Chapter Text
If you respect the moon, the moon will respect you.
Mingyu had heard that saying countless times growing up from his great Aunt, her words always so wistful and engaging in her teachings. From a young child's perspective, her towering bookcases always looked so intimidating, as if you could never keep up with the knowledge that kept on piling. Books on moon cycles, studies on the tides pulled by the moon's gravity, chapters upon chapters detailing the wonders on a phenomenon that made creatures out of humans. Animals out of the supposed cultural tranquillity that was the settled ground made by humanity itself. Young Mingyu could never hope to understand. But young Mingyu loved to burrow deep into his great Aunt's shawl, eyes always so wide in awe as he listened regardless. Sometimes in her lap, sometimes from within the fort she allowed him to make in the middle of her study when he felt reckless, when he just couldn't settle. He would create his own little world with blankets and pillows. His own den. It was her allowance on his disturbance to her peace that made him such a good builder.
"It's her," his great Aunt would tell him, tickling his sides to make him whine with glee, "It's the moon. She's waxing. She's pulsing her energy through you."
She was such an encouragement to his growth, to his little mind. If he ran from his parents with little to no clothes on for all the town to see, he would only hear her laugh and her yell of keep going, run faster. If he came to her with tears in his eyes and a wooden toy that he accidentally broke, she would tell him to wipe his eyes, accidents happen, and she'd show him how to fix it. He was good with his hands. He'd proved himself there.
She was also his greatest inspiration for knowledge. Even as a kid, Mingyu didn't like to read himself. He couldn't sit still enough to hold a book properly, and the words were always so small that he had to squint to concentrate. His vision wasn't the problem; he had great vision. It was the book's problem. But just because he didn't like the act of reading, it didn't mean he didn't want to know everything.
He had his great Aunt to teach him.
Or, had. He had his great Aunt to teach him.
Now Mingyu stood alone in the same study that felt like a true home, the only place that brought him unconditional comfort.
Towering over six foot himself, the shelves no longer looked unclimbable. They looked old. Bent. Dusty. Crooked in the corners, like they were hand built to last long, but not to last pretty.
"Oh, there you are. Your father and I wondered where you'd gone."
Mingyu turned to find his mother startled at the study's doorway, as if she was truly surprised to find him stood in the middle of this room specifically. He opened his mouth to perhaps greet her, but only a puff of air came out. He managed the strength to lift his shoulder up and down in a short shrug.
He watched as his mother's eyes softened, and he turned away again. She shouldn't have to comfort him. He should have to comfort her. It was her mother's sister. At first it was his Grandma, and now his great Aunt. Mingyu didn't want to have to cry for both of them now, not when his mother's eyes looked so dry.
"You said you wanted us to check the house out, clean out what we could," Mingyu excused.
It was the truth, at least. Despite the depressing circumstances of his family's visit to his deceased Aunt's house, the study still felt warm. Mingyu knew that it was because it was midday in the middle of summer, and the study had abnormally large glass windows. But he wanted to believe that it was because his Aunt's soul was still in this very room.
The windows weren't for the sun, anyway. They were framed by swooping patterned curtains on both sides. His Aunt always said that the curtains should be shut during the day, only to be opened on the night. To let the moonlight in.
Mingyu wasn't spiritual per say, but he was a creature of comfort, of belonging. Of habit. Whatever his Aunt said, it was the truth. He still hadn’t grown out of that.
Suddenly, a thought occurred. He turned back towards his mother, only to find that she had left. He huffed, slowly making his way out of the study, respectfully shutting off his running thoughts when he shut the door.
Mingyu wandered down the upstairs corridor, determinedly walking past the section of doors that he knew led into his Grandma's room and Aunt's room respectively. He hadn't had the nerve to open them yet during this visit. He didn't think he would get the nerve before he left either. He didn't know if his parents had touched them yet, but he didn't want to know. He did glimpse into the guest room nestled next to the top of the stairs, though. It used to be his room when he was younger and demanded to sleep over. He only briefly looked inside, finding it seemingly untouched because there was no mess. The single bed looked made up too. He closed the door before he had time to think some more.
He made his way down the stairs and found his parents in the living room, surveying the boxes of hoarded trinkets that they needed to sort through.
The sight only made Mingyu rethink the thought that had plagued him enough to leave the study.
"Mama, I thought you said that our Aunt left you guys this house. You aren't thinking of selling it, are you?"
Mingyu's mother pursed her lips at the question but ultimately abandoned the box she was pretending to think so hard about.
"We haven't come to a decision yet," she said, "But that doesn't mean we'll be selling so soon anyway. It's not just you, Mingyu. This place does mean a lot to us. We don't want to throw it all away. We just needed to clean up a little. Who needs all this junk?"
At least that gave Mingyu some relief. Only for his eyes to fall on the aforementioned junk. Again, Mingyu wasn't superstitious, or spiritual. But his great Aunt was special, he knew that. He just didn't know how special.
He just knew that everything she touched was magic. And that included those boxes.
"Can I have them then?" Mingyu asked, lowering himself to his knees beside them, "Saves you having to throw them out."
His mother didn't seem to have an issue with that, seeing as she offered up no protest. Mingyu didn't miss the way his father rolled his eyes at him though.
"You haven't visited this place in so long, since you left for uni. Why are you acting so sentimental now? You don't like junk, you always complain when you come to ours and we haven't cleaned up."
Mingyu scoffed at his father, "Dirty plates or Minseo's belongings everywhere aren't the same as... As..."
Mingyu gestured uselessly to the boxes.
"As old books and statues?" his father asked warily.
Mingyu could only throw his hands up and slap them on his thighs in agreement. He also didn't want to keep arguing.
He was sentimental. He grew up in his family home with his parents and sister, but it was his great Aunt's house he ran to after school. It was her house he begged to visit after finishing his homework. It was her house where he wanted to play. Where he rode his first bike and learned that he could draw. Poorly, at first, but it was something he got better at. Something he used for his degree. Something his Aunt told him he could be amazing at.
He didn't realise he was just staring at the boxes for so long that his dad had to clear his throat.
"Alright," his dad said, "Keep the boxes. In fact, if you're so attached, why don't you house sit for a few days? Help us clean out everything that none of us want to keep, since your mother and I can't be here every day. We have work."
Mingyu blinked, "I have work too."
"You work in construction, Mingyu, can't you just drive to your sites to work and then drive back here?"
Well. Mingyu could.
So Mingyu agreed.
~~~
Mingyu didn't realise how the quiet of a large, empty house would hit him until after his parents had gone home. They had shared dinner together in the kitchen before they left, and it felt like Mingyu was a child again.
It brought back memories of clattering dishes, metal on porcelain, tantalising aromas that seduced every member of the family to come running to the kitchen. His Grandma was at the heart of it, the spread on the table always so filling. With a stomach much smaller than the one he has now, he still had the habit of shovelling as much on his plate into his mouth as he could. He was always so proud when he never choked. And he always finished first.
It was never a competition, but he always won.
Now he's finished washing three bowls in the kitchen sink and all he could hear was running water. The window above the sink was still letting the sun rays in, catching his arms in the light, making him golden. His eyes caught the glisten of scars on his forearms, put there by mishaps and mistakes, and a small grimace brought down his lips.
He turned off the tap, dried the dishes, and made his way back into the hallway.
The doorway to the living room was ajar and Mingyu could see the boxes still on the floor near the couches. The idea of going through them now made his stomach queasy.
Or maybe that was just because he still ate just as quickly as he did as a child.
Without thinking, Mingyu closed the door to the living room and made his way to the front door. He didn't want to be alone in this house with just his thoughts, at least not right now. He needed to reacquaint himself with the neighbourhood he had once left when he was a teenager, especially if he had to fill the fridge to keep himself alive.
His dad was right about one thing. Mingyu hadn't come back since leaving for university. He left his childhood home, and this one, for a bustling life in the city. Where there were more people his age, places that were as big as Mingyu felt sometimes, and knowledge that came from behind screens. To give the city its credit though, it gave Mingyu his degree, and it gave him work experience. And it was also the home to his apartment.
Mingyu would also say it gave him people experience, but even Mingyu knew that he didn't need help with that. Clubs with hundreds of bodies or corner shops with three customers and an elder at the checkout, Mingyu had charm.
His great Aunt told him that too.
Something about how the moon had favourites, that she reflects the sun's energy into people who care. Mingyu was his Aunt's favourite. Maybe that's where the energy came from.
He felt more like the sun than the moon. The moon was always so unassuming. Never the brightest star in the galaxy, but always there. Every night it would rise and glisten the ocean, and she would stake her claim on the night. She created mysterious shadows but always found a way to light up what was needed. She never lit it up herself, she just always knew what to reflect off of. She was beautiful. She knew what she was and she did it so perfectly.
Mingyu never felt beautiful. Not anymore. Not after every blemish, every scratch, every taint and bump on his skin. No, he was the sun alright. Never to be looked at in the eye or you'll be blinded. Always so scorching, so much, too much. Always too much.
The brightest star in the sky, but at what cost?
Mingyu shook himself from his reverie, grabbed his jacket from the hook by the front door, and set off down the footpath to the gate.
He could cover his arms and feel normal. He could smile at his new neighbours and familiarise himself with the streets. He didn't know how long he would be staying here, but he might as well make himself comfortable.
~~~
Mingyu didn't know that the first encounter he would have after leaving his Aunt's house would be a tabby cat. Mingyu was startled from his thoughts when he heard a meow near his shoulder, and he looked to see that he was being followed down the street. The tabby was walking one paw in front of the other down the fence that connected a row of houses and only stopped walking when Mingyu had.
Mingyu might be a self-claimed dog person, but that didn't mean he didn't know a cutie when he saw one. He grinned as he reached over to give the tabby's fur a gentle tousle. The tabby meowed again, turning its head to rub its cheek into Mingyu's fingers.
See, Mingyu could charm anyone. Even stray cats.
"Sorry buddy," Mingyu cooed, "But I have to be on my way now. Gotta get a good food shop in before the stores all close."
He got a petulant meow in return and the tabby turned around to lift it's behind in the air towards Mingyu's face, as if mocking him for having to leave.
Mingyu could only sigh as he dropped his hand back to his side.
Well, almost anyone, anyway.
~~~
Luckily for him, the shops were in fact still open. At least, the ones he needed.
He was surprised he remembered that after the grove of houses, there was an alleyway that made room for a small-town market. And after the market, there was a circle of shops. The whole neighbourhood felt like a circle. Houses and shops on either side of the arches, and then spaces for a park, a school, and the market in the middle.
All good things are circles, his Aunt would say.
And all good things, in Mingyu's opinion, had food.
The grocery was easy to spot because of the stand of fruits outside, and his entrance of the shop was announced by a little jingle above the door.
The place seemed empty except for the worker behind the counter, a man in his fifties maybe, and a man around his own age looking over the shelves. He was definitely shorter than Mingyu, but despite the height difference, Mingyu could see the muscles with every reach to a higher shelf. Not someone to mess with, duly noted. It wasn't his place to giggle at the stranger's inability to reach the top shelf.
Not that Mingyu's own muscles were lacking these days. In fact, he was in the best shape he had been in years. Still. He didn't like to use them when it wasn't necessary.
"Can I help you?" a voice pulled him from his thoughts.
Mingyu dazedly turned to the man at the counter, and Mingyu stumbled over to the fridges in his haste to look like he wasn't wasting anyone's time.
"Sorry," he mumbled, and then made sure to actually shop.
After selecting a good amount of ingredients for a few nights' worth of meals, Mingyu paid at the counter with his wallet.
After his transaction went through, Mingyu glanced back over to the produce shelves, filled with jams and jars of honey. The shorter customer who was there a few minutes ago had left. Huh. Mingyu hadn't noticed. Oh well.
Mingyu took one more look at the unimpressed employee and decided that making small talk with this guy specifically wouldn't be his best idea. Maybe he wouldn't know his Aunt anyway. Mingyu bid the man goodbye with a salute and a smile.
~~~
Just as Mingyu was about to be disappointed that he hadn't found anyone of note to introduce himself to, a loud voice made him stop in his tracks. A boy, again about his age, was running towards him. Instead of feeling scared, Mingyu was just slightly confused. The running boy had bleached white hair and cat eyes, his hair all frayed. But maybe that was just from the running.
"Hello," Mingyu greeted when the boy came to a stop in front of him, long arms reaching down to his knees like he was out of breath. "Can I help you?"
The boy looked up with an intense grin, almost making Mingyu take a step back, "Sorry, I had to see you for myself."
Mingyu could only blink. He did look behind him to see if this was a misunderstanding, but it was just the two of them next to the road. No one else was around.
"I'm sorry," Mingyu tilted his head, "What do you mean?"
"You're Miss Dalnim's boy, aren't you? She's shown me pictures of you. Though, gotta say, man. You’re taller in person.”
Mingyu blinked again. But then slowly he started to smile. Finally.
"You know my great Aunt?"
"Of course I do," the boy snorted, "Everyone here does. Word gets around. Sorry to hear about.... Well. You know. The place won't be as bright without her."
Now Mingyu was blinking a lot. It had nothing to do with how wet his eyes were.
"Right, yeah. Sorry. I mean. Thanks. It's going to be tough," Mingyu allowed. But then, "She's shown you pictures of me? Who are you?"
"Ugh, right. Hoonie will say I'm being rude. I'm Soonyoung. You'll see me a lot around here. But basically, I was the one repairing that house you're staying in. Miss Dalnim was always the kindest lady on the block, and I had spare time on my hands. She paid me in stories and cookies. My favourite payment."
"Oh." Mingyu didn't know what to say. He didn't know his great Aunt had company after his Grandma died. The thought at least comforted him. "I'm Mingyu."
"I know," Soonyoung laughed. "She told me that too. She told me all about you. She loved you. Can't imagine having someone love you that much."
Yeah. Mingyu feared he would never feel that again.
But he wasn't about to cry to a stranger on the street when he hadn't managed a moment's peace to cry in private first.
"How did you know I arrived in town? Or did you just see me right now?" he asked instead.
He could have sworn Soonyoung had ran in from nowhere.
"I have my ways," Soonyoung said vaguely. "News spreads fast here."
Mingyu can't imagine how. The stranger at the shelf hadn't spotted him from Mingyu's knowledge, and the grocer guy didn't seem like the gossip type. At least, not to instantly call someone half his age about Mingyu's arrival.
It must have been that cat.
Already laughing at his own joke in his head, Mingyu patted Soonyoung on the arm as he lifted his shopping with his other hand.
"Well, it was really nice to meet you, Soonyoung-ssi. Thanks for helping out around the house for my Aunt."
"Not a problem," Soonyoung grinned, "I'd open the offer to help you out too, but with those arms, I think I'd only hold you back."
Mingyu laughed again and shrugged the compliment off, "I can see you lift too. Got lots of muscles underneath that tiger shirt."
Soonyoung bared his teeth playfully before walking away, but then he stopped and turned back with a click of his fingers. "Oh! Come to the hub this Thursday, you'll be able to meet us all. Make friends more your age. Not that the older population here aren't great."
"The hub?" Mingyu asked.
"Basically the town hall," Soonyoung shrugged, "But we've kind of overtook it now. Half about the community, half about the gossip. It's fun. You should come."
Mingyu didn't know how long he would be here for, but making plans felt like a good idea anyway. He thrived in social situations. Maybe a gathering once a week in a place like this would be good for him.
"Sure," Mingyu agreed, "I'll see you then."
~~~
Despite the brief reprieve Soonyoung brought him, Mingyu couldn't help but feel antsy when he got back to his Aunt's house. He should really start calling this place home. He didn't want to get too attached just in case his parents decided to sell it, but he had already admitted to himself that he was attached. He didn't have to be ashamed of that. This was his true home. Not back with his parents, or his cold apartment in the city.
This was home.
So why did he not feel settled?
He dropped his ingredients in the fridge and the kitchen cupboards, walking straight past the door to the living room. His stomach growled, but he ignored it. He shouldn't be hungry already. He barely ate an hour ago. He needed to relax.
Except he couldn't. The house was vacant, so quiet, and every step he took was recorded by the floorboards. They squeaked under his weight like they were in pain. He didn't like it.
He didn't want to hurt them too.
Mingyu decided that maybe he just needed a shower. He made his way to the upstairs bathroom and came face to face with a floor length mirror when he opened the door.
He would have to get rid of that.
Ignoring it for now, Mingyu didn't bother closing the door as he stripped naked. No one could see into this room and he was home alone. All part of the plan to be comfortable.
He got into the shower and made sure the spray was cold before submerging himself under the water completely. He quickly remembered that he had to adjust the facet, almost bumping his head against the metal showerhead. At least that was one crisis averted. He didn’t want to have to deal with the consequences of bumping his head and slipping in the shower on his first night here. At least it didn't take long for him to wash his body, even when he realised that he had to rummage through the cabinets to find toiletries.
He'd smell floral for the night, but he didn't mind. It reminded him of her.
Mingyu shut off the shower head. Maybe being reminded of her wasn't the best idea.
Besides, the shower hadn't helped. He still didn't feel calm.
It also took him too long to realise that he had only brought one outfit with him today, so unless he wanted to wear florals as well as smell like them, he needed to drive back home to put together a suitcase. At least that would give him something to do. But it would also take way too long if Mingyu wanted to be in bed at a reasonable hour for work.
Damn. Okay, tonight he would just put on the same clothes and try to go to sleep.
Tomorrow he would go to work, drive back to his apartment, pick up his things, and then come back.
Simple.
With renewed purpose, Mingyu got out of the shower and bent down to pick up his strewn clothes. When he lifted himself up, his eyes caught his reflection in the mirror.
He didn't mean to freeze. Usually, he never meant to look either.
This time though, his eyes stayed glued to his reflection. His black hair was curled just below his chin, longer than it had been in a while. Wet from the shower, it looked unruly. Unkempt. He definitely needed to get his products from his apartment.
His eyes dared to stray lower, down his unblemished neck to his broad shoulders. He refused to look away as he held eye contact with the gash there, from his right shoulder to his left hip. It had healed but still marked his body. A reminder that his restlessness was always rewarded with productive claws. If productivity was scarring skin like his hands were useless for anything else.
His thighs were spared too, and his shins. But he knew that if he had a mirror behind him, he would be able to see his biggest scar of all on the back of his right shoulder.
A mark from a creature’s jaw, dents that were the size of fangs as big as his own. His first mistake. The first bite he had ever endured, a bite that had managed to transform a naïve playful young boy into a half playful, half fearful man. Mingyu had learned to trade bruises from falling off his bike to cuts and scars from claws that tore into skin when they had nothing else to tear into. These new scars only affected his body once a month, but unlike the bruises from his bike, they were made to last. To remind Mingyu that for one day every cycle, he knew nothing but tooth and claw. They were nights he never remembered, but he didn’t know if that was by design, or if it was a Mingyu thing. If it was just Mingyu who didn’t want to remember.
The reason he hid his arms from the sun and his canines from his smiles.
He truly did respect the moon, but the moon didn't seem to respect him back.
His Aunt's biggest lie.
That mirror really did have to go.
With one last shudder from the cold shower, Mingyu dressed himself and made his way down the corridor to the spare room made for him.
Only he came face to face with the study once more, and like a siren's call, he opened the door. He ventured further into the room than he had managed this morning, though. He took three steps. Then five. Then five more. In the middle of the room were two armchairs, still covered by blankets, one he recognised to be his Aunt's shawl. He picked it up and covered his shoulders with it despite being dressed for warmth now, and he padded towards the decorated coffee table that used to be covered in clutter and more books.
His fingers reached out to pick up the calendar that still lived on the table and something clicked in his head for why he was so restless.
The calendar did track the days of the month for each year, but it also tracked the cycles of the moon. The phases always meant more to his Aunt than the seasons of the year, anyway.
His eyes caught on what the moon phase was right now.
Waxing moon.
He felt his fingers dig into the shawl and his teeth ached. He sighed as he put the calendar down and made himself comfortable on one of the armchairs. Maybe he would make a trip to the market in town tomorrow. He remembered it was always open Monday nights, to prepare everyone for the week ahead. His Aunt bought her trinkets from the stalls and she told him that they helped with the moon’s temperaments. Mingyu wasn’t superstitious but he had been bit, and this was his life now, of hiding and hoping things would get better. Maybe he needed the moon on his side. He’d go to the market. The decision was final.
He didn't close the curtains earlier, so his face was now lit up by the moon high in the sky tonight. It wasn't a strong light, the moon barely visible, but it was strong enough.
His Aunt never put lamps in her study. The moon was always enough.
Mingyu fell asleep in the armchair, the shawl protecting his arms from the light.
~~~
After work the next day, Mingyu did start to feel better. His hands were used for good, even if that good was scaffolding. Someone had to do it, and he had vision.
Not to mention the work he did was physically taxing and it helped expel some of that waxing moon energy he seemed to be thrumming with right now.
He wondered if his Aunt truly knew how much the moon would affect Mingyu’s life. If she knew her great nephew would be half and half, half human and half feral. From how he acted as a child, maybe her suspicions weren’t so farfetched. Or maybe she knew that deep down, everyone was like this, even ones who didn’t fall victim to the phases. If she knew that all creatures could tear and bite.
Or maybe she didn’t know at all.
He hoped for her sake that she didn’t. She wouldn’t want the moon to hurt him. Some truths were best kept hidden.
Mingyu tried to distract himself by packing his suitcase in his apartment and loading his car with everything he thought he needed for his short stay at his Aunt’s house. He ignored how full his suitcase was, and also how his mind had decided that even if he needed more things, he could just buy them whilst he’s in town.
Because this stay was temporary, that’s all.
He didn’t know how long he could last in that big house all alone, anyway.
Still, Mingyu drove back there in the evening, and even though his body was sore, it was a good feeling. He knew he had worked hard today, and he knew he could rest tonight knowing he was ready for tomorrow. Though he did quickly have to make one stop first.
Mingyu parked on the side of the street before the curve into the market and hoped he wouldn’t get a fine if he only spent a few minutes looking around. The street he parked on was empty, but he could hear sound coming from the market itself. People were hanging around, shopping despite the late evening, and this was what Mingyu had remembered fondly.
Young Mingyu slipping his hand free from his Aunt’s clasp, running into the bustle of adults and other children, trying to jump up at each stall to see what different vendors were selling.
His mother would reprimand him for running away like a bad child, but his Aunt always just grabbed his hand again and called him wild like it was a compliment.
Once Mingyu had ventured into the heart of the market, his ears were attacked even more, but he couldn’t help but smile. The children were loud but the merchants were louder, trying to bolster their voices so they could be heard by potential buyers. Some stalls had ornaments, some stalls had jewellery, some stalls had remedies, and some stalls had paintings. Young Mingyu always tried to grab canvases, but even his Aunt would hold him back. Mingyu smiled fondly as he caught some artists sat next to their stalls, their palette in hand, ready to paint anyone who would pay to sit opposite them.
The lights were like trickles of starlight, hung delicately from each stall across the market, lighting up what the moon couldn’t stretch between.
There were no shadows.
It felt magical.
Though Mingyu didn’t have to second guess which stall he was going to visit first, his nose had picked up its aroma from only stepping a few feet across the market.
Food. But not just any food. Spicy stir-fried pork.
Within minutes, Mingyu had lunged towards the stand and eagerly bounced on his toes as he waited for his turn. Whilst a family of four in front of him were being served, he looked around at the crowd in his vicinity. He absentmindedly tried to look for familiar faces, perhaps even Soonyoung, but couldn’t see him from this vantage point. He couldn’t see the guy from the grocery yesterday either, but with how Mingyu remembered his height, he probably had no chance at picking him out of this crowd.
“What are you giggling at?”
Mingyu jumped and turned to his left, blinking as he took in the person who was suddenly pressed up against his side. Mingyu could tell that the physical touch was only circumstantial, since the crowd around the stall next to the spicy pork stand had gotten bigger, and the guy had nowhere else to lean.
“Just that I don’t remember the market being this full before,” Mingyu saved himself, and he made a hand gesture towards, well, the crowd.
The guy next to him was only slightly shorter than Mingyu but the first thing he noticed were his eyes. They were large and in Mingyu’s face, but they were soft on the inside and didn’t look too intimidating. But once his own eyes had wandered lower, the shoulders and biceps swiftly made Mingyu change his mind.
“I’m Mingyu, by the way,” he introduced himself, since the guy didn’t seem to offer up anything else.
“I’m Wen Junhui,” Junhui jerked his head at him, then righted himself, “You can call me Jun, or hyung. Depends how old you are.”
“I’m 97,” Mingyu declared proudly.
Jun smirked, “96.”
Mingyu deflated into a soft pout, and Jun’s shoulder gently pushed Mingyu forwards slightly when he chuckled.
Mingyu refused to let it hurt his ego. Instead, he looked ahead and realised he could now swoop in and grab his pork, and he flashed Jun a grin before moving up to order. When he had his late dinner in his hands, Mingyu turned to find that Jun was no longer behind him. Huh. People really do just disappear around here. Well, the crowd probably helped.
Now that his stomach was sated, Mingyu threw away his food in the correct trash cans found along the street, and he kept wandering. He did come here to look at specific wares, but Mingyu didn’t know what those specific wares actually were. He was young when his Aunt started hoarding her trinkets, and Mingyu couldn’t really remember what stalls were actually magic. Or, his Aunt’s version of magic, anyway. He just figured he’d know when he saw it. Or felt it. Or whatever the spirits say.
The more he walked along the endless stalls, the more he thought that this surely was a bigger market than when he was a kid. He literally walked through the empty market yesterday and it certainly wasn’t this long, was it? How could it grow in a night?
Just when he was about to give up and go home, something small caught his eye. Or should he say, a subtle scent caught his nose. It was like he was picking up the smell that comes after a satisfying rainfall, like the dew of the grass after going outside. It wasn’t strong, but it was odd. Mingyu glanced up just to make sure. It wasn’t raining.
He decided that a sign was a sign, and he followed his nose, but he didn’t have to walk far to find what he was looking for. It was a small shack on the edge of the market, almost cornering off the street to block off new visitors. It was nestled between two market tables, and the shack had a lack of fairy lights donning its roof. Instead, the shack had its own light for the night, in the form of tea lights and small candles. Four on the shelf of the shack itself, and two dangling plants with candles inside of them from the wooden beam on top. He couldn’t just smell the rain anymore, either. He could smell sandalwood too now, probably from the incense that Mingyu spotted next to the candles.
The true prize of this shack was not in fact the candles or incense, but small odd-shaped bottles that were labelled with words he couldn’t understand despite his reading comprehension skills, and burlap bags tied with small loops of rope.
He had to wonder why possible flammable liquids and soft bags of fabric could withstand the heat of all the open flames.
Then he didn’t have to wonder at all, because with one look up, he was met with a look so deadpan behind horn-rimmed glasses, and Mingyu knew that the flammable liquids weren’t going to blow up from the candles alone.
Fuck. Mingyu should have had a drink with his pork.
“Can I help you?” the bored-looking vendor said.
Mingyu could tell that the guy had only asked because Mingyu was right up in his stall and hadn’t offered to buy anything yet.
Sue him, Mingyu just liked to be thorough. Especially if he was going to be buying some voodoo magic that he knew nothing about.
Because if anything at this market was magical, it was this shack.
“Hey there,” Mingyu smiled, subtly leaning closer to the open stall. “I’m Mingyu.”
The vendor looked at Mingyu. Said nothing. Looked down at his wares. Said nothing. Then looked back up to Mingyu.
Still said nothing.
“Uh,” Mingyu faltered, “Sorry to bother you, I was just looking.”
Which was true. But he wasn’t even looking at his wares anymore, he was just looking at the vendor. He couldn’t help but notice that the vendor had quite nice eyes, now that they didn’t look like they were suspicious of Mingyu stealing his stock. They were almost feline-like too, but sharper, almost as sharp as his jaw. His lips were pursed like he wanted to tell Mingyu to leave but could still do with Mingyu’s business, so he didn’t, and it gave away how full they were.
Not that Mingyu was looking that much. Just a little. Not to mention how soft his dark mullet was. Again, Mingyu was here for the wares. Nothing else.
When it became evident that both of them were content to just openly stare at each other, Mingyu finally broke the spell to look at the potions and burlaps. He wanted something to soothe his soul, whatever that meant. Something to make him less restless. Also, how was he supposed to know what were in the burlaps? Did they have tiny labels on them too?
Mingyu reached out his hand to pick one up and find out.
“Don’t,” the vendor immediately stopped him.
Damn, his voice was even deeper than his own. It worried Mingyu that his voice was the first thought in his head, and not the command. But he did hear him, and he stopped reaching for the small sack.
“Sorry,” Mingyu soothed, “Am I not supposed to touch them? I just wanted to look, promise.”
This time the vendor looked taken aback slightly, and his eyes closed and opened slowly. It was a very slow blink. It reminded Mingyu of the stray tabby.
“Oh, no,” the vendor eventually said, “Usually I wouldn’t mind people handling my stock, but your hands are dirty.”
Oh. How did he know?
The vendor gestured towards Mingyu’s fingers that were left in mid-air, “You have dirt on your fingers.”
Oh. Right. Actual dirt.
“Sorry,” Mingyu said again, but this time much lighter, “I’m a labourer.”
“It’s alright,” the vendor smiled slightly, the curve of his lips doing dumb things to Mingyu’s self-esteem. “I’ll just tell you what they are. Unless you have something specific in mind?”
“Not specific,” Mingyu shook his head, “Just vibes. What would you recommend someone who has too much energy and feels restless? Is there anything to soothe me a little? If that makes sense.”
The vendor seemed to tilt his head at Mingyu in thought. Maybe Mingyu should have just bought a candle instead. He could understand candles. And candles can help people sleep, right?
Eventually, the vendor spoke his mind.
“Well, if you wanted a burlap, I do have ones with lavender, and ones with chamomile. They’re herbs known for calming. I also have cedarwood essential oils if you were willing to branch out, so to speak.”
Mingyu hummed. “I wouldn’t know what to do with oils.”
“Just put them in your bath,” the vendor supplied, “Or you can massage them into your skin. Another way would be to burn them with an oil burner, but honestly, you don’t seem….”
The vendor paused.
“Like the type?” Mingyu snorted.
Was he that out of his comfort zone that the vendor noticed?
“I wasn’t going to say it,” the vendor grinned.
He was grinning. The market was so worth it.
“What about the incense stuff? Any candles that will soothe me to sleep?” Mingyu ventured.
He might as well know all his options. He definitely was not stalling.
The vendor glanced at his own wares as if he didn’t truly know what he was selling. The action was endearing. Mingyu had only just realised that he was bouncing on his toes again.
Mingyu had to stop himself. Cute vendor guy was not the same as spicy pork.
“Other than the lavender and chamomile I mentioned earlier, maybe a rose scented candle would help?” the vendor said it like a question, but then nodded at himself, “Rose is subtle but sweet. It depends on your preference too. It doesn’t matter how soothing the scent is supposed to be if it doesn’t actually line up with what you like.”
That made sense to Mingyu. The vendor knew better than him, anyway.
“I’ll take a rose candle, please. And since I’m here, maybe some oil?”
“Some oil?”
Mingyu could hear in his tone that the vendor was laughing at him. Oh well. To be laughed at by a cute boy was a win in Mingyu’s book.
“I’ll take the cedarwood,” Mingyu decided, “Why not?”
“Why not, indeed,” the vendor mused, “It’s your money.”
True. But a candle and some oils weren’t going to break his bank.
“That’ll be 149,000 won.”
Mingyu almost dropped his wallet. “Excuse me?”
“That’ll be 149,000 won,” the vendor repeated.
“No, I heard you,” Mingyu huffed.
Damn, that was more than he was willing to pay at a simple night market.
Mingyu looked at his wallet, then at the shoddy shack with all its mysterious charm and then looked at the equally charming vendor.
Well, what’s the price of magic?
“Are these actually going to help me? Or is it voodoo?” Mingyu accused.
The vendor quirked an amused eyebrow. “Voodoo?”
“Yeah, that’s what this is, isn’t it?”
The vendor laughed at him again, “Are you calling me a witch or a scammer?”
“Whichever shoe fits,” Mingyu muttered, but he pulled out his card anyway.
He didn’t usually use his card at stalls, but the vendor better have a card reader, because who carries cash around them like that? Well, richer people than Mingyu, obviously. But he was only a humble worker.
Luckily, the vendor did have a card reader, and Mingyu paid without anymore fuss. He made himself promise to remember not to be so confident with his spending ever again now, though. He had a much bigger house that he needed to help his parents pay for. It wasn’t just him and his small apartment anymore.
Mingyu watched as the vendor packed his candle and oils in a little hemp gift bag and the vendor handed them to him with a small smile. Their fingers did not brush, and Mingyu willed himself not to be disappointed.
“Well, that’s me,” Mingyu announced, like the vendor didn’t know.
Luckily the vendor seemed to keep smiling. Mingyu knew he was a charmer.
“Will I see you again?” Mingyu asked foolishly before he lost his nerve.
The vendor nodded.
Mingyu couldn’t help but bounce on his toes again, “Really?”
“Really,” the vendor said, and he pointed to the side of the street that had a pole planted to the ground with a banner that announced the opening times of the market, “Every week on Mondays. And Thursdays.”
Oh, right. Mingyu huffed. “Not before then?”
The vendor said nothing.
Alright, fine. Mingyu could wait until Thursday. He was staying in the house until then anyway. He could be patient.
Well, he couldn’t. But the vendor didn’t need to know that.
“What’s your name?” Mingyu asked, because he needed something.
The vendor quirked the corner of his lip, and his hands went to fumble with some of his wares, like they had held still for too long whilst talking with Mingyu.
“I’m Wonwoo.”
Wonwoo. Cute.
“I’m Mingyu.”
“I know,” Wonwoo laughed this time, and dropped his burlap bag. “You already told me. Shouldn’t you be getting back home?”
“I’m twenty-six!” Mingyu protested petulantly.
“Good to know,” Wonwoo said, “But you keep yawning at me.”
Oh. Huh. Maybe he should head home.
“Fine, okay,” Mingyu relented, but he lifted the hand that held onto his new products and pointed at Wonwoo, “See you Thursday.”
Wonwoo shook his head at him in bemusement.
But he did say, “See you, Mingyu.”
Mingyu sent him a salute before he turned away from that little shack and realised that the crowd had suddenly dispersed. Just how long was he stood there talking with Wonwoo? Oh well. He was going to go home now anyway, and hoped his car was safe from the fine.
With one last look back at the shack, he saw Wonwoo with his head bowed down, his hands rearranging the layout of his stock before Mingyu realised that he was just sorting out his wares to pack them away. Oh, it must be late, if it was time to close up.
Mingyu really did respect the moon. No matter what happened to Mingyu every month, this sight alone had all of Mingyu’s respect.
The moon high in the sky with dominance, casting its light over the market, over Wonwoo’s stall, highlighted by the candle flames that still hung from the shack. It looked like the naked flames could really just combust.
But what had most of Mingyu’s respect was the reflection of the blue-tinted night air across Wonwoo’s face. Even from this distance, the sight could not compare. The reflective lenses of Wonwoo’s glasses, the accentuation of his proud nose. The soft wisp of his hair as he lent forward.
Mingyu’s heart hadn’t stuttered to life like this in far too long. Mingyu was a chaser, he ran too long and too hard, and he never ended up with the right destination.
He really was scammed out of his products. The candle and those oils were not going to help him get to sleep tonight.