"Lost" | Jihyo x Male Reader

(FRIDAY, AT THE GROCERY SHOP)
"I'm sorry but I need to do this. We made an agreement last time but what did you do? You didn't live up-"

"But b-boss, I'm really my best to manage my time to work for this job and studying at the same time.", you said as you placed your hands together at the top of his desk as if you were praying for his forgiveness. "Please, don't do this. I need this job but my studies is still important to me. Please, boss. This is all I have."

"I would love to keep you but... my business is also getting affected with your lack of presence here in my shop. You know that not at all times I can request your co-employees to make their sift earlier because they're also doing something before they go to work.", the owner said to you. You just frowned at him while you're listening to what he's saying.
" I'm really sorry, Y/N but we're ending this here. You were a great worker, seriously.", he stood up from his seat, placing his hand on your shoulder to show sympathy for you while he looks at you.

"I hope that you can find somewhere out there who will accept you. Thank you for your service and I'm really sorry, Y/N.", he reached for your hand and shaked it to show gratitude for you despite of this unfortunate night you just have in your job.

"T-thank you sir too for giving me a chance to experience working here. It helped me howsoever in my struggles.", you said while your voice is getting shaky as you control your tears now to break out. You heaved a huge sigh before unpinning the nameplate in your uniform and giving it to your boss before you pick up your bag on the chair and left the grocery store.
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(AT THE STREETS, FRIDAY EVENING)
While you are walking lazily on the sidewalk on your way home, you felt that your cellphone vibrated in your pocket. You picked it up and you saw the screen showing a call profile of the owner of the apartment you're staying at. You answered the call and placed the phone near to your ear to start talking to her.

"Hello, Mrs. Kim? What's for the call?"

"Good evening Y/N. I just want to remind you about the balance of your rent. I really need the money now so I would like you to please pay it all now this week?", Mrs Kim said behind the call. You felt nervous immediately after knowing the fact that you don't have any money to pay for it again, especially that you just lost your job today.

"Uhm but Mrs. Kim, can it hold on for a while? I- I don't have enough... to pay for it. I-I just got fired...", you said while stuttering.

"I understand that you're having problems, Y/N but please think that everyone around you suffers the same too, like me.", you pressed your thumb and index finger in your forehead as you massaged it slowly because you felt stressed now on what are you going to do to solve this. You know that you just can't find a new job that easily. You don't even have anyone for you to borrow some money because you don't have family, friends or relatives you're close with. "I'm sorry, Y/N but if you didn't fully paid it all this week, I have no other choice but to kick you out."

"N-noted, Mrs. Kim. I'll just find a way then. ", then you quickly ended the call. The tears in your eyes starts to fall. You're just way too stressed and exhasuted on how are gonna be able to keep surviving. First, your teacher just warned your of your failing grades in class. second, your boss just fired you from the job because you're always late in your shift and third, the owner of where you are living at right is charging you now to pay your debt in rent.

"What am i going to do?", you groaned while sniffing as you try to stop crying.

Everything is just falling apart all at the same time.

While trying to come up with some strategies and ideas on what you should do, you didn't got aware that you just accidentally kicked something on the wall. It made a metal clanging sound which caught your attention and made you stop on your tracks, standing just right in front of a large garbage bin. You looked on what it is and picked it up as you became curious what the hell are you seeing right now.

"What is this?", you said while taking a look at the thing you're holding. "A gold teapot? But why is it way too small?". As you became interested and attracted to this expensive looking object, you placed the bag in front of you and then you put the gold small teapot inside.
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( AT Y/N'S HOUSE, FRIDAY EVENING)

"Why would they dump this in the trash?", you said after putting the gold small teapot out of your bag as you finally reached home. You were sitting in the couch, observing this thing you have in your hands very closely. "It looks... expensive. I may not be right but I think this is made out of gold."

As you rotated it to check every sides, you noticed something that is written just below of it, at the base of the teapot. You read it carefully to understand more what does it say.

"Rub the lamp with your palm if you want to change your life.", you furrowed your eyebrows after you read it. It actually sound weird making you think what does this thing can do. Is it really not that normal as what you think it is? "Uhh okay?"

You followed what's written on the base, so you gently placed both of your hands at both sides of the teapot, making it placed between your hands. You started to roll the teapot as you rub your palm slowly back and forth in it. You just keep on doing it until suddenly the teapot starts to shake by itself, making you startled in terror.

You quickly let go of the teapot as it fell on the floor, but it keeps shaking. You crawled backwards to stay away from it, preparing yourself if ever there's more terrifying you may encounter tonight.

And it did. It made you flinch so bad when you saw the it open and exploded a red smoke. You tried not to shout to avoid disturbing your neighbors. You slowly turned your head back to look at what happened to the teapot, only to saw the big red smoke once again... but it even looked more different when you noticed that it a half body of a ....... woman?

"W-what the?"

"You have been summoned the Genie. Swear to my oath that I will be loyal only to my master and serve three wishes.", the red smoke woman said who just introduced herself as the genie. Meanwhile, you're literally just staring at her with pure puzzled expression making your face look all crumpled. After she said it, it stayed for a couple of second of pure silence, so it made the Genie feel awkward. " Uhh hello, do you understand me?", she said after clearing her throat, looking closer to you which made you flinched back again.

"Y-yeah I do but wait, what? Master? W-what is going on? Who are you?!", you confusedly asked her.

'You were the one who unleashed me from the lamp, so that means you need me to grant your wishes. And as the genie, I would be happy to serve my one and only master... so that makes you as my master.", Genie said, pointing happily at you.

" I am not your master okay?", you bluntly said to her, slowly standing up from sitting on the floor. "I'm just a normal college guy who got curious what is this thing and then voila, i'm now literally speaking to smoke being.", you said as you traced her with your hand.

"Hey! I have a name. I'm no smoke being, I'm the genie.", she said while she's spinning everywhere like a tornado, looking around inside your room which made you even more panicked that she might broke something. "Now, mind telling me how did you get this?", she asked you, pointing at the teapot below her which she's connected at.

"I don't know I just found this near at the garbage bin scattered on the ground after I accidentally kicked it.", you said while slowly looking away from her because you're scared that she might be angry knowing that you made some harm on her property.

"Makes sense why you're new to me... and this place too.", she said, stroking her chin while looking upwards like she's thinking. "You said garbage bin, right?

"Uh huh.", you nodded.

"They don't need me, they're just like everyone else I served.", she said in a breathy voice, lowering her head after she felt sadness. But it all quickly changed when she transitioned back into an all fine mood, raising her head back and looked at you as she focused instead on what's happening right now.

"So... let's get straight to the point. Now, give me your three wishes and I will make it come true just for you.", she said, placing both of her hands on her waists, posing proudly to herself.

"Anything?", you raised your eyebrow at her, intensely wanting to make sure that it is really true.

"Yes, anything you want.", she answered you but gestured you to stop when you were about to say your first wish to her as she saw you move your mouth. "Butttttt oops! Wait, there's more. You still have rules to follow though."

"What is it?"

"Number 1, you cannot wish to revive or kill somebody. Number 2, you can't wish to make someone or yourself fell in love and number 3, you can't bring anyone back from the dead.", she explained to you while she's counting it all using her fingers.

"Oh... okay.", you showed to her that you understand it all by nodding your head quickly. Actually it was disappointing because you really wanted to wish you have your late parents again with you and have friends too. "Uhm, I wish... I have more money.", you said to her. The Genie just looked at you as if she's waiting for something more.

"What amount? Be specific hey.", she said, snapping her fingers in front of your face. You just chuckled in embarassment.

"Sorry.", you scratched your nape. " Uhm... I wish I have money worth 1 million won."

"Okie dokie, 1 million amount of money coming right up!", the she starts waving her hands, forming something using her magic. You just watched her as she starts to make a bag full of money as it slowly appears from colorful glitters. All you can do is stare in awe with your jaw widely dropped.

"Woah... wow, you really are a genie.", you said as you kneel in front of the bags full of money. You scopped some using your hands and stared at it with your sparkling eyes. "I can finally pay the house and buy all I want.", you said in glee. You started to let the tears of joy flow beneath your cheeks as you feel overwhelmed of this blessing.

"Why are you the one who needs to pay the house? Where are your parents?", the Genie asked you, crossing her arms. With that mention of your parents, it made you halt and stare at the wall, remembering one of the worst things that happened to you.

"They uhm... They... They passed away since I was so little.", you said while shaking your head and clearing your throat as you try to contain yourself.

"Is that so? Sorry to hear that my master.", she said as she flew to your side, looking worriedly at you with frown on her face.

"It's fine.", you just smiled it off on her, wanting her to disregard and not to think more about you. "So uhm Genie, do you have any more names? Like a real one.", you looked at her while you're rubbing your fist to your eyes to wipe the tears.

"I don't have one. Only Genie.", she simply answered, shaking her head from side to side.

"How did you became into this? Are you a human before?", you finally asked to her one of the questions that appeared in your mind after you saw her. This time, it was Jihyo who became silent as she formed another frown in her face.

"I was. It's been a long long long time ago since I am one, like you.", she nodded and pointed at you. "I shouldn't have travelled all along by myself. It was an accident. I never meant to piss the sorcerer off aftrer trespassing to his property. He gave me something I didn't even deserve because I never meant that to happen.

He cursed me and imprisoned me into this lamp for eternity, serving countless masters through all generations who needs my presence for their wishes to be heard and granted just with a rub on a lamp.", she said while her eyes aren't blinking because she's too much focused on her mind who's doing a flashback of what happened many years before while she's explaining and narrating it.