AN: Hi, lovelies!

The lack of punctuation and grammar in the texts are purposeful, not typos. Just thought I'd mention that.

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It was a terrible day to forget an umbrella.

Charcoal grey clouds had crowded the sky for most of the afternoon, threatening with low rumbles to empty themselves onto the streets of Seoul. The forecast had reassured everyone that the chance of rain was minimal until into the evening. Little good that did Jeongguk when he didn't get off work until eight.

Still, when he finally clocked out and left the little corner market where he clerked, the sky did little more than grumble complaints above his head. Sending silent thanks to whoever was listening, he shoved his hands into his pockets and hurried toward the train terminal that sat a couple blocks from his work.

It wasn't until he reached the turn-style that he realized with a sinking heart that he didn't have his wallet. With a groan, he stepped out of line and headed back to the market.

A search of his employee locker proved fruitless. Interrogations of his coworkers were also pointless; no one had seen it.

Running his mind back through the day, he wondered if maybe he'd left it at his hyung's house. He knew he'd had it the night before. After losing a bet - Jimin had cheated, he was sure of it - he'd been forced to pay for their pizza. Since he'd spent the night, Jimin had dropped him at work that afternoon and Jeongguk hadn't needed to use his wallet for the entirety of the day. It could have been lost anywhere.

With a frustrated sigh, he pulled out his phone and pressed a few buttons before holding it to his ear. It rang for an eternity before going to voicemail. Starting to feel a little desperate, he shot a text off to Jimin asking if the other had seen the wallet.

Thankfully, a minute later his phone buzzed in reply.

Jimin-hyung

Jimin-hyung
Yup
On my coffee table

Jeongguk
Great!
Can you bring it?
And drive me home?

Jimin-hyung
Uhm.
Dude.
I've gotta date here.

Jeongguk
Bring him
I need my wallet
It has my T-money

Jimin-hyung
Her

Jeongguk
What?

Jimin-hyung
Dates a her

Jeongguk
Whatever
Come get me

Jimin-hyung
She's literally running her
hand up my leg as I type
this

Jeongguk
Hoe

Jimin-hyung
She is not!!

Jeongguk
Not her
You, you skank
You were kicking a
guy out of your bed
when I got there last
night

Jimin-hyung
Don't be salty just
cuz I get more than you
Gotta go
Try Namjoon-hyung?

Jeongguk
Cmon hyung!
Hyung!
Jimin!
BABO I HATE YOU

Jeongguk waited a solid five minutes but his phone showed that Jimin hadn't even read the last messages. Swearing under his breath, he tried calling Namjoon. It went straight to voicemail; his phone must have been turned off.

With a resigned grunt, Jeongguk shoved his phone back into his pocket and took off toward his apartment on foot. It would take him a solid hour to walk home but there was literally no one else Jeongguk could call to pick him up.

Sometimes having a grand total of two friends was very inconvenient.

-----

He made it about halfway home when the sky finally opened up, sending a torrential rain pounding down onto the pavement with enough force that water splashed back upward, soaking anyone caught out in it. Jeongguk ducked under a drippy, green awning, staring at the sheets of rain with wide eyes. Between the storm and the darkness of night, it was impossible to see more than a few yards in any direction. The streetlamps were muzzy blurs that vaguely shone in the distance.

Shivering as water ran down the back of his neck and under the collar of his jacket, he folded his arms, tucking his hands into his armpits as a gust of wind blew the rain in sideways. He ducked slightly, turning his back to the blast as it pushed at him, cutting through the fabric of his clothing to chill his skin.

If he stayed outside much longer, he was going catch cold. He still had half-an-hour to go, though. With all the time he spent walking to and from the train station earlier, it was nearly nine o'clock. Despite standing in what appeared to be a shopping district, nothing was open that would be able to give him sanctuary until the storm passed.

With a miserable moan, he realized he was just going to have to buckle down and keep walking. As he stepped up to the edge of the awning, he bit his bottom lip lightly. At the rate it was raining, he was going to have to swim the rest of the way.

Right before he stepped out, though, an odd tinkling sound, like a bell used by a noble to summon their servants, clanged nearby. Curious, he turned his head to look at the building that owned the awning he stood under, positive the noise was coming from inside.

The front was old brick. Two large windows were blackened by dark, heavy drapes that had been drawn over them. Though there were light fixtures flanking the door, and hung under the awning, they'd been turned off at some point, making it nearly impossible to read the letters painstakingly painted onto the glass.

Moving closer, he pulled his phone out and turned the flashlight on.

The Witch's Cauldron
Practitioners of the Magical Arts
Purveyors of Stones, Crystals, Herbs, and Fine Fudge
We do Tarot Readings! Walk-ins Welcome!

Jeongguk snorted slightly in amusement.

"Something funny?"

He nearly jumped out of his skin at the deep voice that resonated from the door. Turning, he stared at the figure standing in the frame. With the door now open, light pooled out onto the sidewalk under the awning. It was impossible to see the face of the man that had spoken as the light behind him was too bright, but Jeongguk could easily tell that he was tall and slender.

"I- No. I mean, maybe a little." Jeongguk squinted against the light.

"My gods, it's really coming down, isn't it?" The figure stepped out from the building, approaching the edge of the awning. He gasped suddenly, spinning toward Jeongguk, his lips stretched over a box-shaped smile as his face was illuminated by the still-open door. "I should collect some!"

Not sure if he was expected to respond to that, Jeongguk remained silent as the man raced back into the building. He returned a heartbeat later with a large pitcher, the kind people usually made Kool-Aid in. He held it out under the deluge, seemingly unconcerned with how wet he was getting in the process.

"Storm water is great for anything you need a strong force behind," the man spoke, as if answering an unspoken question. "A lot of water is very, well, wishy-washy. It goes where it wants, it kind of meanders, slow and steady but prone to changing course at a whim. Storm water, though? This shit's got an agenda."

"Oh. Yeah, okay." Jeongguk wondered if it would be rude to merely disappear into the rain without another word. He really didn't want to stand in the dark with a psychopath in the middle of a storm, but he also really didn't want to go out into the rain.

"Ah, that should do it." The man put the lid onto the pitcher and spun to face Jeongguk. "Now, what were you chuckling about earlier?"

Jeongguk opened his mouth to reply but sucked in a sharp breath as another burst of wind rattled under the awning, violently buffeting both men with rain. A sheet of newspaper splatted against the other man's head, bringing a string of expletives past his lips.

"This is insane," the shopkeeper announced, waving toward the storm with his free hand, the other arm hugging the pitcher to his chest. "Come on, let's get out of this before it tosses something heavier at us."

Jeongguk stayed put while the other disappeared into the shop. A second later, the other stuck his head back out of the door. "Come on! Get in here where it's dry."

Hesitating, Jeongguk glanced out at the rain. A flash briefly lit the sky, adding another dangerous element to the storm. With an internal shrug, he spun and scurried into the building, deciding to take his chances with the stranger rather than attempt to brave the storm any longer.

Warmth enveloped him the moment he crossed the threshold. With a relieved sigh, he soaked it in as he took a moment to survey his surroundings.

The blackout curtains in the front windows must have been pretty high quality because the inside was brightly lit. The wall to the left was taken up by multiple bookshelves, all of which held jars of powders, flowers, herbs, and other utterly unidentifiable materials.

A table in the center of the room held a display of polished rocks of every imaginable color. Other tables strewn around the room held fancy looking knives, tiny cauldrons, dream catchers, and a million other things Jeonnguk couldn't even hazard a guess about.

Blown glass orbs hung from the ceiling next to bundles of flowers. Small, plaster gargoyles sat atop the highest surfaces. Animal skulls stared at him from empty eye sockets. There were candles everywhere. He felt his cheeks flush slightly when he spotted a shelf full of ones shaped like penises, right below another filled with waxen vaginas. He silently scolded himself for being so juvenile as to be embarrassed by the sight.

A curtain hung along the back wall, blocking off what was probably a storeroom. In front of it was a register, and a glass display counter containing the fudge that had been mentioned on the window. It was on that case that the man from the shop placed his pitcher of rainwater.

"Now," he said firmly, removing his wet jacket and hanging it on a hook on the wall nearby. "I'm Kim Taehyung."

"Jeon Jeongguk," Jeongguk replied automatically, still caught up in trying to take in the eccentric wares. Every time he looked, he saw something he hadn't before. Jewelry, scarves, leatherbound notebooks, a large, plastic cup filled with feathers; he couldn't believe how much was crammed into the small space. "What is this place?"

"My store?" Taehyung tilted his head slightly. In the light of the shop, Jeongguk was able to see that the other man's hair was actually a dark shade of green that matched equally emerald eyes. He must have been wearing colored contacts because his face was distinctly Korean, if abnormally pretty for a man's features. He was wearing eyeliner and, Jeongguk suspected, lip gloss of some sort.

His clothing was somewhat flowy, his shirt white and his trousers brown. His loose blouse showed off a patch of honey-gold skin right below the hallow of his neck. Resting against that bit of skin was a five-pointed star, the kind often seen in the movies to depict demon summoning, or something like that, except it was right-side-up. 'Pentagram,' Jeongguk's brain supplied helpfully. Both his ears held multiple piercings, one of which was a dangling snake.

"Do you own this place?" Jeongguk asked, tearing his eyes away from the nearly ethereal man in front of him.

Taehyung paused, pursing his lips. "Not technically. My grandmother does, but I run it."

"Oh." Jeongguk turned in a slow circle, gawking at a cluttered table in one corner that held lit candles, a bell, a knife, and a bowl filled with tiny strips of paper all folded into tiny squares. "I've never seen it here before."

"We just moved to this location last week," Taehyung offered in a helpful tone. "Last place was about the size of a standard bathroom. There was nowhere to put the altar, let alone all our stock."

"Altar?"

Taehyung nodded at the table Jeongguk had been inspecting. "Public altar. Customers can leave prayers and wishes in the bowl. You're welcome to do so if you'd like. There's paper and a pencil in the drawer."

Jeongguk shook his head slightly, feeling a little uncomfortable with the idea.

"Would you like some tea?" Taehyung moved toward the shelves of bottled herbs, snagging five or six before heading toward the curtain behind the counter. "Weather like this warrants tea."

Licking his lips, Jeongguk nodded. "Only if it isn't any trouble." A hot drink sounded wonderful.

"None at all. Tea is my jam." The boxy smile returned before he ducked behind the curtain. His deep voice hollered from the other side. "Come on back. I have a table we can sit at, and you can dry off by the heater while you tell me what the hell you were doing out in that storm."

Curious despite feeling so awkward in what was apparently a shop that catered to a weirder sect, the young man slipped behind the curtain. He found himself in a fairly normal kitchenette. An electric kettle steamed on the counter while Taehyung busied himself with measuring out a pinch of random herbs into a large mesh ball.

A small round table held a couple empty mugs. Jeongguk slid himself onto a chair next to the aforementioned space heater, watching closely as Taehyung dropped the tea strainer into the kettle. Within a relatively short period of time, the two mugs were filled with a very aromatic herbal tea. The slender stranger placed a bottle of honey on the table as well. "Good for the throat, and the disposition," he offered with a happy lilt to this voice.

"Thank you." Jeongguk took an experimental sip of the tea before adding a squeeze of honey. It was pretty mild and earthy on its own, not as sweet as he liked. He was glad to see Taehyung add a healthy blorp of honey to his own mug, as well.

They fell silent as they enjoyed their drink. Jeongguk cast a few furtive glances at the pretty man across from him, wondering how to start a conversation with someone who was obviously much different than himself. As the other man lifted his mug to take a drink, the cuff of his sleeve slipped down, revealing a small tattoo on his wrist.

Jeongguk's brain dived at the topic, seizing it in victory. "You have ink!" he blurted, reaching toward the other. "Can I see?"

Raising his perfectly shaped eyebrows, Taehyung set his mug down and pushed his sleeve up before presenting the wrist to the other. Three moons sat aligned on his wrist, two crescents facing away from a full moon in the middle.

"What is it?" Jeongguk carefully ran a finger over the image. He could feel the thrum of Taehyung's pulse through the skin.

"It represents the Threefold Goddess. Maiden, mother, and crone." He pulled his arm back as soon as Jeongguk released him. "You like tattoos?"

"Mm." Jeongguk nodded and rolled up his own sleeve to show the skinner man the lily he had on his forearm. "I have more but I'd have to take my shirt off to show you."

"You won't hear me object."

Jeongguk's eyes flicked up to Taehyung's face but the other man was unreadable, his tea mug to his lips. "Maybe another time," he replied, mouth going dry as he attempted to figure out if the other was attempting to flirt. It wasn't that he would have minded - he'd long ago accepted the fact that he had no distinct sexuality he chose to associate with - but he was just terrible at flirting and didn't want to come across creepy or awkward if he misjudged the other.

"Speaking of time," Taehyung murmured, setting his mug down again and leaning forward slightly on his forearms. "What were you doing outside at such an hour in that storm?"

"I..." Jeongguk played with the handle of his own mug, staring down at the contents with a slight frown. "I was walking home. I forgot my T-money card."

"Bad luck." Taehyung shook his head slowly. "Anything else bad happen today?"

Thinking the question odd, Jeongguk pushed his tongue against the inside of his cheek. "I spilled my soup at lunch but that's all I can think of."

The other man was nodding. "Then you're safe for the rest of today."

Quirking his brow, Jeongguk stared at the shopkeeper. "What?"

Taehyung shrugged slightly. "Bad things always come in threes. You forgot your train fare, you spilled your soup, and you got caught in bad weather. You can relax now." He seemed so certain that Jeongguk actually felt some of the tension leave his shoulders.

"How old are you?" Taehyung's question was sudden, the change in topic throwing Jeongguk off momentarily.

"Twenty-three."

"Ah, you're younger. I'll be twenty-five in December." The boxy smile came back. "You can call me hyung if you'd like. Now that we've shared tea, we're friends."

Jeongguk eyed the unconventional man before smiling. Despite how utterly odd he was, he found Taehyung very likeable. He really wanted to know more about him and asked before he could check himself, "So, are you a, like, a wizard or something?"

Taehyung laughed a little under his breath and shook his head. "No. I'm a witch."

Jeongguk's brows twitched inward. "You mean warlock, right? Isn't that the male version?" He realized after he said it that he had just made a huge assumption about Taehyung's gender. But the older man had said 'hyung' not 'noona,' so he must have been male.

"Gods, no." Taehyung shook his head, his shaggy hair fluffing with the motion. "Common misconception from media portraying us wrong. Male witches are still witches. Warlocks are..." Taehyung licked his lips. "Well, my sect considers those who call themselves warlocks to be on the darker side of things. Not everyone would agree with us, but that's the community for you. No, I'm definitely a witch."

"Oh." He did his best to hide his confusion. "How long have you been a, uhm, witch?"

Taehyung grinned. "You really don't know anything about this, do you? People don't become witches. We're born this way. Some just have a harder time finding their way out of the broom closet." He chuckled, sitting back in his chair. "You could be one, for all you know."

"I'm not," the younger protested immediately.

"How do you know?"

"I can't do," he wiggled his fingers around a little, "Magic and stuff."

"That's... that's now how that works." Taehyung covered his giggles with a hand. "Here, give me your palm."

Skeptical, Jeongguk offered his right hand. The other man grabbed it between his fingers and tilted it slightly. After a series of hums and haws, Taehyung nodded with a jerky motion.

"It's as I thought. Right here." He tapped a tiny x in the center of Jeongguk's palm. "That's the mystic cross." He offered his own hand, pointing to a cross on his palm. "You're one of us. I knew there had to be a reason you were under my awning. I was just trying to manifest myself an apprentice when I had the urge to come outside and look at the storm." He smiled broadly, clasping Jeongguk's hand between his own. "My spirit guide wanted me to find you."

Jeongguk temporarily lost his voice as he stared into the startling emerald gaze of the other, ecstatic man. "Wait, what?"

"We'll start tomorrow. Do you work? Or go to school?"

"I- yes, I work. At the Express Mart. I take some online classes."

Taehyung was nodding thoughtfully. "How much do they pay you at the market?"

"About nine-thousand* an hour."

"I'll double that. You'll work for me now and we can do lessons when the shop is empty."

Jeongguk gapped at him. "You want to hire me to work here? For eighteen-thousand an hour?"

"Did I stutter?" Taehyung smirked before jumping up from his chair. "I'll get the paperwork together. Stay put, I'll be right back."

As the slender man whisked himself through another door into what appeared to be an office, Jeongguk sat in stunned silence before peering down at his palm. A tiny x stared quietly back.

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AN: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Let me know!

*9000 won = approximately $8