Mino woke up in the middle of the night. He looked around him, trying to see if anyone else was awake. He knew that the girls were inside the cottage—Naeun was sleeping on the single bed and Jieun was resting on the couch—and the boys were supposed to be outside sleeping. However, when he woke up, he saw no signs of Taemin and Myungsoo around him. He frowned, then suddenly became worried that something might've happened to his group.

He got up from the floor and quietly crept into the forest, trying to find the two other guys. He lurked in the forest for a bit longer until he heard voices amongst the trees. He walked towards the voices as it became louder and more clear.

"So tell me," a familiar voice said, "how'd you get inside?"

That's Myungsoo's voice, Mino realized. He hid behind a tree and listened in silence.

"What're you talking about?" Taemin asked him.

"Taemin, I know you didn't get in there because they let you in. I know you didn't climb over the walls, either," Myungsoo said. "You couldn't have gotten through with your fire powers either." Myungsoo tilted his head in a suspicious manner. "Unless you're hiding something from me."

Taemin became extremely quiet. Myungsoo waited patiently for him to say something. After a few moments of keeping silent, Taemin got up from the ground and gave Myungsoo a cold stare.

"You better be careful," Taemin warned him, "it'd be pitiful if something happened to you."

Taemin was about to walk away, but Myungsoo's words stopped him. "You and I know that you have something you're hiding from me and the rest of us."

"So?"

"Why can't you tell us?" Myungsoo asked him.

"It's my secret and it only matters to me."

"Does it? Does it really just matter to you?"

Taemin paused, then scoffed with a small smile. "Suspecting me again, hm? What's it going to take for you to trust me?"

"Until I know the truth."

"Wouldn't it be best if Naeun hears about it, too?"

"Keep Naeun out of this. She thinks you're someone she can depend on. Don't ruin that image."

"That was our agreement, right? I protect Naeun while you don't question me," Taemin reminded him. Myungsoo didn't say a word after that. Taemin smirked. "Let's go to sleep. We have a long day tomorrow, right?"

Myungsoo only nodded. The two boys started to walk back in a different direction from where Mino had come from. Mino continued to stay quiet behind the tree as he tried to absorb everything he had heard from the boys' conversation. He sighed heavily and rubbed his tired face.

We really need to go back home as soon as possible, Mino thought. He looked up at the dark sky. If we stay any longer, I get the feeling that we might not be able to go back home.

The next morning, Jieun got up to make breakfast early. However, by the time she was up, Naeun was already cooking something on the stove. She got up from the couch and followed the scent of food to watch Naeun make breakfast.

"You're awake?" Naeun asked, glancing behind her when she noticed Jieun's presence. Jieun nodded her head. "Great. You should go wake Mino up and leave already."

Jieun stared at her. Naeun ignored her and continued to cook the food.

"Do you hate me?" Jieun asked.

Naeun looked at her. "What?"

"Why do you want me to leave so badly?" she asked her.

"Is there a reason why I shouldn't hate you?"

"I have powers."

"So what?" Naeun spat out. "Taemin has powers, Myungsoo has powers, and even I have powers."

"M-My powers are special—"

"That makes you dangerous," Naeun pointed out. "It makes you dangerous and unwanted to some."

Jieun frowned. "Taemin likes me here!"

Naeun kept quiet. She scoffed quietly and continued to stir the soup.

"Yeah," Naeun said in a quiet manner. "You're right about that."

Silence enveloped their conversation. Jieun wasn't quite sure on how to answer or how to react to Naeun's soft message. In a way, she felt kind of guilty, but in another way, she felt a bit confused. She knew exactly how Naeun felt about Taemin, yet she had the audacity to mention how he preferred her presence over Naeun's?

It's not like I like Taemin that much, Jieun thought.

"Want to wake up the boys for me?" Naeun asked. "I'm almost done. I just need to add a few more ingredients and stir it."

Jieun looked at the dish. "What are we having?"

"Mushroom soup. I found some mushrooms growing outside. They're not poisonous, so don't worry about me trying to poison you guys," Naeun said.

Jieun nodded and left the cottage. She walked over to the three boys, who were still sleeping on the ground. One by one, she gently shook them to wake them up. Myungsoo was the first one to wake up, then Taemin followed after smelling the food.

As soon as the boys went inside the cottage, Mino shot his eyes open, making it clear that he was pretending to fall asleep. He grabbed Jieun by her wrist and dragged her a bit further away from the cottage. Confused, Jieun followed, wondering what was going on in Mino's head.

The two ended up hiding behind a couple of bushes and trees. Mino looked around him, trying to figure out if there was any potential listeners. When he thought it was safe, he grabbed Jieun's shoulder and gave her a serious look.

"We need to get out of here now," Mino told her.

"Now? Why?" Jieun asked, still puzzled.

"I'm telling you right now, that Taemin guy is not to be trusted," Mino told her.

Jieun frowned. "Really? You're going to pick on Taemin after he's been doing everything to save us?"

"Jieun, I've been getting a bad feeling from Taemin the moment we met him," Mino said, nervously checking to see if anyone was around him. "You know that I don't really think Taemin is trustable. I mean, sure, he's powerful, but having a lot of power doesn't mean you can trust them." He looked at her. "Do you see what I'm trying to say?"

She scoffed and crossed her arms. "I think you're just jealous that he's…a lot better than you."

"What?"

"I mean, yeah, we're in a new place and Taemin is from this world, but come on! He's been saving us thousands of times already! Isn't it about time that you trust him, even if it's just a little bit?" Jieun pointed out.

Mino narrowed his eyes. "Look, I've been hearing things about Taemin, okay? Last night, Taemin and Myungsoo were having this weird conversation. I trust Myungsoo, maybe Naeun, but I definitely don't trust Taemin."

"Myungsoo doesn't really like Taemin because Naeun likes him," Jieun reasoned.

"Okay, well, did Taemin ever tell you how he got into the City of Canis?" Mino asked.

"Well, no—"

"Think about it! If there's a trespasser, then there's bound to be some kind of commotion, right?"

"Maybe he snuck in really well—"

"With those high walls?"

"Y-Yeah. You know, maybe he can blast himself in the air with his fire powers like a rocket."

Mino kept very quiet. "Okay, you have a point, but still, I don't like the idea of staying here any longer. Wish us away now!"

Jieun widened her eyes. "Now? But we didn't even say goodbye—"

"We don't need to say goodbye, Jieun!" Mino exclaimed. "We need to get out of here as soon as possible! Our teachers and friends are probably worried sick over us!" He gave her a serious look. "Please? Can we just go home now?"

"What about breakfast?"

"I want a nice, warm meal."

"Naeun is making mushroom soup."

"I don't want mushroom soup. I want my mom's food."

Jieun scowled. "Okay, then can I just wish you to go back? I'll catch up with you later."

"What should I even say?" Mino asked.

"Just cover up for me for a few hours. Unlike you, I actually want to tell them when I leave," Jieun said. She clasped her hands together. "Ready?"

"Home, here I come!" Mino cheered, raising his fists in the air.

Jieun rolled her eyes before closing them. She squeezed her hands together, focusing on the single wish she wanted.

I wish, she started, for Mino to return home!

After a few seconds, she opened her eyes, but widened her eyes when Mino was still in front of her. She started to panic and closed her eyes before clasping her hands together once again.

I wish that Mino goes back home! she said. She opened her eyes and looked around, hoping that Mino would be gone. She frowned. "Why isn't this working?"

"Maybe you thought you were controlling your powers," Mino said. "Try wishing harder!"

"I am!" Jieun exclaimed. Her heart started to race. I wish for Mino to go back home! I wish for Mino to go back home! I wish for Mino to return!

Nothing happened. She looked down at her hands with complete despair. With a pale, horrid face, she stared at Mino, giving him a look of confusion. Mino bit his bottom lip, trying to think of an answer. Then, he snapped his hands and pointed at her.

"Maybe the wish doesn't work if you're not involved!" he said.

I wish that Mino and I go back home! she wished. She opened her eyes once more, but again, nothing happened. Why isn't this working?

"Did you lose your powers?" Mino asked.

"I didn't. I-It's still there. I can feel it!" Jieun declared. She frowned. "Why can't I wish for us to go back home…?"

"We should go back," Mino said, noticing that they were away from the group for a lengthy amount of time. "Maybe you're just hungry. Let's go."

But I know it doesn't work like that, she thought desperately. Why isn't it working? I know it's supposed to work!

"Oh, but we shouldn't go back empty-handed," Mino murmured. He looked around. "Find something that Naeun might want."

I wish for an object that Naeun wants, Jieun coveted. Gold glitter shimmered down and started to form into a bowl of herbs and remedies. Mino scoffed as he picked up the items from the ground. 

"Really? You can wish for something that Naeun might want, but you can't wish for us to go back home?" Mino asked.

"I really don't know what's going on," Jieun said.

"Are you sure that you're actually wishing for us to not go back home?" Mino asked.

"I swear, I was wishing for you and I to return! I'm not sure why that wish is being denied," Jieun said.

Mino paused. "Maybe it has to do with something with the Creator."

"What could it possible do with the Creator? We don't even know who he or she is."

"Maybe we're like demi-Creators, you know?" Mino suggested. "Like, we have some powers to what the Creator has, but it's limited."

"How the hell am I supposed to know more about that? I mean, I know that the answers are in books, but we don't even have any," Jieun said.

"Then perhaps it's time for us to find a place where they might have books," he said. He snapped his fingers. "Oh, but we're probably going to have to do it in secret. We don't want to get caught and be thrown away to the side."

"I have a bad feeling about this," she murmured.

Mino paused. "Leave the book-hunting to me. For now, you focus on your powers and use it to benefit the group."

"What about you? Shouldn't you be trying to figure out how to get rid of the curse and if you have powers yourself?"

"I will, and the place where I can probably find answers about curses are in the books."

"What if you get caught?"

"I'll try not to. Lately, I've been finding it easier to blend in with the shadows," Mino said. He smirked. "Come on, let's go back. Those three are probably waiting for us."

Jieun nodded. She followed his footsteps and returned to the cottage with the medical supplies. At first, Naeun was angry for them being late, but she seemed rather pleased with the item they had found for her. She let them off the hook and gave them their share of the meal as she went off to make some more medications.

The rest of the four sat at the small table and quietly ate their breakfast. At one point, Taemin was bored of the silence and decided to speak up.

"What took you so long?" Taemin asked them.

Jieun and Mino froze for a second. They glanced at each other, wondering who was going to say something first. Then, Mino smiled warmly at Taemin.

"I overslept," Mino lied.

"Really? I went outside and you two weren't there," Taemin said casually. He pointed at Naeun's medical herbs. "Also, I'm pretty sure oversleeping doesn't make up for that side of the story."

"Well, I overslept and I knew Naeun would be mad, so I went to get some things with Jieun," Mino continued.

"Where'd you find those things?"

"In the forest."

"Only the forest? From what I remember, the red swirly plants don't grow in this side of the world," Taemin argued.

He's trying to make me admit that there was something more going on, Mino realized. He grimaced. "Well, I found them."

"Did you, now?" Taemin asked. The two started to exchange glares when they realized that neither side was going to back down.

"Guys, just eat," Myungsoo said tiredly. "We have a long day today, okay?"

"What are our plans?" Jieun asked.

"I want to go into the city," Mino announced. "What's the nearest city around here?"

"The city?" Naeun cried out, returning to the kitchen to grab something. "We can't go to the city, idiot. We're wanted people."

"She's a wanted person," Mino said, pointing at Jieun. "We can just leave her here while the rest of us goes to a nearby city in disguise."

"It's not a good idea to leave her along here," Myungsoo said.

"I'll stay back," Taemin declared. Jieun's heart skipped a beat as Naeun frowned. "If you want to go to the nearest city, make sure you follow the blue-marked trees. They'll lead you to the Artem Town. It's a beautiful place with lots of artsy stuff involved."

"I'll stay, too," Naeun chimed in. "I need to finish this mess, anyway."

"But you're the one who usually needs to do the shopping,' Myungsoo pointed out.

"I'll write you a list," Naeun told him.

"So that settles it," Mino said. "Myungsoo and I will go into the city while you three have fun here."

Myungsoo frowned. "But I kind of want to stay with Na—"

"Sounds like a plan," Taemin said, nodding his head. He patted Myungsoo's shoulder as he got up. "Have fun, buddy."

Myungsoo dropped his jaws while Mino excitedly pulled him out of his seat. Mino dragged him away from the cottage, leaving him bummed out while Taemin, Naeun, and Jieun stood back to keep a low profile.