Chapter Text
Strong yet gentle hands pushed open the doors to the balcony. It allowed the sunlight to peer in naturally and light up the room. Jongho went back to the middle of the room and slowly turned in a circle. Taking in the few boxes that needed to be opened and the items inside needing a home. This room would be turned into a relaxation room for him. A place to hide away when his day became too much. Turning on the speaker he pressed play and allowed his playlist to keep him company while unpacking.
His parents had planned on giving him this house as a college graduation present. It was an inheritance that he had learned about after sitting down with the family lawyer after his parents had passed due to a horrible car accident. This home was built by his maternal grandmother and was to be passed down to him and so on and so forth. He honestly had no idea who his grandmother was. He had never met them, either of them to be honest. Paternal or maternal side.
“Well, Grandmother, I will take care of this place just as you did until I take my last living breath.” Jongho promised out loud. After breaking down the last box he dusted his hands off and grabbed his half empty bottle of water. Moving out onto the balcony he leaned his hip against the railing and looked out into the back yard. He needed to figure out what he wanted to do with it. Maybe he could start a flower garden and grow a few vegetables as-
His train of thought was interrupted by a figure walking through. A male that had to be around the same age as him slowly made his way through the garden. He was making his way towards the wood line. Jongho glared a bit before speaking up. “Hey! You there!” The figure stopped walking and looked back at him; it was hard for Jongho to make out the man’s features. “Don’t make it a habit of walking through my back yard!” He warned them. The figure looked around before pointing at himself. “Yeah you!” Jongho was pouting at this point. Why was the person acting as if he shouldn’t be seen now? Before he could say something else or threaten the male with calling the cops, he had dashed into the woods quickly.
Sighing, he downed the rest of his water before heading back inside. He had one more room that needed to be unpacked before dinner needed to be made. Jongho didn’t even know if there was another house back in the woods. The property he now owns is quite large. Maybe one day he’ll walk through and see.
The door to the mansion swung open as San got closer. What he had just experienced was something out of the norm. The new owner of the abandoned home could see him. He had made sure to wear the bracelet that helped him with his camouflage. Lifting it up to eye level he used a sharp fingernail to poke at it. It was still working. He could still feel Seonghwa’s magic flowing through it. Taking the stairs two at a time he went up to Hwa’s room and knocked before entering.
The witch was standing in front of their cauldron mixing up the newest order of potions for his never-ending list of clients. “San, baby. You’re back early. Usually, you stop and enjoy a bit of sun.” He looked up from the bubbling liquid.
“The new owner of the abandoned home seen me.” The younger cut right to the chase. The look on Seonghwa’s face said everything. “I know the bracelet is still on me. No one should have seen me, but that boy looked right through the cloak.”
“How was he able to see you, then?” Seonghwa tossed what they had in their hands down and quickly moved over to San. The witch pulled San’s wrist up and looked at the bracelet. His magic still flowed through it. It was doing its job just fine. So that must mean that their new neighbor must be one of them. That piqued his interest. Maybe they could be the missing piece of his family. The witch dropped San’s hands and went back to their cauldron. “Give it a day. I’m going to go and greet them. A housewarming gift is needed.” San nodded his head. His snake-like eyes blinked owlishly before heading out and going to find Wooyoung.
Seonghwa waved their hand and the fire under the cauldron had stopped. The mixture had slowly stopped bubbling. Picking up a jar he dipped it in to fill it before capping it. Once he had sat it to the side his ears picked up the fluttering of wings. Looking to the side they seen their raven, Mars, land on their perch. Their red eyes stared at their master’s every move. “You’ve been gone all day, little one. Where have you been?”
CAW
Jongho was sitting on the kitchen counter eating what little was left of dinner he had. He had visited this odd little market that he had found in town. He didn’t know about it when researching about the small town. It didn’t show up on any map. When he arrived at a small convenience store, he could hear the hustle and bustle of a busy street. Yet where he stood, he really didn’t see anyone. Just a few people walking down the opposite side of the street and a woman waving her hand to stop a taxi. Allowing his curiosity to take over he followed the sound until he came to an alley way. Odd, nothing showed up until he walked down and came to an opening. A black curtain that had bells hanging on the end covered the entry way. The sounds of people moving about became louder.
Pushing the curtain to the side the bells chimed and another alleyway came into view. This time there were lit torches leading the way. It had emptied out into a small market. There were food stalls and produce areas and even things he had never seen before. He was approached by a young woman that had a basket in her hand.
“Here you are sir.” She handed the basket to Jongho. “Is this your first time at the market? I’ve never seen you around before.”
“Thank you.” He bowed slightly. “I’m new to the area. Just need to find a few ingredients for dinner tonight.”
“Take a look around. I’m sure one of the merchants will have something you’d like.” The young woman waved and walked off to greet another.
Walking around he allowed his eyes to travel and pull him towards different stalls. Jongho ended up finding seasonings, meats, some fruits and even a weird fruit that his mother used to feed him all the time. He couldn’t find them in any major grocery store and when asking about it people looked at him funny. Jongho couldn’t help himself. He needed more than three. “I’ll take a bag please!~”
The merchant’s eyes widened. “What a lovely voice you have. Are you new? I have never seen you around before.”
“I am new here! First time here actually. How much?” Jongho was reaching into his back pocket for his wallet, but the vender had stopped him.
“Sing a song for me and I’ll give you them for free.”