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In Sooga Village lives a strong young man named Changbin, he's in his early twenties alongside all of his friends. Sooga Village is small but rich in culture and ninja activity. Chan is the local hero while Minho is his arch nemesis.
No one is exactly sure when their rivalry started, some say Minho just woke up and made it his life's mission to dishonor Chan. Others say it's just in their blood. Whatever the case may be, their antics keep Sooga Village lively.
Chan is currently on the run from Changbin. This has been a regular occurrence since they were children. Changbin has had a hopeless one-sided crush on Chan for years but has never been deterred.
Changbin jumps in the air, tackling Chan into a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Not too far from them, ninjas are watching from behind a wall. The lead ninja, Minho, gets ready to enact his plan—he causes a small distraction, allowing Chan to escape Changbin.
Changbin turns away, when suddenly, Chan and Minho are facing off in a duel behind him.
The ninjas jump out from their hiding places, surrounding Changbin. Changbin tenses, before making a swift kick to the ninja closest to him. He makes his rounds, fighting off every ninja, and making quick work of Minho. Changbin dusts off his hands, turning around directly in front of Chan.
Chan pulls a small box out of his pocket, placing it in Changbin's hands. Changbin gasps as Chan presses a small kiss to his lips, swooning. He cradles the gift to his chest and makes his way back home to the restaurant.
Once Changbin's back has turned, ‘Chan’ takes off a mask to reveal… Minho! He goes over to what remains of his ninjas, exclaiming with joy, “Yes! He took the gift! Everything is going to plan. Now all we need to do is wait.” A few of the ninjas snicker to themselves. “Oh, shut up! I had to kiss him! I needed to sell the performance, whatever.”
Changbin is seated with Felix inside the restaurant, Bbokkie, the chicken, nestled nicely atop Felix's head.
“Wow, Changbin, Chan really gave you a gift? It's about time he came around, I always knew he would. Open it! Let's see what's inside.”
Changbin does his best to delicately open the box, revealing a dainty pink cupcake. Changbin holds it up, showing it off to Felix. The cupcake seems to be strawberry flavored with pink frosting and little white sugar pearls.
“How cute! I didn't know Chan could bake,” Felix chirps.
Changbin takes the wrapper off the cupcake and eats it in one bite. He smiles in satisfaction before his expression quickly becomes queasy. Changbin gags, choking on his spit and coughing a bit.
“Are you okay, Changbin? Maybe he just got it from a bad bakery or messed up doing it from scratch.”
Changbin's sickly expression remains as he struggles to get up from his seat. Felix does his best to steady him, slowly guiding him up the stairs of the restaurant to his room.
“You should lay down, I'll bring you some tea in a moment. I'm sure a warm drink and some rest will fix you right up.”
Felix leaves the room while Changbin nuzzles under the covers. Changbin closes his eyes, trying to let the sleep overtake his nausea.
Changbin stands in a beautiful pink dress, waiting at the top of the stairs. An announcer introduces her, asking the crowd if anyone is willing to offer the young man a first dance. He makes his way down the stairs, searching the room for that special person.
Once he makes his way to the floor, he spots Chan with his back turned to him. Changbin lets out a disappointed sigh. Tears slowly fill his eyes when a hand is extended towards him, it's… Minho?
“He's a fool, my dear. He'll never realize what a strong and beautiful gem he has with him. But I do. I know how lucky he is to have your adoration, your heart. Is there a chance I could know that love, too?” Minho leans in for a kiss and Changbin can't help but feel pulled into it.
Changbin wakes up with a harsh start, gasping for air. What on earth was that dream? Normally, all Changbin can think about is Chan. He looks out the window to see that the morning has come so he gets himself ready for his delivery work.
Changbin skips down the stairs, waving to his three uncles, Mark, Jack, and Bam. Changbin notices Felix in the corner and rushes to his side.
“Hey, Changbin! You're looking better, do you wanna go see Chan?” Changbin shakes his head with a huff. “Oof, okay. Well, let's go out and play instead.”
Felix and Changbin both sit outside playing gonggi, and Chan and Jisung move closer while they work on their training. Jisung rips off his shirt, showing off his tattoos, and getting ready to fight. Chan knocks him down with a swift kick to the chest.
Jisung groans, “Ow, that was a bullshit shot.” Jisung picks his head up, spotting the two seated boys. “Hey, Chan, looks like Changbin's on the way,” he calls out teasingly.
Felix waves. “Hey guys! Are you two sparring?”
Jisung steps closer. “Yup! I've been winning, obviously. What are you two up to?”
“We're gonna go to the field to fly kites. We'd invite you but we don't need a repeat of the kite festival.” Felix and Changbin giggle to themselves.
“I only broke, like, three at most. It wasn't my fault Chan's stupid looking kite took up the whole damn sky!” Chan shoves him and Jisung continues to bicker to himself as Felix and Changbin start walking away.
“Hey, wait! Don't just leave!” Jisung sighs. “I guess you got lucky today, Chan. No Changbin trouble.” He claps Chan on the back while Chan looks confused but ultimately relieved.
Up on the rooftop, Minho screams in frustration. Behind him are his newer henchmen, Seungmin the chief, Hyunjin the clown, and Jeongin the shaman.
“Why isn't Changbin attacking him? How did you three fuck this up?” Jeongin and Hyunjin both shudder. Jeongin rapidly flips through the pages of his book, trying to find the problem while Hyunjin leans over, quietly flipping the book from being upside down.
“Usually, it helps to read it from the right side up, or so I've heard.”
Minho facepalms. “Why did I bother going to you idiots?”
Seungmin carefully approaches Minho, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Well, the potion must have done something, right? Let's just nab him and see if we can figure out what it's done to him.”
Minho perks up. “Fantastic. They said they were heading to the field so we’ll go there. Ninjas, let's move!”
Minho and the rest follow closely. They sneak behind the two boys, deciding to make their move in the bamboo forest. They jump out, surrounding Felix and Changbin.
Minho calls out, “Quick, grab Changbin!”
Felix pulls out his sword, motioning for Changbin to run. Felix takes on two ninjas but before Changbin can make it any further Jeongin begins chanting. A fog fills the area and the two discarded kites come alive, darting towards Changbin.
They quickly catch up, wrapping themselves around Changbin and binding him as he tries to claw his way out. Felix looks over in a panic.
“Changbin!” Felix rushes over, cutting him out. Minho had moved to close in but making eye contact with Changbin's angered expression causes him to turn and run the other way. Changbin chases after him.
Changbin catches up, grabbing Minho's mask clean off. Minho falls to the ground, looking up at Changbin in defeat.
“Fine. You got me.” Changbin gets a good look at Minho's face and he blushes, averting his gaze. A ninja sneaks up behind him, throwing a large bag over him.
“Sir, I got him!” Minho springs up from the ground.
“Yes! Good job, ninja. Let's get out of here.” In a puff of smoke they all vanish and Felix is left alone.
“Oh my god. I need to get Chan and Jisung.”
Back at Minho's base, everyone has gathered together to celebrate their win. The ninjas drag in the bag, placing it in front of Minho, who motions for them to open the bag. Hesitantly, the ninjas approach, carefully opening the bag.
“Changbin, I bet you're wondering why-” Changbin tackles Minho into a hug, peppering little kisses across Minho's face. Minho is stunned speechless.
Seungmin looks on with clear horror. “Jeongin, what did you do?!”
Jeongin shifts from side to side. “I guess I made a love potion on accident, sorry.”
Seungmin smacks him on the back of the head. Hyunjin runs a hand through his own hair with a sigh, before cocking his head to the side.
“Hey, does this mean Minho's got a boyfriend now?” They all laugh while Minho and Seungmin both scowl. Changbin fixes Minho's hair and presses a kiss to his forehead before walking over to Hyunjin, picking him up and throwing him at the group of laughing ninjas.
Seungmin walks over to smack Hyunjin.
“Stop fucking around! Jeongin, you need to make a new potion, quickly!”
“No!”
Seungmin slowly turns back to Minho.
“This is perfect. With Changbin being my boyfriend, Chan has lost his biggest protection. He's lost his safeguard. Having Changbin on my side, I'll get to watch Chan suffer and bring him to his demise.”
Changbin leans into Minho's side, tugging on his sleeve. Minho looks down to see Changbin rubbing at his stomach.
“Are you hungry? That's a great idea! Let's go eat at your family restaurant, Chan will surely be nearby. Ninjas! Let's go eat lunch. Seungmin, you and the other two stay here and stand guard.” Minho runs his eyes over Changbin's body, noticing the tears in his clothing. “I'm sorry that we had to rough you up so much. Why don't you clean yourself up? We should have some clothes for you.”
“Minho had some custom made to your size!” One of the ninjas excitedly brings a stack of clothes to Changbin.
After a few minutes, Changbin comes back out clad in beautiful red robes. He leans close to Minho's face, Minho places a mask on Changbin's face and quickly fixes his own.
“Let's go, everyone, we've got a meal and a fight to attend.”
Jisung and Chan both stand in front of the Goh Rong, ready to eat, when they hear Felix heading their way. Jisung scoffs.
“Well, well, well, bet you wanna ask us to join you in flying kites now, huh? Too bad, we're not joining you.” Jisung turns his head to the side indignantly.
Felix pants, trying to catch his breath. “What?! No! I don't care about that. Minho—he took Changbin!”
Chan slams open the door to the restaurant, immediately locking in on Minho, seated at one of the tables.
Minho turns to Changbin. “Thank you for looking after me back at the base. The others can be a bit much but it's nice to have someone actually cover me. Chan is… was incredibly lucky to have you by his side.”
Chan crashes into the table, slamming his sword between the two, moving to attack Minho. Minho moves back with a smirk.
“About time you showed up. I have someone for you to meet Chan, but I feel you two may already be familiar with each other.” Changbin jumps down in front of Minho, blocking him from Chan.
Chan moves to advance but Changbin cuts him off, hitting him into the wall and knocking the sword from his hand. Chan picks up his sword again, charging at the new masked foe. Changbin charges as well, kicking Chan from the chin. Chan springs up, focusing on Minho as he throws his shuriken at Minho's face.
Changbin panics for a moment, grabbing a stack of nearby plates, tossing them to block Minho from harm. Chan lets out a noise of frustration, tossing a table at Minho. Changbin grabs Minho's discarded sword and slices the table in half.
Minho huffs, “What's the matter, Chan, is my boyfriend too much for you to handle?”
Jisung barks out a laugh before knocking out a ninja.
“You?! Having a boyfriend? As if dude?”
Chan shrugs charging at the said ‘boyfriend’ with his sword, Minho counters by grabbing his own sword. “Easy now, Chan. You wouldn't want to hurt Changbin now would you?”
Chan's eyes widen, stepping back in shock. Changbin quickly steps close to Minho, pulling down their masks to join their lips in a kiss.
Chan, Felix, and Jisung all stare, frozen in place. Chan's heart breaks at the sight, struggling to stand on his feet. Jisung quickly goes to stabilize him. He looks up with a face of utter disgust.
“What did you do to him?”
Tears in his eyes, Felix charges at Minho but is swiftly knocked back down. Jisung goes to help but is given the same treatment. Minho tsks.
“As long as I have Changbin's heart, none of you can lay a finger on me. Face it, you've lost.”
“Um, sir, your order is ready.”
“We'll get it delivered. Ninjas, let's go!” In a puff of smoke they all disappear, leaving Felix and Jisung injured and Chan on his knees.
Once they've returned to base, Minho cheers.
“We did it and you, Changbin, you were wonderful.” Minho pulls him into a hug. “Despite knowingly being under my spell, you protected me. You fought my battles and did so without question. You were incredible. I've tried to guard my heart knowing you're not fully yourself but it seems you've made your way in already. Thank you. I never thought I could feel this way about anyone in my life but you make it so easy. Chan was a fool. You are so incredibly easy to love. I've fallen, hard and fast.” Minho leans close and seals his confession with a kiss.
Seungmin watches as tears pool in his eyes.
“Minho.”
“Yes, Seungmin?”
“The restaurant called. Your order’s ready but their delivery boy is gone so…” Changbin pulls Minho into another quick kiss before speeding off to go get the food.
Minho turns around with a huge smile on his face. “Jeongin! This is the best mistake you have ever made. You should've seen him, he was beautiful. He fought with such strength and elegance. He was perfect.”
Seungmin scowls to himself, choking back tears.
“He doesn't love you!”
“You said it yourself. He's under a spell. You know none of this is real or genuine. You're deluding yourself. Why are you this happy?”
“…”
“Seungmin, you're treading very dangerous territory right now. I'd watch your next words very carefully.”
“Your threats don't scare me! You've lost your mind. None of this is real. He doesn't care about you. Stop lying to yourself. Even if he did give a damn about you, do you really think he'd stay? Don't be stupid, Minho. This spell won't last forever, you know.”
“I'll make it last.”
“You're being ridiculous.”
“I LOVE HIM! That's all that matters. I'll figure the spell out. I don't care what you think. Jeongin, you will find out everything you possibly can about this spell. I need to make it last and to be sure it can't be broken.” Minho adjusts his robes , walking towards Seungmin.
“And Seungmin, you need to learn when to keep your mouth shut. Do not make me have to dispose of what is supposed to be a valuable asset and not a hindrance. You will hold your tongue in the future or I'll cut it out myself.”
Back at the Goh Rong, the entire place is an absolute mess. Mark and Jack tend to the injuries on Jisung and Felix.
“You need to check on Chan. Something is seriously wrong with him.” Jisung states in a way that comes with his own groan of pain.
Mark looks over Chan, assessing the problem. Chan is paler than usual and visibly worn out. “It seems to be his heart. What caused this?”
“Well, he started looking like that after… after Changbin kissed Minho.” The three men stand in silence.
Chan lets out a loud cry, his heart breaking even further. Mark looks back at Jack and Bam, “I… I don’t know how to fix this.” Felix grunts in frustration.
“I don’t get it! Just yesterday, Changbin was all over Chan like he usually is. He was even excited about that gift you gave him.” Chan stares, confusion evident on his face. Felix’s face falls. “You didn’t give Changbin that cupcake did you?” Chan shakes his head.
Felix sighs, “I should’ve known. You’d never do something like that for Changbin.”
“Changbin was tricked?” Jack says. Mark comes to place a hand on his shoulder. “We can start with the cake, did Changbin eat all of it?” Felix slowly nods.
They all look down in disappointment, Bbokkie chooses that moment to start hacking something up from her throat. Felix flails around to try and comfort her when she spits up a sugar pearl. Felix gasps, picking it up from the ground.
“This! It was on the cupcake Changbin ate! Bbokkie, you beauty!” Felix hands the pearl to Mark as he smothers the hen with kisses, Jisung gives her some pets as well. “Thank goodness I didn’t shower.”
The others stare questionably at Felix, his face flushes. “I mean, just this morning. I was still going to shower obviously.” Jisung pulls Felix into his arms, placing a kiss on his forehead. “It’s okay, baby. You always smell amazing to me. Besides, I don’t even remember the last time I showered.” “Gross, Sungie.”
Mark clears his throat to disrupt the flirting and moves to the kitchen with Jack and Bam to break down the ingredients of the pearl. They each take a small taste, listing ingredients and trying to narrow down what sort of love spell they may be working with. Mark places it into a pot while Bam adds the heat. The pot exudes a large black cloud of smoke with a red bleeding heart in the center.
“Damn. That’s a strong one.”
Jisung coughs, waving the smoke from his face. “How do we break the spell?”
Mark sighs. “As silly as it sounds, true love tends to do the trick. Chan, you have to kiss Changbin. It’s the only way to help him.”
Felix giggles to himself. “Finally! You can shower Changbin with all the love in the world! Let’s fix you up right away.” Mark pulls Felix back for a second. “Hold on, we need to find Changbin first.” Just as he says this, Changbin walks in the front door.
“CHANGBIN!”
Changbin runs into Jack’s arms, bringing all three of his uncles into a hug. Jack caresses the back of his head. “Oh, sweetheart, we were so worried. Nobody is upset with you, honey. We’re just glad you’re home with us.”
Chan watches, face hardened with determination. He signals over to Jack, reminding him of their predicament. “Right, honey, you’re back to do your deliveries? Why don’t you take Chan with you?” Changbin gags. “This is bad. Chan, you need to do something, we don’t want this to become permanent.”
Chan runs to block the door, speeding off to gather together a makeshift candlelit dinner. Changbin grimaces, pointing to the stack of to-go boxes. Chan panics, snatching the boxes and quickly dispersing them across the village. He finishes with a pant, nudging Changbin towards their dinner.
Back in Minho’s lair, Minho checks up on Jeongin. “Have you found anything on the spell?” Jeongin shakes his head. “Nothing yet, but I’ll let you know as soon as I find something.”
Minho leaves the room as Jeongin continues to search. He reads out a short chant to locate the proper texts. The book that comes forwards is dire. Jeongin rushes out of the room to find Minho.
“Minho, we have a serious problem.” “Jeongin, the food has arrived but Changbin is nowhere to be found.” Minho begins mumbling to himself.
“He must still be at the restaurant. Chan must be holding him back, trying to undo the spell. I need to leave.”
“HOLD ON!” Jeongin pulls Minho back, forcing him into a seat.
“He’ll die. The spell isn’t meant for love. It’s meant for vengeance. The spell is meant to affect your enemy and their lover. When the potion is given to the lover, they will fall madly in love with the giver. Once they’ve shared their first kiss, the enemy’s heart will begin to decay. If Chan’s heart is to decay completely, they’ll both die.”
A tear escapes Minho’s eye. “Dear god, what have I done to you, Changbin.” He sighs. “I’ll fix this. I need to fix this. How do I fix this?”
Jeongin meets Minho’s eyes. “A selfless act of true love, before the moon hits its highest peak. That will break the spell.”
Minho closes his eyes, taking a deep breath. “True love, huh? Chan. I have to help Chan. Okay, okay.” Minho walks towards the door.
“WAIT A MINUTE!” Seungmin stomps his way forward.
“What is wrong with you? You’ve been battling Chan for years and right now, you have the opportunity of a lifetime to defeat him. Are you really going to throw that all away for a guy?! You are a weak man, Minho.”
Minho harshly grabs Seungmin’s face. “I am far from weak, boy. It seems your morals have shifted. Before, you were ready for Changbin to be an asset and now it seems you wish I would bring harm to him? Your intentions are fickle. You’ve greatly disappointed me.
“You were the one willing to keep him trapped in a spell!”
“I WAS AFRAID!”
“I was afraid. I know he’ll return to Chan. I know that. I cannot compete with him in that regard. But that is besides the point. I would rather he love freely than be bound to me by a lie. He will not die by my hand. I refuse to let that happen. If Chan is to be spared, then so be it. If you choose to stay here when I return, I will not show you the same courtesy. I promise you that.” Minho leaves, preparing for a sacrifice of his own.
At the Gogh Rong, Chan has gotten Changbin to eat dinner with him. They sit across from each other, eating their bowls of noodles. Chan scoots his way closer to Changbin. Chan offers him flowers, tucking a curl behind Changbin’s ear. He leans in close, trying for a kiss as Changbin’s eyes narrow.
Changbin pushes himself backwards, kicking Chan away in the process. He leaps up, knocking the table up in the air and throwing it at Chan. As Changbin swings a chair at Chan's head, Bam yells out.
“Chan! You have to resort to the ‘Changbin’ way of affection. It'll work regardless, so just go for it.”
Changbin gasps, turning to run away. Chan pulls the table cloth from under Changbin's feet, causing him to fall face first. Chan crawls over him, leaning back in for a kiss. Changbin, in a low blow, knees Chan in the crotch. Chan's eyes water as he's tossed off of Changbin.
Chan tries to drag Changbin back by the ankle, resorting to getting kicked in the face. Chan wipes his bloodied nose, steeling himself. He continues chasing Changbin in the rafters of the restaurant. Jisung and Felix watch from the sidelines.
“It's really strange seeing their roles reversed like this.” Jisung says in discomfort. Felix huffs.
“I think it's about time Chan knows what it feels like to be rejected so many times. At least you were smart.” Jisung wraps an arm around Felix, pecking his cheek.
“How could I lose the opportunity to have someone as wonderful as you?”
Changbin bounces off of the upper balcony areas, sliding down the railing of the stairs, straight into Chan's arms. Chan catches him, dipping him down into a kiss.
Changbin cries.
Minho suddenly barges in, eyes meeting the state that Changbin is in.
“CHANGBIN!”
Chan's heart breaks further as Changbin tries to squirm away from him. Changbin pushes off of Chan, slapping him across the face and running to Minho. He jumps into Minho's arms, kissing him.
What's left of Chan's heart shatters.
Changbin collapses into Minho's arms.
“No, no, no. Oh, Changbin, I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I'm a selfish fool for doing this to you. I never should have used you. I never wanted to hurt you. I love you. I love you so dearly and look what I've done. I'm sorry I could never be the person you deserved. Today's actions prove that. Thank you for showing me that I could still love someone. The last pieces of my heart are always with you.” And with his final words, he places a kiss on Changbin's head.
A bright light emanates from Changbin and Chan, color rapidly returning to their bodies. Their eyes open, with deep gasps escaping their mouths. Changbin blearily looks up at Minho.
Minho pulls Changbin into a tight embrace. Chan stalks forward with a furious look in his eyes. Minho looks up at Chan, shaking a bit.
“I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.” Minho is up on his feet and in a puff of smoke disappears.
Chan brings Changbin into a hug, his eyes saying a thousand words. I'm sorry. I never hated you. I took you for granted. I love you, forgive me. He leans in for a kiss when Changbin blocks his mouth. Changbin gestures behind him but offers a hug instead.
Sometimes things are too little too late.
Minho is seated on a rooftop near the forest, sighing to himself as he watches the night sky. A small pinkish cat curls up next to him.
“Hi Dae, what are you doing out here?” Minho cradles the cat in his lap, looking to his right to see Changbin joining him on the rooftop.
“I'm not complaining but why are you here?” Changbin sits next to Minho, pointing to Minho's chest and pointing to his own. Changbin scoots closer, leaning his head on Minho's shoulder.
“I think I get it. Thank you my love.”