The Curse Between Us

Felix stared at his reflection in the mirror, still adjusting to the sight of his female form. It felt strange but… peaceful. For once, he didn't feel the usual panic that came with an accidental shift.

Just as he was running his fingers through his longer hair, there was a sudden knock at the door.

"Felix," Kelvin's voice called out from the other side. "You awake? I just want to talk about something."

Felix froze, his heart racing. He instinctively tightened the lock on the door, as if that could somehow make Kelvin go away.

"What is it?" Felix asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

"I won't take long," Kelvin replied. "It's just about earlier."

Felix hesitated, glancing at the mirror again. His reflection stared back, a reminder of why he couldn't let Kelvin in.

"Can't it wait till tomorrow?" Felix called back, forcing a casual tone. "I'm kind of… busy right now."

"Busy doing what?" Kelvin asked, his voice laced with curiosity.

Felix cursed under his breath. "Just stuff, alright? I'm tired. We can talk later."

There was a pause, and for a moment, Felix thought Kelvin might leave. But then, the voice came again, softer this time.

"Hey… are you okay?" Kelvin asked. "You seemed off earlier. If something's bothering you, you can tell me."

Felix's chest tightened. The sincerity in Kelvin's voice made it harder to brush him off, but he couldn't risk him finding out. Not now, not like this.

"I'm fine," Felix lied, trying to sound annoyed. "Go to bed, Kelvin."

Another pause. Then a quiet sigh.

"Alright, fine," Kelvin said. "But if you need anything, you know where to find me."

Felix listened as Kelvin's footsteps faded down the hall. Only then did he let out the breath he'd been holding.

He turned back to the mirror, his fingers brushing against the smooth edges of his new form. "This is getting harder to hide," he whispered to himself.

Then he walked to the window in his room.

Felix stared out of his window in the soft glow of the Shanghai skyline, his mind drifting back to the memory that haunted him most—the day his life changed forever.

It had started with Kelvin. Their first meeting had been anything but pleasant.

[Three Years Ago]

It was an introductory rehearsal for Rune, the day all the members would meet for the first time. Felix had arrived a little late, as he'd underestimated the traffic. He remembered stepping into the room, cheerful and eager to impress, only to be met with Kelvin's sharp, disapproving gaze.

"You're late," Kelvin said coldly, arms crossed. His tone was enough to make the air in the room feel heavy.

Felix frowned, his initial cheer draining away. "Yeah, I'm late. But it's not like I missed anything important."

Kelvin raised an eyebrow. "This is important. If you can't be on time for rehearsal, how are we supposed to trust you as part of the group?"

That was the spark that lit the fire.

"You're kidding, right?" Felix snapped. "It's our first day Cut me some slack."

"No excuses," Kelvin shot back. "If you can't take this seriously, maybe you shouldn't be here."

From that moment, the tension between them was like a ticking time bomb. Every interaction felt like a battle of wills, their personalities clashing at every turn.

But it was the day after that argument that everything changed.

Felix had woken up feeling… strange. His body ached in ways it never had before, like something inside him was shifting. He shrugged it off, thinking he was just stressed, but when he caught his reflection in the mirror later that evening, his world shattered.

The face staring back at him wasn't his own. His features had changed—his jawline sharper, his eyes a different shade. Even his voice sounded slightly off when he spoke.

"What… what's happening to me?" he whispered, panic tightening his chest.

At first, he thought it was some bizarre illness, but the shifts kept happening—each time, his appearance would morph into someone completely different. It was terrifying. He didn't understand what was going on, and the fear consumed him.

In desperation, Felix decided to go back to his hometown, hoping his parents could give him answers.

But when he told them, their reaction was far from what he expected.

"You brought this on yourself," his father said, his voice hard.

His mother wouldn't even look at him. "Don't come back here, Felix. You'll only make things worse."

Felix had pleaded, demanding to know what they meant, but they wouldn't say anything more. They turned their backs on him, leaving him to figure it out on his own.

Heartbroken and terrified, Felix left and swore never to return.

Now, in Shanghai, he had reinvented himself. Rune was his chance to start over, to bury his curse and live a normal life. But no matter how far he ran, the shifts never stopped. And somehow, it all tied back to Kelvin.

Ever since that first argument, Felix had felt… different. It was like something inside him had awakened. The way Kelvin challenged him, pushed his buttons—it triggered emotions he didn't know how to process. And in those moments of heightened emotion, the curse would strike.

Felix clenched his fists as he turned away from the window. He couldn't let Kelvin—or anyone—find out the truth. If they did, everything he'd worked so hard for would crumble.

"I'll figure this out on my own," he whispered to himself, his reflection shifting slightly in the faint light.

No matter how impossible it seemed, Felix was determined to keep his secret, even if it meant clashing with Kelvin every step of the way.

-----

Felix stretched lazily on his bed, the soft warmth of the morning sun filtering through his curtains. He rubbed his eyes and turned to check the time on his phone. 10:12 AM.

"Late, but fair," he muttered to himself, sitting up. He'd stayed up until nearly dawn, so waking up this late wasn't a shock.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stretched again before standing. The first thing he did—out of habit—was walk to the mirror.

As his reflection came into view, he exhaled. His original form stared back at him, the same sharp jawline and tousled hair he always saw.

"It's me again," he said under his breath. But as much as he was relieved to be back to normal, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of something else. Was it… disappointment?

Last night's shift had been painless, almost enjoyable. He'd looked at himself with an odd sense of admiration. There was something about his feminine form that felt freeing, even if it was unfamiliar. Felix had always had an androgynous look—his delicate features gave him a pretty charm, while his sharp edges could make him appear rugged and masculine. Fans adored that balance, often calling him "unreal" or "ethereal" online.

He smiled faintly at the thought and glanced one more time at the mirror, almost expecting the reflection to change. It didn't.

"Guess I'll get over it," he muttered, heading toward his door.

But just as he reached for the handle, he heard something outside—loud voices and the unmistakable sound of running feet.

Frowning, Felix opened the door and peeked out. What he saw made him blink in disbelief.

Mitchell, usually the calmest and quietest of the group, was chasing Zach and Grey down the hallway like a man on a mission. Zach was laughing hysterically, holding something small and shiny above his head.

"Get back here!" Mitchell yelled, his voice extremely loud.

"No way!" Zach called back, nearly tripping over Grey as they darted toward the living room.

Felix stepped out into the hallway, raising an eyebrow. "What the hell is going on?"

Zach turned for half a second and grinned at Felix. "Mitchell's in a mood! He's trying to kill us!"

"I'm not trying to kill you!" Mitchell shouted, his face red with frustration. "Just give me back my ring!"

"Your what?" Felix asked, watching the chaos unfold as Mitchell lunged for Zach, who narrowly dodged.

"My ring!" Mitchell snapped. "These idiots stole it this morning, and now they're being complete jerks about it!"

Felix leaned against the doorframe, trying not to laugh. It wasn't every day that Mitchell lost his temper, let alone chased people around the house.

"Zach, just give it back before he actually snaps," Felix said, crossing his arms but Zach didn't listen so Felix shrugged it off.

Felix wandered into the kitchen, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The commotion outside was still going strong, with Mitchell now demanding his ring from Grey. Felix grabbed a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water, the cool liquid helping to wake him up.

As he turned to lean against the counter, Grey burst into the kitchen, the ring clutched tightly in his hand, with Mitchell hot on his heels.

"Alright, that's enough!" Felix said sharply, his voice cutting through the chaos.

Grey froze mid-step, and Mitchell skidded to a halt behind him. Zach appeared a second later, peeking around the corner with a sheepish grin.

Felix sighed, setting his glass down. "Grey, give me the ring."

Grey hesitated, glancing at Zach for backup, but Felix's stern look was enough to make him hand it over without argument. Felix took the ring and turned to Mitchell.

"Here," Felix said, holding it out.

Mitchell took the ring, looking both relieved and a little embarrassed. "Thanks," he mumbled.

With the tension diffused, the three of them shuffled out of the kitchen, leaving Felix alone.

As he reached for his glass again, he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist from behind, pulling him into a warm back hug.

Felix stiffened, his heart skipping a beat. "What the—"

"Relax, it's just me," Kelvin's voice came, low and teasing near his ear.