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In a perfect world this should not have happened this way. No, at all. In a perfect world, life would have dealt Kiera a better life. She sighed for the umpteenth time and took a look around. Dust motes swirled through the air as the sunlight struggled to get through the attic window that was covered in years of grime. To her left was a small pile of nik-nacks that maybe could be sold at the local flea market. To her right were several trash bags of things that could be of no value to probably anyone but Gramps, and not even him now, at least not anymore. It had been a week since he had passed away tragically. Keira’s mom had left town many years ago, but not before taking everything of any real value with her, not that they ever had much growing up. Her father had died when she was only 5 years old from a heart attack, and her childhood was devoid of anything most people would call a normal family life. No dinner around the table, no dog wagging their tail at the end of the school day. Not even neighborhood friends to play with. They had lived in the poorer section of town with just a few houses on this street. Mostly a few run down shops and even those had been abandoned when the economy tanked and they closed up shop. That childhood never had enough food or clothing to go around, unless dumpster diving behind the mall yielded anything of value to survive. Any shame in doing so was given up long ago.
Grandpa Geo had done his best to provide what he could, but driving the local Waste Management truck didn’t pay top wages, so they got by on what they could. He had struggled with health issues in his later years and coming up to the attic was most assuredly not anywhere in the cards for him. He had suffered with IBS and in an unfortunate turn of events, had slipped on his pajama pants when trying to get to the bathroom in a panic a week ago. Paramedics had said the fall and subsequent head trauma when he hit the commode on this way down had killed him instantly. Keira signed again, in a imperfect life it was as fitting of an end as any other.
She sighed again, At least with only having the bare minimum it had not taken long to clean out his small 4 room house. She had to use up the only vacation time she had left at work to get the house emptied so it could be sold. It was very small and in desperate need of an updating if the apple green linoleum in the kitchen was anything to go by, but at this point with Keira being the only person left, at least it would help to pay the funeral bill and maybe some left over for her own bills. Keira could barely make ends meet from her salary as a secretary to the only lawyer the small town she lived in about 30 minutes away had, so anything left over could just be enough for a tiny splurge on something she had been saving weeks for. BTS was going on tour in 2026 and if there was any pleasure to be had in this imperfect life it was Jikook. The joy of her existence. Keira smiled to herself, those beautiful boys. (it's not what you think, keep reading). A new laptop and concert tickets could be a splurge but a very well deserved one she thought to herself. This might be the only time in her life she would be able to afford it unless by some far fetched luck she would hit the lottery. But you have to play to win and that was another thing she just could not spend even a dollar on. She leaned back bracing her hands on the floor behind her and let out a small huff of breath. Yes, a new laptop. It was her escape from a life that should not be hers. It was her absolutely no guilt at all pleasure. She could be someone different for a time each day, imagine that perfect life she had always wanted. Each night and sneaking in a few minutes each day at work to post on X. Pretending to be what she was not, who was to know anyway, it was harmless. Taking on the persona of a hot shot lawyer representing famous celebrities and her favorite group BTS, Strutting in her Christian Louboutin heels and her Hermes bag on her way to her penthouse suite after a long day of battling the legal system and of course, winning every case. A loud bang caused her to jerk back to the present when a bird had hit the window, ugh. Time to get back to it if she wanted to finish this up today, indulging in fantasy would need to wait until later. One small wooden box was left in the corner, so crawling on her hands and knees she made her way over. It was set under the eaves of the house and was a bit heavy, so she had to struggle to pull it words her because standing and lifting was not possible in the confines of the attic roof. What was in here, rocks? She turned the box around until she spied the rusty latch and flicked it open, only to rip the tip of her nail off. Sucking her finger into her mouth to ease the pain, she tried again, and the latch lifted. Nestled inside was a pretty bottle, the satin white lining had aged yellow with time, but the glass of the bottle was still mostly clean. It swirled with a half red and half blue design that was quite pretty, almost like flames and water colliding. Hmmm, was it worth anything if sold, or maybe she should just keep it. She did love pretty things. Putting the latch back she carefully pulled it further into the room so she could take it back into the living room and them home to dust it off later.
It was Tuesday, and every bone in Keira‘s body hurt. The weekend consisted of getting the last of the furniture out of the house for the closing of the now sold house. She had to go back to work while waiting for someone to take the leap and buy the house and that had taken far longer than she had hoped. Mentally exhausted she made it to her car and jerked on the handle of the old Chevy. It had a habit of sticking and seemed to always need a second yank to open. Easing herself behind the wheel, she rested her head back on the headrest and reflected on the closing of the house earlier that day. In a twist she did not see coming, Gramps had taken out a second mortgage on the house years before and there was little to nothing left in equity after paying that and his funeral off. Tears welled up and she grabbed the already soggy tissue from her sweater pocket. How was life just always knocking her back. She had been so excited at the thought that maybe she was actually catching a break. She had a prioritized list of what she would do with the money from the sale. There was no way she could get a new laptop and BTS Arirang concert tickets now which were her Top 2 picks. Now she would even have to decide if just one of those would be possible. Such a let down. The chance to see them live or a new laptop, she had debated this all afternoon. The concert would be the chance of a lifetime, her only chance at this point, but a laptop would allow her to keep up on her X posts to all her followers and that was one of the few joys she had. A completely perfect made up life shared with her followers, her guilty pleasure and escape from this mundane existence, hyping up the loves of her life Chimin and Jungguk. To be that loved was a dream that only Jikook could understand. She checked the gauge on her gas tank, the mall was a bit out of the way but a trip to Walmart to see what might fit her budget might be just the pick me up needed.
Hours later, a refurbished laptop in hand, (that was the same as new right?) She settled down to boot up and get signed in to her accounts. It felt like a new lease on life when it whirred to a sign in page within seconds, instead of chugging along and taking minutes between screen changes like her old relic had. Quickly she checked the balance on her account online. With the laptop, rent coming due, she had barely enough to cover expenses and certainly not enough to get those concert tickets that were going on sale next week. Regret sat heavy in her heart. She couldn’t afford the Weverse membership needed for the presale so the only hope was maybe to snag something in the general public sale of tickets if her wallet could handle it, and that was looking a little dismal. She glanced at the only shelf in her apartment. The bottle now sparkling in the light. It really was beautiful the way the red and blue swirled together seamlessly. The colors wrapping around in a gentle swirl.
It was beautiful, which meant... it would beautiful to others as well. Signing in to Ebay and grabbing her phone, she got to her feet and set the bottle on the floor in a clean space to take some photo’s for the website. If she could get a decent price, that could swing things in her favor to get those tickets to Arirang. A smudge at the top caught her eye and she grabbed the bottle. Using the cuff of her hoodie she rubbed at the stubborn spot. The stopper at the top was in the way as the smear went over the lip of the bottle. Uncorking it, she rubbed again and fell back on her ample ass when a cloud of purple smoke poured from the top and clouded up the room. Choking on a sudden inhale, that purple did not taste like grapes at all, it tasted like a really bitter fruit. Hindsight would smack her in the head later on that bitter taste. She waved her hand to try to clear that air, and it slowly started to dissipate.
She reached up to rub her eyes that were getting irritated and mumbled to herself, what the hell was that, was it toxic or some carcinogens and she was the next find for the paramedics she said out loud. A huff or maybe a snort sounded in front of her. That sound did NOT come from her own lips and the TV was not on, so WTF now? Slowly using the same cuffs of her hoodie she wiped her eyes trying to get the burn of mascara out of the way. As her vision cleared she let out a short scream, closed her eyes, rubbed again and yep, still there. A man, a very large man sat on folded legs not five feet in front of her. Chest hairy and bare, huge biceps cuffed with large gold bands, shone in the purple haze, a ridiculously large turban sat on this head, and was he wearing Ali Baba pants? It was toxic, the smoke has to be some kind of hallucinogen, that was it right, yes that was it. Feeling a bit better with that realization she got to her feet to open a window, she would be right as rain in no time at all. A good sleep and all would be well, hopefully no lasting effects like a glow in the dark nose or growing a third boob come morning.
“YO, where do you think you are going?”, the demand boomed loud through the room, causing Keira to stumble back and once again land on her large cushion of butt cheeks. “I don’t have all day, sweetie, lets gooooo” the voice boomed. “You get 2 minutes and time is a wasting.” "What, huh, what is going on, who are you and why are you almost naked in my home," Keira gasped, still shaken by the fall and to stunned to feel the terror she should, at a man suddenly being in her apartment. “No, honey, you want to waste your 1 minute and now, 21 seconds left with introductions, that is your business, but I highly advise you to get to it with your wish, because I have been in that bottle for 46 years and I have things to do, things to catch up on… I hear K-dramas are all the rage now. Hmmmm ? so yeah, honey buns, chop chop."
Keira stared, no sound escaping her gapping mouth, “One wish, and now we have 55 seconds” "Who gets a wish, who are you, how did you get in here, who sent you." Keira stuttered out with rapid fire words, the panic now setting in, "OH wait HELLO , I get a wish?" “Ya babes I said that, seconds ago, 1, and now we have 41 seconds left, so be careful what you wish for and make it good, you only get one, then and poof I will be history.” Not one to ever question luck starring in the face less it disappear, like that big check she had been expecting that morning , Keira’s mind whirled to her last thoughts, "I want BTS concert. Oh wait, ummm no, I want all the BTS concert tick...no not all, I cannot do all of them, how would I get there, but I could sell the tickets and then…" Keira knew she was blubbering, “GOOD LORD woman, 28 seconds….” "Ok, ok stop pressuring me, I want to be best friends with … no! shit! I cannot move to Seoul, I don’t speak Hangul." In a rush realizing her dwindling time, she yelled out, "I want to be Jungguk, so I would be able to stare at the loves of my life all day!!!" She blurted out quickly lest her time expire.
“Ok is that it? 10 seconds, and just to be clear, I don’t do forever, that kind of big wish gives you 3 days” and with that, the air shifted and purple smoke billowed and like he said, Poof he was gone. The room felt the same. HOLY shit, that was intense, Keira giggled at whatever that purple shit was, because that was some kind of Pyscho crazy high even if it was only 2 minutes. Now that should be bottled up, wow, crazy if short lived. She looked around, everything seemed normal again, but he was so realistic…sitting up from her awkward butt fall position, she noticed the bottle was gone. Are you freakin kidding me!!! She looked around wildly searching for the bottle, No bottle, no magic genie, no concert tickets now, and no Jungguk!!!! What a f*&$king imperfect life.
A cell phone buzzed somewhere on the bed, and Keira shifted her hand searching for it on the sheets. Hands shifting around, the buzzing continued, and she slowly pried her eyes open still groggy from the chaos of the night before. She blinked, then blinked again. Where was the peeling wallpaper? Where was her ChimChim plushie on her bedroom dresser, her Jikook shrine in the corner, posters on the door? This looked eerily like a hotel room. She sat up, and everything just felt wrong, wrong, so very wrong. Her hand reaching up to brush her hair out of the way, fingertips meeting with silky fluffy short stands. HOLY shit what, quickly bringing both hands up to her head she let out a startled scream that came out more of a raspy grunt as a muscular tattooed forearm passed her line of vision. She thumped back on the bed, hands over her eyes, and head spinning. No no no, this could not be real, she recognized those hands, that forearm, peering through her left hand fingers. She raised her right hand up in front of her nose, and sure enough, there it was, Jungguks tattoed hand. For the love of all that is holy, it worked, my wish worked. Wait … quickly sticking her hands under the sheets, she ran her hands down her chest now absent of boobs, then trailing lower set her hand firmly on her stomach, no “his” stomach and those abs, those delicious abs, and gave it a little tensing. Fingers counting, yep there were 8 hard ridges, it was an 8 pack!!! Giggling and thumping her – or his feet on the bed and wiggling her/his hips back and forth excitedly. This is going to be the best day ever!!! I will be seeing Chimin and getting to see all of these romantic moments I had always dreamed about, that no one but me will be privy too, and will be able to live the rest of my life in happiness basking in their love. A story for the ages. Mind racing and thoughts piling up quicker than they could be processed. Maybe I can convince them to follow me on X or no, I don’t have to convince, I am him, I am Junggukie now, I can just do it, Ugh, what’s his secret x account user name, we know they have one to spy on us, I need to log in, but I am him and I cannot tell myself what the login is because my brain in still me, mumbling to myself, but surely the other love of my life Chimin will know and I can just pretend I Jungguk/Keira forgot, yes that is it. I will be friends with myself/Keira on X and then all those dulu Taekookers will vanish because, I will give them proof of my love, brilliant plan, show them all, that I, Jeon Jungguk am loved by Park Chimin and how much I love him in return. I will show the world that I was right all along. How they ranted for years, got me blocked and called me mentally unstable, I will show them, random thoughts swirling about faster than my words could spill out. I will write a song, quickly, right now, and I will sing it out loud, oh yes! On Weverse and I will dedicate it to my Chimchim. I will ask him to marry me. Well ok, maybe not that, I don’t want them losing their BTS jobs when I go back to my life. Whoa... I can sing now if I am Jungguk, I will have that heavenly voice. Oh, oh a subunit with Chim. Yes, yes, yes it’s all coming together. A squeal of happy delirium. Ok more like a deeper version of a croak came out. Time to put plans to action, I only had 3 days to make it all happen. I was so all over this, starting now.
I sat up, OUCH, that was new, my ass was still hurting from the last night butt fall, and damn I felt like I got my back blown out, but I digress, I had things to do, paper and pen, where was my phone that was buzzing, my tablet? I saw and grabbed for the phone, and it lit up with a text from “LOML”, how CUTE, reading the text, “What do you want for breakfast husband of mine? I can grab something after I am out of the shower, it’s the least I can do after the railing I gave you last night, I will be surprised it you can move anytime before lunch without limping, so I am treating. Heehehhe. Give me 10 and I will be right out."
Ayish, ok so not the butt fall, OMG, I am going to have mind blowing sex! I will get to do that for 3 more days!!! I will see naked bodies, OMG best day ever!!!! The absence of noise caused me to still suddenly, the shower must have been running in the bathroom the whole time I was planning my 3 day agenda.
My heart was racing, I would need to pretend to be normal, is that how this works, was I me in Jungguks body or was I Jungguk and would be just be seeing it all from like a higher level, like an out of body experience, or would I be feeling it, hmmm yes, I would be feeling it, my ass was telling me that already. Ok be cool Keira, that door is going to open and 3 days of living my best life is about to begin….
“Hey Jagiya did you decide"? My heart stuttered and my brain froze. The door swung open, a towel tucked neatly around a tight waist, golden skin surrounding veiny arms lifted to towel dry a mop of brown hair. The towel descended and hung damply around his neck as he walked forward, a boxy smile showing bright enough to light the room, pink dusted bread cheeks plumped up, and shining brown eyes starring at me with a question in them.
My mouth opened to deny what I was seeing. It closed, it opened again, I stuttered, and coughed my words back, about to ask what was Taehyung doing coming from my/Jungguk's bathroom in my hotel room, almost naked, and why was he calling me Jagiya, when just then the earlier text message reared its ugly head, husband of mine? Husband? I open my mouth again ready to deny but without permission words tumbled out of my mouth. “Breakfast…. I was thinking of my favorite meal, my love." A pause, clearly Jungguks voice coming from my mouth, and not the words I wanted to say, “What I want for breakfast, is you. Just you. Get yourself over here and give me a proper kiss good morning, love of my life." Noooooooo, not Taekook being married. Nooooooo.
I shot up out of bed. My head darting from side to side. A dream, a truly horrible nightmare right? But why was I not in my bedroom? I scrambled to try to remember and suddenly thought about that purple smoke, apparently there were some lasting side effects. Whew, I was nervous a minute there, what a nightmare I had! My mind spun, as if!!!! Taekook was real!!!!, please! A rattle sounded as the door swung open and a nurse pushing a cart entered the room. Wait, why wasn't I in my bedroom, where was I? "Good morning Keira, I brought your breakfast, but first let's get you your juice, and get these meds taken care of so you can feel more yourself. Dr. Kim your mental health advisor will be in for your final mental health evaluation to see how you are progressing since your mental breakdown. Let’s go over again your post release therapy and daily medications. It will be very important to stick to the schedule so you don’t revert to where you were a months ago when you were admitted. We know you want to leave Bellevue and want to make sure that happens for you in a way that will allow you live a healthy realistic life. I am feeling so confident that with your daily medications and setting your phone reminders to go out and touch some grass daily, it will be no time at all before you will be able to get back to your imperfect life." The nurse leaned in closer to my ear. "Psstt Keira, Always remember, Taekook married 😊."