The walk to Jinyoung’s house is one filled with laughter. Jackson considered himself a funny person, and when his stories mixed with Jinyoung’s wit it made for a fun time. They talked about stories from their youth the most, with Jackson having to lie every now and then to make Jinyoung think he was born within the last twenty-five years. Jackson also couldn’t help but compare Jinyoung to the Prince. While they had the same face, Jinyoung and the Prince were as different as fire and ice.

 

The Prince had always been soft-spoken and prim, to the point that most people assumed he was a snob. Jinyoung, in comparison, was a lot more open. He seemed to wear his heart on his sleeve, and he wasn’t afraid to be loud. But they shared little things, things that boiled down to unconscious habits, like how they both covered their mouths when they smiled. They both fiddled with their sleeves when they were looking for a subject to talk about and they both bit at their lips when they weren’t sure how to answer a question. Jackson had to keep swallowing down the flowers that were trying to force their way out of his throat. Little did Jackson know that Jinyoung was facing his own inner turmoil.

 

Jinyoung swore he saw Jackson somewhere. The explanation Jackson gave him could have been the truth but it didn’t feel right. Jinyoung could feel it pushing at the back of his mind, but there was something blocking the memory. He gave up and reasoned that whatever the memory was must not have been important if he couldn’t remember it.

 

The duo reached the village where Jinyoung lived in a good amount of time. Jackson noted that the part of the village Jinyoung was leading him to was more developed and modern. These parts of the village had been sold to wealthy business people in an act of desperation by the land owners.

 

Jinyoung paused in front of a dark alleyway. “I hope you don’t mind but the house is a little bit of a mess right now.”

 

Jackson sensed that there was more to what Jinyoung was saying, but he responded with a nod. “It’s fine, houses get messy every now and then.”

 

Jinyoung smiled back before turning into the alleyway. He led Jackson to a tiny apartment building that looked like it needed more than a few repairs. On the bottom of the apartment building was a bakery. The building, in comparison to the two buildings next to it, looked like it was in need of serious repair. The paint on the window shutters was peeling so much it looked like there was hardly any left. Some of the boards on the wooden porch in front of the bakery were warped beyond repair. The brick structure that held the apartments was missing a few bricks here and there. Jinyoung motioned Jackson to follow him, and they walked to the side of the building. Jinyoung pulled down the ladder that led to the stairs of the fire escape. “Up you go,” he said as he held the ladder still.

 

Jackson looked to Jinyoung in confusion. “Why don’t we go through the front door?” he asked, looking at the rusted iron of the ladder. Jinyoung chuckled nervously.

 

“I may or may not have gotten your help without my mom knowing.”

 

Jackson tilted his head. “What?”

 

Jinyoung huffed. “My sister is sick and we can’t afford a doctor. So my grandmother brought up getting help from you. My mom was against it. She said something about not trusting herbs and tea to heal the sick. But I couldn’t stand by and watch my sister get sicker and sicker, so I snuck out. And now we’re here.”

 

“You snuck out?” Jackson’s eyes widened. “Did you think she wouldn’t notice you being gone? You’ve been away for a full twenty-four hours.”

 

Jinyoung shrugged, oblivious to Jackson’s disbelief. “I’m a writer, well kind of. I haven’t been able to publish anything. But sometimes I lock myself in my room for long periods of time. No one in the house bothers me when the door to my room is locked.”

 

Jackson couldn’t believe his ears. “So what now? Don’t you think it would be a little suspicious to go into your room with no one, but then I’m there when you come out?”

 

“Okay, so I didn’t think it all the way through,” Jinyoung pouted. “Can you blame me though? Someone that I love is dying–did you think I could sit back and do nothing?”

 

To Jackson, that statement felt like a twist of a knife, to see the face of the man he loved the most in this world say something like that after he had failed him so miserably. Jackson didn’t think twice before he grabbed onto the ladder.

 

“I owe you one for this,” Jinyoung smiled, to which Jackson huffed before climbing up the ladder.

 

Jinyoung’s mother was less than happy when she saw Jackson in her house. At the first sight of Jackson walking out of Jinyoung’s room she screamed. She was quick to take off her sandals and toss them at him. Jackson tried to explain, but the frantic woman ran to the closet in the kitchen instead. She pulled out a broom and took a stance, ready to attack at a moment’s notice. Jinyoung managed to calm his mother down before she beat Jackson to death. At first, Jinyoung’s Mother was upset. Her face relaxed, slowly shifting from terror to a stern calm. The tension left her body as she turned to scold her son.

 

“I can’t believe you snuck out of the house and dragged Jackson all the way here when I told you not to. Your grandmother put you up to this, didn’t she?” she said, face red with anger.

 

Jinyoung’s grandmother walked into the room before Jinyoung could answer. “I didn’t tell him to do anything. I only told him where the medicine man lived.” Jinyoung’s grandmother turned to take a closer look at Jackson. “I expected him to be a lot older though.”

 

After a pause, she then turned to her daughter and whispered something in her ear. Jinyoung’s mother’s eyes widened and she looked at Jackson from head to toe. She then let out a loud sigh. “Well, since you’re already here you might as well take a look at Sooyoung. She’s gotten worse since yesterday.” Jackson nodded and followed Jinyoung’s mother without a word.

 

Sooyoung looked worse for wear. Her skin had taken a sickly grey tinge to it and her face was covered in a layer of sweat from her fever. Jackson gave her some of the tea, hoping that the tea worked like it was supposed to. Unfortunately, that wish was not heard. While Sooyoung did get a little better, she was still very sick.

 

Jackson had never seen that happen before. He went to Jinyoung and asked to see the wound he got from the wolves. (He regretted asking in front of Jinyoung’s mother, since she looked ready to faint at the question.) Jackson’s eyebrows furrowed when he saw Jinyoung’s wound was only half-healed.

 

“What’s wrong?” Jinyoung asked, noticing Jackson’s confusion.

 

Jackson didn’t answer, instead, he continued to look at the wound. If he focused on the wound long enough he noticed that he could see the wound healing itself, but it was doing so at a slow pace. It was as if the healing properties of the ointment were working in slow motion, the sight of the skin slowly coming together makes him feel anxious. He isn’t sure why this is happening.

 

Jackson got up and went back to Sooyoung’s room, and he noticed the color was returning to her skin. Jackson had too many questions. Why was his blood taking so long? Usually, his blood healed wounds quickly or it didn’t work at all. (And once someone had angel blood in their ancestry and they broke out into hives.) Jinyoung walked into the room then, and before he could speak Jackson cut him off.

 

“Do you mind if I stay over for the night? It looks like the tea is working but I want to keep an eye on her tonight to be sure it worked.”

 

Jinyoung got cut off again by his mother. “Of course. Jinyoung, you wouldn’t mind sharing your room with Jackson would you?”

 

Jinyoung shook his head since he would do anything to make sure Sooyoung was healthy. His mother smiled.

 

“It’s settled then.”