Chapter Text
Donghyuck was fed up with love.
He never had any luck. First, his crush in high school didn’t pay attention to him. Then, in college, the guy he liked—the one he thought he might actually have a chance with—ended up dating his friend. And finally, less than an hour ago, he had just rejected a boy because no matter how hard he tried, he didn’t feel the same way.
All of his romantic relationships were failures, and Donghyuck was already getting tired.
Donghyuck began to wonder if it was his fault. I mean, he was handsome, dark-haired, with tan skin and a nice personality. He didn’t understand why he never succeeded. No matter how hard he tried, he always failed. On top of that, he started to worry because he was increasingly afraid of getting his heart hurt. Because of this, he grew colder every time someone flirted with him or showed interest. He felt like something was missing, but he didn’t know what.
As he walked back home after rejecting Sungchan in the park, he spotted a small witchcraft shop across the street. Next to the door was a sign that read: “FUTURE READINGS FOR 10,000 WON.”
Donghyuck knew that these kinds of things were scams. However, a good feeling pushed him to cross the street and go inside.
As soon as he entered, a young guy around his age said to him:
“Wow, that rejection didn’t go very well, huh? But it’s better this way. If you don’t feel anything for the guy, you save yourself a lot of trouble later.”
Donghyuck’s eyes widened in surprise.
“What? How do you know I just rejected someone?” he asked.
“We read the future here, darling,” the boy replied confidently. “My name is Renjun. Want an Onyx? It’ll bring you good luck in the future,” he added, suddenly holding out a gemstone.
Donghyuck hesitantly took it.
“Aren’t these places usually run by old women who call themselves witches?”
“Oh, they are. This shop belongs to my grandmother. Since she’s quite old, I sometimes run it so she can rest. I’m the only one in my family who inherited her clairvoyant powers. Follow me—I know what worries you, and I’ll clear up all your doubts.”
The boy guided him to a small room inside the shop. The room was dimly lit and decorated with many mandala-patterned fabrics. In the middle, there was a low table and two cushions to sit on. A purple velvet cloth covered the table, and a crystal ball rested on top. The entire room smelled of incense.
The boy sat on one cushion and invited Donghyuck to sit on the other.
“Sorry about the smell and the décor. I’ve told my grandma a million times that this consultation room should be renovated, but she says that without this kind of decoration, people won’t believe we can read the future or that this is a ‘serious’ spiritual and magical place. Stereotypes, you know. You came for a love reading, right? That’ll be ten thousand won—fifteen thousand with the onyx. You didn’t think it was free, did you?”
Donghyuck pulled out the money and paid, still unsure. He was convinced this was all a scam and that he was falling for it completely.
“Thank you! Just a heads-up—no refunds.”
“Wait, wh—”
“Well, all your past relationships have gone badly, right?” Renjun cut him off.
“Uh… y-yeah, you could say that. You see, all my romantic relationships have ended in failure, and I’d like to know if this will change in the future.”
The boy stared at him for a moment.
“Give me your hand.” He took Donghyuck’s hand and closed his eyes. After a minute, he opened them again.
“Well, it seems Cupid has fallen in love with you.”
“Cupid what? Are you messing with me?” Donghyuck said, pulling his hand away.
“No, I’m not. Let me explain. From what I can see, you’ve always struggled to find a partner, right?” Donghyuck shook his head in agreement. “That’s because Cupid fell in love with you, and out of jealousy, he doesn’t let anyone notice you. Basically, he hasn’t shot anyone with his arrow for you—and he won’t—until he gets over his love for you.”
“Oh! So I have to talk to a god from ancient Greece so he’ll stop his damn obsession with me and let me find a partner, right? Sure. What’s next—do I sacrifice a goat in his name?” Donghyuck snapped.
“That won’t be necessary. It’s true that it’s bad luck for Cupid to fall in love with you in this lifetime, but that also makes you special.” Donghyuck frowned even more. He was about to leave. “Relax. My grandmother explained what to do in situations like this. Apparently, this happens in every lifetime. First, we’ll need the onyx I sold you earlier. The onyx represents Cupid. According to Greek mythology, Cupid clipped the nails of the goddess Venus while she slept and scattered them across the earth so no part of her body would disappear. Over time, they turned into what we now know as the precious stone onyx.”
“Okay, and what am I supposed to do with it? Get to the point,” Donghyuck interrupted.
“On a full moon night, you must purify the stone with incense. When you go to sleep, place it under your pillow, then put a bit of your saliva behind your ear and repeat Cupid’s name seven times. Then you fall asleep, and you’ll be able to talk to him.”
“This is ridiculous. I’m done with this. I’m leaving.”
Donghyuck stood up and stormed out of the shop, leaving the boy in the middle of the consultation. He walked quickly until he reached his apartment. He greeted his kitten with a pat and started making dinner.
It had been a horrible day, and he was fed up with everything. While eating, he watched the news on TV, and the weather segment began.
“Rainy days are coming; however, the rain will stop next Thursday. That day will also be a full moon according to the lunar calendar. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will be sunny with an average temperature of twenty-three degrees…”
Hearing about the full moon, he couldn’t help but remember what the shop assistant had told him. He wasn’t going to do it—it was nonsense.
…
The week went by quickly, and Thursday arrived. There was a full moon tonight. Donghyuck stared at the onyx stone. He was about to go to bed when he noticed the stone on his nightstand, where he’d left it the previous week, and remembered Renjun’s instructions.
Cupid in love with him? Please. What a lie. Cupid didn’t exist. But… what if it was true?
He got up and went to get the incense his mother liked to burn whenever she visited.
When he returned to the room, he lit a match and the incense, letting the smoke surround the stone to purify it. Then he turned everything off and slipped the stone under his pillow. Now only the second part remained.
Lying in bed, he sucked on his finger and placed the saliva behind his ear.
“Cupid, Cupid, Cupid, Cupid, Cupid, Cupid, Cupid,” he said out loud seven times—no more, no less.
Then he closed his eyes. The last thing he saw before falling asleep was the time on the clock: one in the morning.
…
When he opened his eyes, he realized he wasn’t in his bedroom.
He slowly turned his head and saw a tall blond boy watching him. When the boy noticed he was awake, he smiled widely and said:
“Hi. I’ve been waiting for you.”
Donghyuck quickly sat up and looked around.
The room looked like it belonged to another era. It was entirely ivory-toned with a high ceiling. The floor was white marble, and in each corner stood an Ionic-style column. The doorframe also had a pair of smaller columns. The room consisted of the bed he was sitting on, a vanity, a mirror covering an entire wall, and a massive wardrobe. In the center were what looked like antique sofas.
“Where am I?”
“You’re in my palace.”
Donghyuck looked at the boy in front of him and remembered everything he had done before going to sleep.
“Y-you… are you Cupid?” he asked.
“Well, I’ve been known by many names throughout history—Cupid, Eros… But yes, it’s me. Though you can call me Mark. Cupid is just my work name,” the boy said as he went to grab a tray of food from the vanity.
“Uh… okay, Mark. I… why am I here?”
“You called for me. You found me. Last night you summoned me, and I brought you here.” He placed the tray on Donghyuck’s lap—a full breakfast in bed.
“Are you telling me you kidnapped me last night? I’m calling the police.”
“Wait, no! I didn’t kidnap you. Think of this as a reality within a dream. Like astral travel. Your body is sleeping right now, but your soul is here with me. It’s complicated to explain. Anyway, why did you call me?” he said, sitting on the edge of the bed.
Donghyuck nodded, understanding, and looked at the food.
“What the hell is this?” he asked.
“Ambrosia—the food of the gods,” Mark replied.
“Mark…”
“Yes?”
“I’m not a god,” Donghyuck said plainly. “As far as I know, according to the myths, if a human eats this, their body literally burns.”
Mark’s eyes widened, and he quickly removed the tray from Donghyuck’s lap, placing it back on the vanity.
“Idiot… I forgot you can’t eat that right now. There goes my romantic breakfast-in-bed plan,” Donghyuck heard him mutter. He turned back to him. “Sorry, Donghyuck. I didn’t want you to burn,” he said with an apologetic smile. “I’m afraid I can’t offer you any food or drink here. Everything in my palace is for gods.”
“It’s okay. I just wanted to talk to you anyway.”
“Oh, of course! Tell me—why did you want to contact me?” Mark asked, sitting back on the bed.
“I want you to shoot me with your arrow.”
Mark frowned.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
“Why not? I’m sick of this! I want to fall in love too!” Donghyuck complained.
“It’s not that simple, Donghyuck.”
“What do you mean it’s not? Aphrodite forced you to shoot Apollo so he’d fall in love with Daphne.”
“My mother’s selfishness and jealousy have led her to commit many sins,” Mark said sadly. “Love is very complicated—something you can’t play with so lightly. I regret shooting Apollo and Daphne on my mother’s orders. Seeing Jaemin cry like that… it’s something I wouldn’t wish on anyone.” Mark stood up and walked to the room’s only window. Outside, Donghyuck could see a field of sunflowers. “I tried to help him, seeking his forgiveness, with Hyacinthus, but…” Mark sighed.
“Hyacinthus died and turned into a flower,” Donghyuck finished. Mark nodded.
“More or less. That time, I didn’t even get the chance to shoot them. Another god’s jealousy—Zephyrus—interfered and ended up killing Hyacinthus during a simple discus game. The flower comes from his blood,” Mark explained briefly.
“Ugh, how dark. Wow, all of Apollo’s love affairs end up turning into plants. At this point, he must hate botany,” Donghyuck joked. “But those are just myths.”
Cupid smiled sarcastically.
“In case you hadn’t noticed, you’re literally talking to a god from ancient Greece. Everything is real. All the myths are real—they’re just events that happened thousands of years ago. So old that people think they’re made-up stories.”
“Then shoot me,” Donghyuck insisted.
“I already told you no. I can’t. You belong to me.”
“What do you mean, no?! All my friends have partners! Why can’t I? I’m not yours—you have Psyche!”
Mark’s eyes darkened. Donghyuck knew he had touched a forbidden subject.
“Psyche… how many years has it been since I could be with my beloved?” Mark said as he slowly approached Donghyuck. “Do you know why?”
Donghyuck shook his head, frightened. Cupid’s aura had changed.
“Because my mother took her away from me! She tore her from my side! Condemning me to search for her soul in every lifetime!” Mark shouted, on the verge of tears.
Seeing Donghyuck’s fear, he calmed down.
“It doesn’t matter. I won’t help you. I can’t shoot you. And that’s the end of it.”
Mark stepped away and left the room.
Donghyuck quickly got up and followed him.
“Wait! You can’t do this to me—it’s not fair!” he shouted.
“Life isn’t fair. Learn to live with it,” Mark replied.
Donghyuck started to cry. Desperate, he shouted:
“It’s not my fault you fell in love with me!”
Mark stopped walking and sighed. Slowly, he turned around and whispered:
“Donghyuck, a soul can’t be struck by Cupid’s arrow twice—unless the other one gives up that love.” Mark smiled. “Come. Walk with me.”
…
“Where are we going?” Donghyuck asked.
“I have to work. I’m going to show you how shooting people with arrows works,” Mark said as he took a quiver and bow from a wardrobe.
“Is that the famous bow and arrows of Cupid? What a disappointment.”
“What did you expect? A pink bow and heart-shaped arrowheads?” Mark replied dryly.
“Uh… yeah?”
Mark laughed.
“They actually broke last spring during an argument with my brother Thanatos. Nothing that can’t be fixed. I ordered new ones from Hephaestus, but you know… when your mother cheats on your father and you’re the product of that affair, it doesn’t exactly make him rush my orders.”
Donghyuck burst out laughing.
“And your clothes? Aren’t you supposed to be a cherub?”
“What kind of image do you have of me?!” Mark protested.
“Don’t blame me, blame the people who turned you into a diaper-wearing baby,” Donghyuck shrugged.
Mark sighed and shook his head.
“There’s no respect for the gods anymore.”
“Well, people change, and so do their mindsets. Now everything is marketing, and a cherub with diapers, a pink bow, and heart-shaped arrows sells pretty well.”
“Don’t remind me, please,” Mark said, covering his face.
“Don’t worry. If people knew how handsome you really are, your image would be everywhere,” Donghyuck commented without thinking.
Silence fell between them. Cupid blushed at the words and cleared his throat.
“Y-you think I’m handsome?” he asked shyly.
Donghyuck’s heart started pounding nervously.
“Um… y-yeah? I mean, you’re handsome—but not handsome-handsome, more like attractive-handsome—I mean, you’re not—don’t you have somewhere to be?” he tried to change the subject, embarrassed.
“Y-yeah. I mean… thanks, I guess. Let’s go,” Mark said, even redder. He guided Donghyuck through the hallways until they reached a parking lot full of luxury cars. “Get in the black one.”
“Aren’t you supposed to travel with wings or clouds? By the way, where are your wings? Mythology always shows you with them.”
“They’re hidden. I can make them disappear whenever I want. And normally, I would travel with them, but you’re human, you can’t fly.”
“But this is a dream. I could fly.”
“I already told you, this is another reality. The laws of physics still apply here. You can’t do whatever you want.”
Donghyuck opened the passenger door and got in. Mark sat behind the wheel and started the car.
“Well, next stop: Seoul.”