Jae Ren woke up from her short nap because of a knock on her door.

"Come in."

N shuffled in with his hands behind his back.

"I'm taking it that that's the doll you're holding?" Jae Ren said, not even sitting up to know what he was up to. He nodded shyly and closed the door.

"And you want to apologize?" She saw him nod, finally sitting up from her bed, her hair a mess.

"Since you know what I'm going to do anyway," He began, "Would you still accept the apology?"

"That depends on how you do it." Jae Ren shrugged with a grin. But N knew better than to believe she was relaxed and happy.

It showed how sad she was from the tear stains that were on the bed. Small and almost impossible to find... but N did.

You might think she was over reacting, but it is kind of hard in her situation. She hasn't had anyone for years. Just Jinyoung, who she deliberately pushed away for this exact reason: Her fear of getting hurt.

She trusted them, and it was a hard blow on her to find out they were afraid of her. When they told her how their previous master had punished them so crudely that they couldn't stand straight for days, she felt absolutely horrified. And now, she felt horrified of herself. Because, is that how she seemed? Cruel and Sadistic?

"Can you sit with me over there?" N asked as he glanced at the bench at her room’s terrace, where he had first introduced himself to her.

"Why not?" Jae Ren asked and walked to the bench, sitting on one of the ends of it and resting her elbow on the arm rest, letting her palm support her cheek.

N sat on the other end, the Voodoo Doll resting between them. Sitting comfortably. Silence enveloped them. And Jae Ren didn't seem to mind.

"It was you." N suddenly spoke, making Jae Ren turn her head curiously at him. "You were the one who touched the doll. I felt it. While we were racing Topp Dogg to the warehouse. I felt someone run their fingers on me." He explained.

"It was me." Jae Ren confirmed. "I didn't know it at that time."

"Did you know, that if you didn't think of anyone in particular, we would all feel it, but if you think of only one member, only that one member would feel it?" He asked. By this point, Jae Ren didn't know where the conversation was heading.

"No." Jae Ren shook her head. "Does that mean all of you felt it?"

N nodded absent-mindedly. "I asked them earlier, and they felt it too."

Jae Ren remained silent. Not really sure what to say. "So what now?" She asked.

N shrugged. "I'm not really sure." He said with a grin. "I've never been in this kind of situation before."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"When we did something wrong before, your grandmother would punish us. We didn't need to say 'sorry' because she would just say 'don't let it happen again." N explained. "I guess this is why we're still awkward here. We still don't fit in. I don't think we ever will. We've been used to being caged for so long, I guess."

"So you're saying I should punish you?" Jae Ren raised an eyebrow, slightly offended.

"No!" N said a little too loudly, "I mean... That's not what I meant!" He frustratedly sighed. "I'm just saying that we really are sorry... and it may not feel sincere to you, but we really are. We didn't know it would all turn out this way... fear really did get the best of us. And I guess, when you're used to fear for a long time, it's hard to shake the feeling off..."

Jae Ren nodded in understanding, and the silence enveloped them once again.

"Then don't do it again." Jae Ren suddenly said. N turned his head to her, and she was gazing at the night sky. "Don't let it happen again, N."

N's eyes widened, before they softened. He came closer to her, the doll now in his hand, and he hugged her from her side. "We're so sorry, Jae Ren. Sorry..."

"Don't let it happen again." She repeated and pulled away. She smiled at N.

N stood up, and bowed in front of her.

"I trust you with my whole heart, Jae." He stood straight and gave the doll to her. "We all do." He said, and right on cue, VIXX appeared on her terrace.

They all knelt before their master. Just like Topp Dogg. But they didn't do it out of fear, they did it out of sheer respect and love for their master. A bond that not every witch or warlock had with their group of guardians.

"I hate you guys." Jae Ren said through her mix of laughter and tears.

VIXX frantically stood up.

"Hyung! We made her cry!" Hyuk panicked.