Yoojung simply leaned against the wall, trying very hard to suppress the ensuing hyperventilation. It's been a while since she's witnessed a magical creature's fighting abilities in person, and as mild as Jongdae's attack seemed, she still found those unwanted memories creeping back to the surface. 

She looked down at the limp bodies of the two gangsters, and she knew she would take some time to calm down again. She hated that she had to lose control at a time when she should be on her way to visit her mother, and worse of all she did not want this to happen right in front of a person or elf that she did not fully trust yet. 

Jongdae had abandoned his groceries on the snowy surface and moved to hold the girl up. Yoojung could tell he was extremely concerned as he steadied her with a firm but painless grip on her shoulders. She noted that the boy had skipped pass the two unconscious bodies on the floor, careful not to accidentally kick them. She wasn't sure if she was registering that detail, because her breaths were getting shallow. Normally she would just isolate herself from her mother and wait for a good half an hour to calm down, but this time she did not have that luxury. 

Strangely enough, Jongdae's furrowed brows and slight panic in his tone made Yoojung more comfortable with his touch. She didn't push him away, like she usually would. 

"Stella? Are you alright? Did I...hurt you?" Jongdae said softly. If Yoojung wasn't panicking, she might actually be touched by his immense worry.

She clutched on to him, a rare moment of displaying her vulnerability. She might regret this later, but now she needed this. 

She needed someone to be there. 

"Stella, breathe. Follow me. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale..."

Yoojung thought she smelt blood. She thought she saw blood in the snow. A bigger pool than what she might have created.

"Close your eyes," Jongdae suggested hesitantly. "You need to try breathing slowly. One, two, one, two..." 

It took a really long time for Yoojung to finally calm down and gather a sense of her surroundings again. It's only then that she realised her fingers were boring into Jongdae's arm in extremely tight grips, and she had rested her forehead on his shoulder as she tried to catch her breath. The dizziness was dissipating, and she could finally stand on her own again. 

"I'm sorry if I hurt you. I'm usually quite good with my aim for these things..." 

Jongdae realised this detail was not the most comforting and immediately kept qui