unreadable. "It's still the same for you. Leech. Fifty-fifty. You know the full story."
Martin's head snaps toward Keonho, confusion blooming across his face. "What does she mean?"
Keonho's anger returns, seeing her now, after everything he went through, after weeks of lying and guilt and unbearable pain, she has the guts to call him a leech.
"Undo it," he grits out.
"Undo what, dear?" Her voice is infuriatingly calm.
"Whatever you put on me."
Her eyes flicker between Keonho and Martin, finally settling on Keonho with something that looks like pity. "So you're choosing the dark path. Wrong choice. Even now, this proves you feel nothing. You choose misery when you could have everything."
"Stop with the bullshit and undo your curse."
Martin gasps softly. "Dude, you can't talk to her like that."
Keonho shrugs off Martin's hand when it lands on his arm. He leans forward and snatches the Death card from the table. "I found this the day you did a reading on me. And after that, things went to shit. My head- it's not something that just happens to someone. You did something to me. So undo it right now. And I will take care of everything from then on."
"Keonho, what are you talking about?" Martin's voice is small, worried.
The fortune teller sighs, long and weary. She looks at Martin's confusion and shakes her head. "Fine. Your fate is worse than my curse, anyways."
And she snatches the Death card from Keonho's hand.
Before he can react, she produces a lighter from somewhere in her robes and holds the flame to the edge of the card. It catches immediately, curling and blackening, the skull and scythe disappearing into ash.
"There," she says quietly, dropping the burning card into a small metal dish on the table. "It's done."
For a moment, nothing happens.
Then, the relief comes. The invisible tether that's been pulling Keonho toward Martin for weeks suddenly snaps. He can feel it break.
He stands up, takes a step back from Martin.
No headache.
Nothing.
He's free.
"Keonho?" Martin stands too, "What's going on? What curse? What is she talking about?"
Keonho looks at him, at Martin's worried eyes, and feels nothing but the cold wash of relief.
He's free.
"Let's go," Keonho says, heading for the door.
"Wait." Martin turns back to the fortune teller. "This doesn't make any sense-"
"Martin." Keonho is already at the door. "We're leaving."
Martin hesitates, looking between them, before finally following Keonho outside.
What Keonho didn't know is, Martin is nosy. So nosy when it comes to people he cares about. If only Keonho actually paid attention to Martin, he should have known that Martin would sniff around, wouldn't stop until he figured stuff out.
And unfortunately for Keonho, on Martin's list of people he cares about, Keonho is number one.
After the curse is lifted, Keonho tries to save face and tries to stay close to Martin. But it seems like Martin knows something changed.
And Keonho can't keep avoiding Seonghyeon whenever he tries to talk to him, probably about the whole curse thing. Seonghyeon keeps cornering him in hallways, texting him, asking if they can talk. Keonho ignores all of it.
The thing is, and Keonho hates admitting this even to himself, he misses Martin. Misses their closeness. Misses the easy way Martin would laugh at his jokes, the way he'd sit too close, the way he'd look at Keonho.
So he goes to Martin's studio, intending to... what? Apologize? Explain? He doesn't know. He just knows he misses him.
But he stops dead in his tracks outside the door.
Juhoon is inside. And so is Seonghyeon.
"Yeah. He said he was having a really bad headache. Said medicine wasn't helping." Juhoon is saying.
Keonho's blood runs cold.
"So, around the time they came back from the fortune teller, Keonho started having headaches." Martin's voice. He sounds like he's realizing something. Please, Martin. Stop asking questions. Just leave it.
Keonho should barge in, stop whatever they're talking about, but he's rooted to his spot, hand frozen on the door handle.
"And, strangely, he would be fine next to you. But next to me, he was in pain. Couldn't even have a normal conversation." Juhoon continues.
"Oh..." Martin's voice is small.
"Why are you asking? This is weird. Just leave it, hyung. Curses aren't real. " Seonghyeon cuts in,
Keonho closes his eyes. Don't tell him. Please don't tell him.
"You know something?" Martin asks, and Keonho can hear the sharpness in his voice. Martin always knows when people are hiding things from him.
"Know? What's there to know? Hyung, let's just move on. Let's forget about the fortune teller."
"So the curse was... a headache?" Martin's voice is quiet now, Martin, please don't-
There's a pause.
"So he was fine around me but he was in pain around others..." Martin trails off.
"Hyung, let's finish the lyrics." Seonghyeon tries again.
"...that's why he was constantly beside me."
Keonho's hand drops from the door handle. He should leave. He should walk away right now before-
"He was using me." Martin's voice cracks. "The whole time. He didn't- he didn't actually want to be around me. He just... he just needed me to stop the pain."
"Martin-" Juhoon starts.
"That's why he apologized. That's why he suddenly started being nice. That's why-" Martin's breath hitches. "God, I'm so stupid."
"You're not stupid," Juhoon says firmly.
"I am. I thought- I thought he actually cared. I thought maybe the fortune teller was right, that he was the person who'd change my life, and I- " His voice breaks completely. "I was- he was just using me to stop a headache."
"Hyung..." Seonghyeon says softly.
"Did you know?" Martin asks. "Did you know about the curse?"
A pause. Then, quietly, "He tried to tell me. I didn't believe him at first. I thought he was just scared."
"But you knew. You knew, and you didn't tell me."
"I didn't think- I thought- No, he actually do care about you. The way he looked at you sometimes, I-"
"Well, you are wrong. He doesn't care. He never did. It was all just... convenience."
Keonho's legs finally move. He steps away from the door, backing down the hallway, his heart hammering in his chest.
He should feel relieved. The curse is gone. He's free. He doesn't have to pretend anymore.
Why do I have to take responsibility?
Martin is smiling at him. Like everything is fine.
"Why the hell are you smiling?" Keonho snapped at him when they crossed paths in the hallway the next morning.
"Because my feelings are my responsibility." Martin is smiling.
"The hell?"
"Look, we- we need to have that meeting with the higher-ups today. Let's forget about this whole thing and go back to normal. Let's be normal."
"The fuck?" Keonho stares at him, thrown off. This isn't right. Martin should be yelling at him. Crying. Anything but this.
Martin finally sighs, and Keonho gets excited for a second, finally.
"I will smile whenever I want. I will act however I want. And you, Keonho, will mind your fucking business and leave me alone. Whichever way you wanna deal with that whole curse thing, that's none of my business. And however I deal with my shit? That's none of your fucking business."
Martin is looking at him coldly now, "Business colleagues. Pull your fucking weight."
And then he walks past Keonho like he's nothing.
Keonho comes to his room. Martin's probably gonna change with Juhoon or James now. Or... maybe he won't. Keonho doesn't matter to him that much.
He used to though.
His eyes drift across the floor and catch on something near the trash can. Partially hidden underneath it.
The death card.
Keonho freezes. He walks over slowly and picks it up, turning it over in his hands. Why didn't it vanish along with the curse?
She said reversed, right?
He sits back down on his bed, staring at the card. The skull. The scythe.
Then he pulls out his phone and opens Google.
death card reversed meaning
The results load, and Keonho reads,
Resisting inevitable change.
Clinging to the past.
Fear of transformation.
Being stuck in a situation that needs ending.
He scrolls down, reading more:
The Death reversed card can indicate an unwillingness to let go of something that has run its course. You may be holding onto a relationship out of fear, comfort, or habit, even when you know deep down it's no longer healthy or authentic. This card urges you to be honest with yourself about what you truly want and need.
Alternatively, it can represent someone who refuses to acknowledge their own feelings, burying them instead of allowing natural transformation to occur. Growth requires surrender- surrender of control, of fear, of old versions of yourself that no longer fit who you're becoming.
He looks back at the card in his hand.
Clinging to the past.
The card is still here because the curse was never external. It was always him, wasn't it?
He lied, he chose to stay the same, he chose to be miserable, he chose this card as his reading.
Even now, this proves you feel nothing.
But that's not true, is it?
Because sitting here, alone in this room that used to feel like theirs, holding this card that represents everything he's been running from,
Keonho feels everything.
He feels the absence of Martin like a hole in his chest. He feels the weight of every lie he told, every moment he used Martin without letting himself admit what was really happening. He feels the terror of realizing he might have actually cared, might still care.
You choose miserable when you could have everything.
Keonho closes his eyes, the card pressed between his palms like a prayer.
Martin's words echo in his head: My feelings are my responsibility.
But what about Keonho's feelings? What about the fact that he misses Martin, not because of a headache, but because the room feels wrong without him? What about the fact that seeing Martin smile at him like he's nothing hurts more than any curse ever did?
What about the fact that Keonho might have been falling too, and he was just too scared, too stuck, to admit it?
The door opens, Martin walks in.
He stops when he sees Keonho sitting there, the death card in his hands.
For a moment, neither of them speaks.
Then Martin's nods, once. "I'm just grabbing my charger. "
"Martin-"
"Don't." Martin's voice is cold. "We agreed. Business colleagues."
"I don't want that."
"Too bad. That's what you get."
"I was wrong."
Martin finally looks at him, exhausted. "You weren't. The curse was horrible, you needed it gone. You did what you needed to."
"What? No, well, look- I want-" Keonho's throat tightens. "I want to fix this."
Transformation requires surrender.
"I like- liked it." Keonho stutters out.
Martin looks angry now. "Uh-huh, and now the apology comes. You used this method before."
"No- I- " Keonho shows him the death card, holding it up like evidence. "This- this is what I believe now."
Martin raises his eyebrows, staring at the card. "A grim reaper...?" He scoffs, but then his expression shifts to concerned, just for a second. "Yo, if you're thinking about... like, talk to someone. Your parents. Don't do anything stupid."
Keonho groans. "No, no. This death card means I gotta surrender- I gotta let go- basically means I gotta change and be better."
"Uh-huh, and good luck with that." Martin turns to leave.
"I want to be better for you."
That stops Martin.
"Remember that fifty-fifty? I-I am the one she talked about, in your reading, I am 100% sure. She said I am like a parasite and it's connected to you-no, listen, I-okay, sounds weird, but I might and might not ruin your life. "
Martin doesn't turn around. "Don't."
"I'm not- I'm not trying to manipulate you. I'm just- " Keonho stands up, still holding the card. "I figured it out. The curse wasn't her punishing me. It was showing me what I- She gave a choice and this card is here because I chose wrong. A leech. Someone who takes and doesn't give. Someone who's so scared of changing that I hurt everyone around me."
"Congratulations on your self-realization." Martin's voice is flat. "Want a cookie?"
"Martin, please- "
"No." Martin finally turns around, and his eyes are blazing. "You don't get to do this. You don't get to use the fortune teller- the thing I believed in, the thing you called bullshit- to try and fix this."
"I'm not-"
"Yes, you are!" Martin's voice cracks. "You're standing there with that card, talking about surrender and transformation, and you think-what? That I'm gonna fall for it? That I'm gonna believe you suddenly care because you googled some tarot meanings?"
"It's not like that-"
"Isn't it?" Martin laughs, bitter. "You followed me around for weeks because you had to. Not because you wanted to. And now that you don't have to anymore, now that I've moved on, suddenly you're interested? Suddenly you believe in fortune telling? Suddenly you're the person from my reading?"
"I am that person!" Keonho's voice rises. "Don't you get it? I already entered your life. I already started ruining it. The fifty-fifty- it's happening right now. And I'm choosing- I want to choose the good half. I want to be the person who stays, not the one who breaks your heart."
"I'm done, Keonho. I'm done being your- Your whatever. I'm done being the person you only care about when it's convenient for you."
"It's not convenient- I care about you-"
"Do you?" Martin's stare is cold, searching.
Keonho opens his mouth, but nothing comes out.
Martin sees the hesitation on his face and nods, like Keonho just confirmed everything he suspected.
"That's what I thought." He turns back to the door. "...I hope, for the next person, you will be better.” And then he's gone.
Keonho went back to the fortune teller. Seonghyeon just knew what he was doing the second he saw him getting ready to leave. He didn't say anything, just grabbed his jacket. Keonho nodded, appreciating the gesture.
The subway ride is quiet. Seonghyeon doesn't ask questions. He just sits beside Keonho.
When they arrive at the shop, she's already sitting at her table like she's been waiting for them.
She smiles when she sees Keonho. Finally, a smile directed at him. "Ah, hello, children. Sit."
Keonho can't look her in the eyes. Seonghyeon, on the other hand, is blunt and brave as usual.
"I'm sorry for being rude to you." Seonghyeon bows his head slightly. "I was an asshole. I judged you without knowing anything."
She smiles and nods, "Under all that anger and attitude, I saw a good person." She looks at Seonghyeon with approval. And then shifts her gaze to Keonho.
"And you. You being here is a surprise."
Seonghyeon sighs when Keonho keeps quiet. "He fucked up. I mean- sorry- he messed up."
"I know." The fortune teller's voice is gentle. "And I am so glad to say that I was also wrong."
Keonho looks up at her, confused. "Wrong?"
"I thought you would stay on the dark path. I thought you'd choose misery forever." She reaches across the table and taps the spot where the Death card would be on the spread out cards. "But you're here. You came back. That takes courage."
She shuffles her cards, the familiar sound filling the small space. "Ah, yes. I told him to be careful with that fragile heart. But the thing is, as weird as he can get, Martin wants pain, has pain written in his love line. Like I said before, someone will ruin his life and he would want that. He would choose that person, over and over, even knowing the risk."
Keonho smiles bitterly. “I want to be included…in his life. In his.. love line."
"I know." Her expression softens. "But, true change means letting go of the outcome. It means being better without the guarantee that it will get you what you want."
Seonghyeon shifts beside him. "So... what? He just has to... be a good person and hope Martin notices?"
"Not hope. Trust." She looks at Keonho. "Trust that if you become the person Martin deserves, and if you two are meant to be, the path will reveal itself. But you can't force it. You can't manipulate it. You have to surrender control."
"That fucking word again," Keonho mutters.
She laughs, a real, warm laugh. "Yes. That word. Because that's what the Death card is screaming at you. Let go of who you were. Let go of your fear. Let go of your need to control everything. And become something new."
Keonho stares at the cards on the table. "What if I do all that and he still doesn't want me?"
"Then you'll have become a better person anyway. And that's not nothing." She gathers the cards back up. "But between you and me? I still see that fifty-fifty. The possibility is still there.”
Keonho nods, absorbing it.
"Can I ask you something?" Seonghyeon speaks up. "The curse- I mean, you can actually curse people?"
"More like, just a little something that gave him a choice. A little shove he needed. " She smiles at Keonho.
Keonho stands, bowing deeply. "Thank you."
As they leave the shop, Seonghyeon bumps his shoulder. "So?"
Keonho looks back at the shop, at the sign swaying in the wind. "Yeah."
He can be better.
He wants to be better.