Excitement sent my blood rushing as I began to plan. It was a vague plan, I grant you, with many holes, but the thought of freedom from the cramped apartment after a week of confinement outweighed any misgivings I might've had. I decided I'd give myself fifteen minutes to get ready. That'll give Jimin some time to get to sleep, right? I was once again grateful that I'd never had to share a room with the boys. I could change into my joggers and running shoes in peace without worrying about waking up Jimin.

I tiptoed into my room, and left my door open, since the hinges screeched if you tried to close it quietly. My joggers were actually men's, since men's joggers had pockets I could almost fit my entire arm into. I slid a knife into each pocket. It was uptown Seoul, I doubted I'd need to defend myself from a stray dog, let alone a human trying to jump me, but my training refused to let me leave the house without some type of weapon. I was going to grab a shield charm necklace, but I decided against it. I could only break one rule at a time, and a healthy fear of a relapse into that fever had made me borderline neurotic about my use of magic. I hadn't even used magic to add a bit of flavor to my food, and that was something I did so near constantly before that I forgot I did it. Instead, I grabbed my wallet. I couldn't use my card, because then Kangdae-ssi and the boys would be able to find out I'd left the house, but I had enough cash for a meal if I so desired. It was expected to be chilly tonight, so I pulled a hoodie over my athetic tee. I slipped on my running shoes, and quietly tiptoed out of my room to the front door. I grabbed a set of keys that were hanging on a hook next to the door, and eased open the front door.

Thankfully, this door was much better greased than mine. It was open and shut without a single squeak. I turned the key in the lock, and then shoved the keys into one of my pockets. They jingled and clinked against my knife as I walked down the hall to the elevator. I pressed the call button, mapping out the route I'd run tonight. Yeah, I'd just go for a run, I told myself. That's a nice, safe, innocent reason to leave. It made me feel better about it. Not that I was planning on getting caught, but if I was caught, saying I was just running probably sounded better than 'I was just going out of my way to not listen to what Kangdae-ssi told me since I was left alone.'

Ding! The elevator arrived, and the doors slid open smoothly. The apartment where the boys and I lived wasn't deluxe luxury and dripping with gold, but it still had perks. Such as the elevator with walls and a ceiling made of mirrors. Once inside the elevator, with the doors closed, the elevator seemed a lot bigger than it was, and I waved childishly at my reflections as the elevator plummeted down to the ground floor. The elevator slowed to a stop seamlessly, and the doors opened again to reveal the brightly lit lobby of my apartment complex. The lights still weren't off, despite the late hour.

I stepped out onto the marble floor, looking around. No one was there. I shrugged. It was almost midnight. I jogged across the lobby and out the door.

Words cannot express how great it felt to be outside, breathing in fresh air, after being stuck inside for a week. I stopped just outside my apartment and stood there for at least three minutes, just staring at the building across from me and breathing in the crisp air. Eventually, though, I began to jog down the brightly lit residential street. My keys jingled in my pocket with every step, but since the streets were still pretty busy, I didn't think anyone noticed. I weaved in between people, turning left, left, right, left, right, right, second left, right...

I came to a stop in front of a late night noodle shop. It appeared to be aimed at college kids pulling all-nighters. I fit right in. A couple of people were wearing pajamas. It was packed tight in there, and I accidentally bumped into several people on my way to an empty table. Most people there were with someone else, either bent over books or their laptops, or specifically going out of their way to not mention anything academic. A waitress brought me over a glass of water and a menu written on cardboard. I perused it while listening to the people around me.

"No, hyung, we need to get the report done now!" one guy was saying.

"Entropy is the state of..." a young woman was about to fall asleep into her noodles.

"Suzi? She's.... okay, I guess..."

"Ya! She's taken!"

I smiled to myself. College kids, amiright? I ordered a spicy noodle and sipped on my water, my fingers tracing the scar on my arm that was left over from the healing spell. I wished they hadn't left a scar. I hate scars. Maybe I'll find something in my Grim to get rid of scars. It would either be an asthetic spell or a healing spell. Those, I could do. If I practiced. I really was the worst at magic in my unit. I felt a shiver of dread travel down my spine and then twist itself around my guts. I had to pass a magical fit test in order to