Jeongyeon stood in front of the mirror in her room after taking a warm water shower. Wiping her hair with the towel hanged behind the room door, she had been standing there for a full five minutes.

She hoped that what she was about to explain to Mina was a good thing, both for the girl she had been protected to and for herself. She had felt very certain about being a Guardian while she was arguing with Jihyo. Even though two hundred years of hunting was a very long journey to be told, but Jeongyeon could not believe that Mina was the one that she was looking for until the last incident happened in the stream was the one that opened her eyes.

Now that she was really sure about to do it, a nagging doubt crept through her.

Come on, get a grip, Jeongyeon coached herself. She wiped her blonde hair from side to side, took a breath, wishing that all thoughts could escape from her head.

While Jeongyeon was rumbling in her thoughts, the Alpha of the Werewolf knocked the opened door and leaned her back against the door. Jeongyeon greeted the leader with a smile, hanging her towel on the arm chair. Jihyo invited her to join the drink on the balcony, their usual talk place especially in the late midnight. As expected, Jeongyeon agreed to come along.

After Jeongyeon applied toner on her face, she went to the kitchen to get for herself a glass of drinking water. The dinner for the night was marvellous. Jeongyeon was shocked as she acknowledged that Sana and Dahyun were the one who prepared for the dish. She was about to walk straight to the balcony when Nayeon asked for her help, carrying a tray arranged with six empty opaque glasses and a jug of fresh peach juice.

A perfect drink for the beginning of summer.

Jeongyeon dilated her pupils, counting the number of heads that were already settled on the balcony just in case she had to go back into the kitchen to bring another glass. As she was getting closer to the group, she realized that Tzuyu was joined along besides than Sana and Dahyun.

For Dahyun, she only stayed up late if the next day was weekends or public holidays. Same goes to Nayeon.

But Tzuyu? Jeongyeon thought. It must be a serious talk tonight.

It was an unusual moment to see Tzuyu awoke in the hour like this. Tzuyu was a kind of person who took care of her health. Stayed up late, ate snacks and supper, watched shows and movies close to the television screen, listened to loud music were a big no no for her. She was a disciplined person if anyone opened up the story about a healthy lifestyle. She was the healthiest member in the group and it could be seen both from her physical and mental appearance.

But tonight Tzuyu was totally different.

The wound at her side that she got in the last episode of her battle was not yet recovered even though almost three months had passed. The depth of the scratches she got for disguised herself as a Werewolf – thanks to Jihyo’s threatening plan – was not kidding at all. As long as Jihyo remember, Mina was left alone with Nayeon and Tzuyu after the injured members were sent to the room. The cut on Tzuyu’s side was too deep to the extent that the ripping part of her muscles was exposed, allowing more bloods to escape from her body.

Tzuyu was a human anyway even though she was Jihyo’s master. However, she could feel the difference or changes in her body once Mina placed her hands on her back.

“I don’t know, Jihyo, but when Mina put her hand on my back while wiping the cut, I could feel my muscles coagulate together and almost stick to each other. I screamed in pain because Mina pressed the cut with the towel soaked with vodka but behind the towel I could feel my inner part gummed together. I wished that I won’t scream but the vodka, it stings. I wonder if I didn’t scream. Who knows the cut will fully recovered.” That was what Tzuyu told Jihyo that making Jihyo reconfirmed that Mina was not just a human.

No matter what happened, Jihyo was glad to meet Mina just in time to treat her Master or else Tzuyu will be ended up on the bed forever.

That was why from the moment onwards, Jihyo was getting interested to know who Mina was. She did not know what happened between Jeongyeon and Mina before she caught them together at the river bank but one thing for sure: Mina knew a little bit about herself by now.

That was why she called out her members for the meeting tonight.

It will be great if Mina joined along with the conversation but after Jihyo thought for a while it was better if Jeongyeon was the one who needed to explain to her.

It was a full of silence when Jeongyeon make her entrance to the balcony. She greeted the leader and the duo with a smile, only to receive a nod from Jihyo. The duo did not hyperactive as usual. Jeongyeon almost forgot the last time they looked serious-minded and quiet especially when they were stick together. When the atmosphere turned tense, Sana and Dahyun were the person who liked to break the barrier. However, this time they were totally different.

Jeongyeon could feel that she was the only one who had no idea what the talk will be all about.

It did not take a long time for Nayeon to appear, bringing a brand new passionfruit vodka with sliced lemon. For the eldest member of the group, she preferred the mixture of sour fruit for the beverages since the scent from the vodka alone was too strong for her to handle. She knew how to enjoy the alcoholic beverages to be honest. It just that she did not like the scent.

It was quite compacted when all of them gathered on the balcony. However, they knew Jeongyeon liked to take her cigarette at night and Nayeon disliked the pungent smell from the smoke took to the air and entered the house. This time, Jeongyeon had to hold herself since Nayeon was around and joined up tonight.

Jeongyeon sat on the floor, facing Jihyo who sat on the chair, leaned her head on the pole. She was handed a full glass of iced peach juice mixed with passionfruit vodka by the leader and sipped the drink. It was the best drink combo of the night thanks to Nayeon’s creative recipe she got from the Internet.

“Jeongyeon,” Jihyo finally spoke up. “What happened to both you this evening?”

“Who?” Jeongyeon asked. “Mina and I?”

Jihyo nodded.

Jeongyeon told on how she was there at the park this evening and was about to go back home when saw a thief ran for escape, how she caught Mina was about to fall from the bridge and she jumped into the water to save her. Jihyo smiled warmly as she heard Jeongyeon’s brave action despite the fact that Jeongyeon did not know how to swim nor saved people from drowning.

“I’m confused,” Jeongyeon sighed, instinctively took out her cigarette box on the table, hold it in between her fingers and lighted the end of the rollup until it burnt. Jeongyeon got her own way to enjoy the sensation without disturbing the rest. She inhaled the sponge part and puffed out the smoke from , swinging her head to her back, away from her members.

Her team knew her very well – if Jeongyeon loosened up to smoke even though Nayeon in front of her, she must be in deep thinking. Nayeon realized it too but for the moment silencing herself was the best decision to make rather than to stop Jeongyeon especially when she was in perplexity.

“I just – I don’t know,” Jeongyeon flipped her hair and sighed. “Guys. I think my hunt is over. I think Mina’s my Master.”

“How can you be so sure?” Nayeon asked, took a sip of her drink and joined Jeongyeon sat on the floor.

“You guys know that I can’t swim right?” Jeongyeon asked, her eyes staring at the leader. All the members nodded. “Actually I’ve already dead in the water but,” Jeongyeon put in the picture of how she felt when Mina caught her in the water and wrapped her arms around Jeongyeon.

“It was the same feelings I felt when Mina’s the one who save from being hit by a car, from the injury I got from the stupid Boxer dog in America. I mean she heals me.” Jeongyeon turned her back and rolled up her shirt. “Just take a look at my back. No cuts, no bruises no whatsoever on my back, right? I don’t feel any pain at all.”

Jihyo nodded her head, focusing to the story. She looked at Tzuyu who also impressed with the disappearing of wound of Jeongyeon’s back. Even though she did not joined the battle last night, she could hear Jeongyeon’s shout in pain when Nayeon treated her. She saw the clothes Jeongyeon wore the night of the fight when Dahyun was about to throw it out the next day. Tzuyu could see that the cut was serious. It could be as painful as hers – but it could be worse.

Tzuyu understood the feelings of Mina’s embrace as experienced by Jeongyeon. It was strange, frankly because it was her first time experienced it, but in the same time it was comfortable. Most of the time, the process of recovery was painful to bear but in Mina’s case it was totally different. The warmth of her touch was soft and tender like marshmallow.

“Then life becomes a torture we are expected to endure, surviving, not living. Were it not because of Mina, there would be no relief, no emotional morphine. Of course I am addicted to the feeling – but for every reason that is pure and right. It feels like safety and love, an anchor I hold onto, that I tether myself to because I want to.” That was how Tzuyu described how she felt the moment Mina lie her hand on her back. Jihyo was impressed with Tzuyu sometimes.

“So you think that she’s the mage?” Jihyo asked.

Jeongyeon nodded, pressing the burning end of the cigarette at the ashtray. “I’m so sure that she’s the mage.”

“Welcome to the club, Jeongyeon,” Sana smiled, wrapping her arm around Dahyun’s shoulder. “I’m so happy for you. You’ve been looking for your Master for hundred years and you’ve found it at the very right time, too.”

“Yeah,” Dahyun nodded. “I wonder how you will explain to Mina about this things. About this magical world with fights and power, with good and evil.” Dahyun turned her head, facing Sana and laughed. “But please don’t ask advice from Sana. Greeted like a psycho, smiled like an idiot, talked like a weirdo. She’s the worst example of all.”

“Hey!” Sana pushed Dahyun and slapped her back hard. “That’s the only way for me to approach you. You kept running when met me on the street.” Sana turned her body and sulked, backing Dahyun.

“What? Are you expecting me to hug you after you changed yourself into a wolf? Are you out of your mind?” Dahyun flashbacked the memories on how terrified she was when Sana transformed herself in front of her. “That’s what we called as human instinct. Fight or flight.” Dahyun turned Sana’s body, staring at her Guardian and smiled. “But Sana, knowing you is the best part of my life ever since I live because–” Dahyun paused, her eyes looking in Sana’s beige-coloured iris without blinking.

Sana furrowed her eyebrows and pouted her lips. “Because?”

“Because – you know. Because–”

“Stop it!” Tzuyu interrupted, making a ‘talk-to-my-hand’ hand gesture, rolling back her eyes. “If you want to make a romantic drama series, just go to your room. We’re talking about Jeongyeon right now, not ‘How Do I Met Your Guardian’ or "How Do I Met Your Master.’”

“Woah there, Tzuyu. Chill out.” Sana laughed. “Stop talking silly, Dahyun. I like to hear it too but let’s talk about it later, okay? Tzuyu’s right. We should figure it out together how to help Jeongyeon,” she continued. Dahyun nodded with a smile, viewing that Sana was thinking about the same way too.

“Whatever you want to say after this, Jeongyeon,” Jihyo finally spoke up, “I think it’s much better if Mina listens from you first and only you. You’re the one who need to explain to her, not me,” Jihyo pointed her fingers to every member on the balcony. “Not Tzuyu, not Nayeon, not Sana, not Dahyun, not–” Jihyo stopped the moment she realized she pointed at the wrong person standing against the curtain of the window. “Hey, Mina! How long have you been here?”

Mina greeted Jihyo with a smile. “Just now.” She showed a tray with two plates of sweet and sour friend chicken and placed one on the table. “I saw all of you hang around on the balcony and noticed that you don’t have food for eat. That’s why I went to the kitchen and make this.” Mina handed a plate to Jeongyeon, cracking a smile before sat beside her.

All the eyes focused on Mina and Jeongyeon who were sitting next to each other. Even though Jeongyeon looked cool from the outside, she was die with delight. She never expected Mina will going to sit beside her despite there was an empty chair beside Jihyo.

“So what’s are you guys talking about?” Mina asked, looked Jeongyeon in the face, grabbed her hand and broke into a smile for a second.

Owhh, Mina! You’re spoiling me!

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