“Sungmin, you’re out of class now, right?” Donghae asked, hastily whispering into his phone.

“Yes, I’m out of class, I wouldn’t have answered my phone otherwise. Why are you whispering?”

“Come to the library, second floor. Hurry.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m pretty sure that Wonshik guy is here.”

“So? Just go talk to him Donghae.”

“I don’t know what to say.” Donghae was starting to whine at this point. “You talked to the others. What if I mess up and say something that contradicts what you told them?”

“Hae, this was your idea in the first place, and I told you what I said to them anyways.”

“But I need you. I can’t do this alone. You know I’m terrible at talking to people I don’t know. Please Minnie.” Donghae could hear Sungmin’s annoyed sigh loud and clear and knew he was going to give in.

“Where exactly are you?”

“Second floor, at the back worktables that look out to the courtyard.”

“Fine. I’ll be there in just a couple minutes,” Sungmin announced immediately hanging up. He knows he agreed to help even though he didn’t exactly like this plan, but now Donghae has him doing most of the work, which he doesn’t appreciate. At least Donghae will be with him this time, and if they are lucky, they might have some answers.

“Jaehwan and Hongbin told me you would be looking for me,” Wonshik said as soon as Sungmin and Donghae walked up to the table he was working at. As soon as Sungmin arrived, he didn’t bother stopping to talk to Donghae, just got his attention and went straight to Wonshik.

“They told me they would. So, as you might know, I’m Sungmin and this is my friend Donghae,” Sungmin introduced them, Donghae squeaking out a quick hello. “I’m also sure they told you why we wanted to talk to you.”

“It seemed like you were rather vague to them, but I got that it’s something to do with Kyuhyun and my meeting up with him not too long ago. Heard there were pictures as well of that meeting.”

“I’m sorry. That’s my fault,” Donghae admitted. “I was shocked to see you guys with him and took the pictures since I had my camera. I wanted to show them to him in case he knew any of you to know what was going on.” While Donghae explained himself, Sungmin pulled out the pictures and handed them to Wonshik.

“If you’re worried, the only ones who have seen them are us and your friends. We’re not trying to do anything beyond find out what is going on with Kyuhyun.”

“Well, I don’t know much about Kyuhyun. I’ve only met him twice. Both being rather brief and that being one of those times,” Wonshik pointed to the pictures that were now laid out across the table.

“How do you know him at all? Classes? Through someone else?” Donghae asked.

“He’s friends with my boyfriend’s boss, I guess. That’s how I met him at least. Don’t know much more than that.”

“So, why were you giving him stuff that night then,” Sungmin followed up with.

“I wasn’t giving him anything if you want to get into technicalities. I was the guide that night.” Sungmin narrowed his eyes at Wonshik who seemed to pay it no mind. “My boyfriend on the other hand was dropping off food. That’s what was in the bag. His coworker made it and insisted we take it to him.”

“What about what he gave him before the bag? There was something small he passed to him, but I couldn’t see what it was, and I didn’t get a picture.”

“Oh, that. I think it was a flash drive. It was the whole reason we were there in the first place. My boyfriend said Kyuhyun called his boss a little earlier that day quite frantic because he lost it or something and hoped he just left it at the shop. Turned out he did, and the boss sent my boyfriend to deliver it since he needed it for his class but didn’t have the time to travel to the shop and back. And because I had the time and my boyfriend is unfamiliar with the campus, I acted as guide.”

“I see.” Sungmin had a feeling that Wonshik wasn’t telling the truth however, there wasn’t anything obvious that Sungmin could call him out on. His story worked out, the vial they took from Kyuhyun would be only a little bigger than the average flash drive and both are easy enough to be concealed in a fist if you’re not close.

“Has your boyfriend mentioned Kyuhyun being around?”

“A couple times. Not too often though. Like I said, he seems to be friends with the boss, and we don’t really know the boss’s private life.”

“I suppose you wouldn’t.” Donghae agreed. “It would be weird to know much about your boss’s personal life especially if they don’t share it with you first.”

“Well, that’s all the info I have and all the time I can spare. I think if you want to know anything else, you’re going to have to talk to Kyuhyun about who else he hangs out with.” Wonshik quickly packed up all his supplies making a show of keeping the pictures as well. They probably have copies somewhere else, but he was going to keep these just in case. Just as he was leaving, he paused right behind them. “Also, as a word of advice, no matter how good your intentions, don’t take pictures of people like that.”

“He was way too prepared for that,” Sungmin pointed out after Wonshik left, finally letting himself relax and slump back in the chair.

“And he’s not one of us,” Donghae added, keeping his words vague in case anyone overheard them. There were still students sitting at the tables around them and while it wasn’t entirely likely they were listening too closely, they still didn’t want to risk it. “Which means his boyfriend is.”

“I have a feeling that’s not a secret being kept from him. I mean he gave us no information in the slightest. I’m not even sure his usb story was correct but I have no way of disproving him. Unfortunately, I think this was a dead end.”

“Agreed. We got no names and no more leads. He didn’t even hint at where the boyfriend works to narrow it down.”

“I think the only thing we got is that Kyuhyun is going somewhere else between classes now too and that’s really nothing to go on.”

“Want me to ask Hyukie if he knows?”

“No, that will just make Hyukjae ask too many questions and we’re trying not to get them involved.” Donghae let himself slump across the table and muffle a groan. Sungmin feeling much the same just patted him on the back. “Come on, we got class soon too. We’ll figure out something later.”

~

“Hey, Wonshik. This is an unusual day to see you,” Ryeowook greeted entered the bookstore later that same day.

“Yeah, uh, are Jongwoon and Taekwoon busy?” Wonshik was already checking around the bookstore and trying to peak up into the loft when he asked. Instead, he saw Heechul coming to the loft's railing.

“They're in the middle of a lesson right now.”

“Is it one I can interrupt?” Heechul stared down at Wonshik trying to get a read on what he was thinking. It was really unusual for Wonshik to want to disrupt Taekwoon when he was training. Rather than answering, Heechul headed down and pulled Wonshik into the shop where they could talk more freely.

“Alright, what's going on? You are trying to act like you’re calm but you seem spooked,” Heechul asked once they were alone.

“Not spooked but I'm worried. I think I may have handled it, but I want to talk to them about it just in case. And there is part of me that needs to physically see that Taekwoon is fine.”

“I’m sure I’ll hear what’s going on later. Just knock on the wall at the top of the stairs, Jongwoon will let you know when you can go down,” Heechul explained letting Wonshik into the apartment.

Wonshik heads over to the basement stairs and hesitates for a moment, wondering if he should invite Heechul into the conversation right away. He knows Jongwoon will tell him anyways and he’s okay with Heechul knowing, but Jongwoon is technically Taekwoon’s teacher and the one who took him in, so Wonshik just defaults everything to Jongwoon first. Besides, if he asked Heechul to come, there would be no one to help Ryeowook with the store and he didn’t want to do that to him. So, having made his decision he knocked on the side of the wall just above the banister.

“Yes,” Wonshik heard Jongwoon’s voice carry up the stairs.

“Hey, it’s me, can I come down?”

“Wonshik? Yeah, come down.” With Jongwoon’s confirmation, Wonshik headed down the stairs, Taekwoon ready to greet him at the bottom step, clearly surprised to see him.

“Hey, what’s wrong,” Taekwoon asked, taking Wonshik’s hand. Instead of responding, Wonshik took his free hand and cupped Taekwoon’s cheek. He let out a small sigh of relief, feeling himself relax a little and then hugged Taekwoon. “What happened? Was it my mom again?”

“I don’t know.”

“I’m sorry. I keep putting you through this. It’s not fair to you,” Taekwoon whispered into Wonshik’s shoulder.

“Don’t be sorry. This was my choice, remember. And now we can talk to Jongwoon about it too.” Wonshik shifted his attention to Jongwoon who had taken a step back and given the two their space. “Right? I’m sorry about disrupting the lesson.”

“It’s fine Wonshik, let’s hear what happened.” Jongwoon gestured for them to move to the table and take a seat.

“So, I had some visitors at school today,” Wonshik started, Taekwoon still holding onto his hand. “They had talked to our friends Jaehwan and Hongbin first the other day, who carefully led them to me. One of them had taken photos of Taekwoon and I the night we took the potion to Kyuhyun.” Wonshik took out the photos he had taken from Sungmin and Donghae earlier and shared them with Jongwoon. He told Jongwoon everything Sungmin had told their friends in addition to the conversation he had with the both of them. Jongwoon made sure Wonshik was quite thorough with his retelling and getting every piece of information he could.

“I can ease your worry a little,” Jongwoon stated once Wonshik had finished everything. “I am fairly certain that Donghae and Sungmin are honestly only interested in Kyuhyun and not Taekwoon.”

“Then why ask about Taekwoon?”

“I can only assume to get to me. Kyuhyun has mentioned them a few times before and I believe they are the ones who had referred him to me. Though since coming here he has of course been lying and hiding that fact from them.”

“Is there any possibility that it still has something to do with my mother,” Taekwoon asked.

“I can’t say that there is no chance of that, but I find it unlikely. We will of course keep our guard up, but Wonshik here has done a thorough job of not giving them any information. If they are somehow also working for your mother, he has given them a dead end currently.”

“Is there anything else I should do? Should I make sure I don’t interact with Kyuhyun or take a different route here again.”

“Do you interact with Kyuhyun at school often,” Jongwoon asked to which Wonshik shook his head. “Then you shouldn’t need to change anything. And as for your route here, that’s probably fine too. If they think to try and follow you here, then we will take care of it. Though as they are students themselves and it already took them some time just to find you once in the library with help, I doubt they will bother with that.” Wonshik nodded in his understanding though still feeling a bit apprehensive about the whole thing.

“Should we tell Kyuhyun, just so he can keep the story I gave straight with his friends?”

“No,” Jongwoon said bluntly shocking Wonshik.

“But,” Wonshik started but was cut off by Jongwoon.

“You trust me, right?”

“I mean, yes.”

“Then trust me on this. Heechul and I have already been curious about at least Donghae and the more I find out the more confident I am in my suspicions. I know you two don’t know a lot about what is going on and unfortunately for right now, I have to keep it that way. Kyuhyun is still my client and the details of what is going on must remain private. I have not told Kyuhyun about Taekwoon and so I will not tell you about Kyuhyun.”

“Understood.” Jongwoon looked at the solemn pair, knowing he did not fully ease their worries. He could tell Wonshik was calmer than he was when he first came in, but there was still a level of tenseness in his posture. He wishes he could have erased it completely but there was little more he could do without exposing his suspicions of Donghae and Sungmin being mages or of Kyuhyun’s full story.

What Jongwoon could offer however, was a distraction. Taekwoon still needed to have his lessons for the day as they were only about halfway into it when Wonshik interrupted. While his current plan wouldn’t help much, it wasn’t too much effort to switch to a different one and he had a few in mind that Wonshik could easily join in. Taekwoon always enjoyed showing off to Wonshik and his magic seemed to flourish in Wonshik’s presence. Jongwoon had many lessons in mind for Wonshik to join in on and with Wonshik already here, it was the perfect time to use one.

“So, we do still have a lesson to do,” Jongwoon announced interrupting the pair’s quiet conversation. Wonshik began to look a little guilty and moved to grab his things.

“I’m sorry, I should probably get out of the way then.”

“If you have no where you need to be Wonshik, I am more than happy for you to be a part of today’s lesson. It’s no problem to switch up what we were doing earlier.”

“Oh, I don’t want to mess up anything more than I already have, and you were already in the middle of one.”

“Shikie, he said it’s no problem. Do you have to go back?” Taekwoon asked while Jongwoon got up to start setting up for his alternative lesson and to send Heechul a quick message. Unless Wonshik had something scheduled, there was no way he was saying no to Taekwoon.

“No. It’s just the study group and I can tell them I can’t make it this time. If you want me to stay that is, it is your lesson.”

“I want you to. Jongwoon said you could so I want you to. But studying is important too.”

“How about this, I help you with your lesson and then afterwards you help me with my studying?” Taekwoon easily agreed to the plan and Jongwoon couldn’t be happier. The last thing he would want is for the two to be worrying about the day’s events alone, it’s better to keep them together with something that will allow them to ease the tension and worry they are both carrying. He knows it will still be lingering in the back of their minds until he can confirm Sungmin and Donghae have no affiliation with Taekwoon’s family, but for now, this is what he can do.

“Are the kids gone,” Heechul asked heading downstairs a little later.

“Yeah, they went up to the bedroom to help Wonshik study.”

“How’s he doing? All he would tell me is that he was worried about something, but he was very shaken up.”

“It was mostly just post-adrenaline,” Heechul raised his eyebrows at the statement. “Don’t give me that look, I don’t have the nursing degree between us. You know what I’m trying to say. It’s that come down after suppressing your emotions for tough situations. He’s really good at it but the aftereffects are strong. He’ll get better as time goes on though I hate the fact it’s something he has needed to get good at.”

“So, someone was looking for Taekwoon then.”

“In a way. It’s Donghae and Sungmin again. We have quite a lot to discuss, but we shouldn’t leave Ryeowook alone in the store for too long.”

“He’s fine, Hangeng and Kibum are here. I also let them know something was up and we might need to be away for a bit.” That was good enough for Jongwoon and Heechul started helping clean up while Jongwoon began explaining what Wonshik told him.

~

“Didn’t expect to see you here,” Jongwoon said as he walked up to Kyuhyun’s table. Kyuhyun was glancing at the café’s menu while slowly taking his laptop and notebooks out. He looked up when Jongwoon spoke, surprised to see him.

“Oh, hey. You getting food for everyone or just yourself?” Kyuhyun asked.

“It’s just me. I got kicked out. Mind if I sit with you?” Kyuhyun shook his head and gestured to the seat across from him.

“What do you mean you got kicked out? By whom?”

“Heechul. Said I had to spend at least a couple hours minimum out of the house and eat something.” Kyuhyun narrowed his eyes and raised an eyebrow. Jongwoon saw the look, laughed quietly, and continued to explain. “I’ve been working on a project for a couple days now, pretty aggressively and without many breaks. I feel so close to figuring it out, but I’ve had a lot of failures so Heechul decided I needed a break and since I won’t give myself one, he forced one on me.”

“Sounds about right.” Kyuhyun snorted a laugh. “If he didn’t Ryeowook probably would have started throwing food at you.” Jongwoon couldn’t help but let out another small laugh at that.

“He did threaten, but Heechul apparently put Taekwoon on duty for making sure I ate once he noticed I was starting to zone in too far.”

Before they could continue the conversation, they were interrupted by the waiter. Thankfully, both had already decided and it was easy enough for both to order.

“So, what were your plans for today? I see you’ve got more homework out. Didn’t feel like stopping by the bookstore?” Jongwoon asked once the waiter left.

“I hadn’t decided on that yet. I came here first because I wanted something a little more filling than the light food and snacks at the store. I have some shopping to do in the area as well. And I’m just waiting to hear if I’m going to have my late class today. My middle classes scheduled this week off in prep for our big presentation next week so we would have extra time to work on it. The professor will also be there if anyone has last minute questions, but otherwise we don’t have to go in. But my late class is up for debate today. The professor emailed us yesterday saying they were having a family emergency and would let us know today if we had class or not. So, if we don’t, then I can head home earlier than I usually get to.”

“I see. I’m surprised you’re not taking the extra time with your friends. It seems like most of your free time is spent with them.”

“A lot of it is. We’re lucky we have so much time this year. Last year, there was rarely a chance for all of us to see each other with any regularity. Even with most of us getting ready to graduate and still having heavy workloads, we’ve made sure to keep the free time for each other.”

“But not today, huh.”

“Nope. But that was to be expected. Donghae claimed Hyukjae for when he’s not in class himself. Henry is cramming for an exam at the end of the week. And Sungmin and I are still not talking.”

“Are you at least working on this big presentation you have then?”

“Already did. Well kind of. I had it finished last week and brought it to my professor before coming here to look over. I have my list of pointers and will apply them when I get home tonight. Even if I didn’t change anything, I would have a pretty good grade, so I’m not worried.” Jongwoon laughed a little when Kyuhyun showed him the very detailed written notes of improvements to be made to his presentation.

“You are a lot more efficient at your classwork than I ever was.”

“Parents really got on me when I was a kid for one, so I’ve always been a top student. And then, a couple classes my first year really forced me to get it in gear for university.”

“Yeah, I had that. When I first came to the city and started university, it was so different to the rest of my schooling, that I really had to make some changes to just stay afloat initially. It’s a good thing I like to read and study.”

“Until you decided on your master plan with Heechul that was,” Kyuhyun teased.

“One, that didn’t stop how much I like to read and study. Remember, I was just kicked out of my house for doing too much of that. Two, you don’t need a business degree to run a business successfully. And three, I didn’t really have any real plans before deciding on this. Besides, I got Heechul as my best friend, and Wookie and Taekwoonie out of it,” Jongwoon happily pointed out.

“Fair points.”

“So, what about you?”

“What about me?” Kyuhyun asked, very confused to what Jongwoon was asking. Jongwoon had to wait a moment before he could explain as their food arrived.

“Sorry, there was a slightly better segue in my head. What I was trying to ask was about your friends. You know how Heechul and I met and everyone else with the store, but I only know bits and pieces about your friends. Like I obviously know their names and how you and Sungmin are fighting but beyond that, not much.”

“Oh. I suppose I have just mentioned them as if you actually know who they are,” Kyuhyun laughed to himself, a little embarrassed at the realization. “But sure, I can tell you about them. What do you want to know?”

“I’m not fishing for specific information, just tell me about them, how you met and all that.”

“Half of them I met my first year in Uni, but Hyukjae and I go back much further. Hyukjae and I have been friends since we were kids, stuck together all through school and still now. We had other friends growing up too, but they were all more casual friends. We had a group we hung out with in high school all the time but even then, I think we were kind of on the outside of that group.”

“So, your current group of friends is your first real group that’s not just you and Hyukjae?”

“Right, mostly. We added Henry our last year of high school. He moved here from overseas and got pulled into the group, but he stuck with Hyukjae and I a little more than the others. So, he made us a group of three rather than just two. And then Donghae and Sungmin came when we got to University. Hyukjae met Donghae in a class and then Donghae introduced us to Sungmin once he was regularly hanging out with us. The two of them met when Donghae moved here in high school. And since then, the five of us have been inseparable, except for the fight Sungmin and I had.”

“Have you tried talking to him?” Kyuhyun shook his head.

“No. I don’t think he’s ready to yet and I’m not sure how to try all things considering. I can’t tell him I’ve changed my stance on things without having to explain why. The others all talk to him still, mostly Donghae, so I get updates on how he’s doing. And Hyuk said Donghae has tried to talk him into meeting with me.” Kyuhyun went silent after that, just slowly moving some of the remaining food around on his plate.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to bring the mood down by bringing it up,” Jongwoon apologized, he really hadn’t meant to make Kyuhyun upset. Kyuhyun looked back up at and shook his head.

“No, don’t worry about it. It’s kind of always on the back of my mind, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

“You sure?” Kyuhyun nodded. “Okay, I’ll take your word for it. So anyways, show me some pictures or something. You have to have some with your friends, don’t you?”

“Me? No. I barely have pictures. I’m not real big into taking pictures especially of myself. Donghae is the one who takes all the pictures. He even has a real high-quality camera he spent forever saving up for that he takes almost everywhere. He does share a lot of his pictures though, let me see if I can pull them up.” Kyuhyun grabbed out his phone and pulled up Donghae’s social media to get to all his pictures. He started showing them to Jongwoon, making sure to point out which friend was who. Conveniently for Jongwoon, Donghae took plenty of selfies and he could confirm that it is the same Donghae he met. Jongwoon was honestly interested in Kyuhyun and his friends, but he also couldn’t give up the opportunity to check.

“He and Hyukjae take a lot of pictures together.”

“Yeah,” Kyuhyun laughed to himself. “Hyukjae jokes it’s the one negative of dating him. Constant selfies. But we know Hyuk doesn’t actually care.”

“Those two are dating?”

“Started last year. The rest of us had to endure months of them flirting with each other, completely unaware the other was also flirting with them. Sungmin and I each had to deal with our best friend complaining about how they though the other wouldn’t like them back. We were both ready to just lock them in a closet or something.”

“I got lucky, Kibum has told me about what he had to deal with when Heechul and Hangeng were pining after each other. He lived with the both of them, so he was really stuck in the middle of it.”

“Oh, that had to be so much worse.”

“All I know, is that Heebum was part of the tipping point.”

“As in his cat?” Kyuhyun questioned, wide eyed and confused. Jongwoon laughed at both Kyuhyun’s expression and the memory of Kibum telling him.

“Yeah, Hangeng wasn’t home when Heechul got Heebum so he named his cat after Kibum and himself. Hangeng got home later that day and was upset that he wasn’t included, so Heebum’s full name is actually Han Heebum. I don’t remember all the details, but Kibum said that got them to eventually talk and reveal feelings not too long afterwards.”

“That just sounds so ridiculous but also something that would happen with Heechul.”

“Exactly.” The two finished eating while sharing a few other stories about their friends.

“So, how much longer are you kicked out for,” Kyuhyun asked afterwards.

“Some time still if I’m being realistic.”

“Well, want to go shopping with me? Unless you had something else planned.”

“No, no other plans. Shopping sounds good to me, but did I stop you from getting work done again?” Jongwoon gestured to Kyuhyun’s laptop he barely touched since getting it out.

“It’s fine. I told you I was just getting a head start on some stuff. If we go to the shop afterwards, I’ll work on it there, otherwise, I’ll work on it at home tonight.”

“Well then, I’m good to go whenever you are.” Kyuhyun agreed and immediately packed up his stuff.

~

“Lady Maeng, I’m here and I brought my friend,” Donghae announced once he let himself into the small house, Sungmin trailing behind. Sungmin took a moment to look around the house when they first entered. From the entrance, it looked like a normal house, just slightly cluttered, but when Donghae led him further in, it changed. The kitchen, dining, and living room they passed all seemed well kept, clean, and relatively normal, which Sungmin assumes is on purpose for the sake of guests. Because through a door off of the kitchen, everything changed. Where the front rooms where light with creams and beiges, the back were much richer and deeper earth tones that Sungmin is used to seeing in many mage’s homes including his own grandparents. The rooms are much more cluttered, though Sungmin would have a hard time calling it unorganized, and there was plenty of room to move around and reach everything.

Donghae led them to the rear of the house into a study. At the back of the room were large windows that looked out to a private garden but let in a lot of light. One side of the room was lined in bookshelves that extended up the full height of the room and were completely covered in books, many Sungmin recognized at a quick glance from his own family’s collection and his master’s but many more he didn’t. The other side was lined with shelves and cabinets where just about anything you might need as a mage is neatly stored. In the center of the room are a couple of large desks and behind them in front of the window is an old-fashioned cauldron. It’s exactly how Sungmin would imagine a Mage’s study of Lady Maeng’s age and caliber would be.

“You know you needn’t shout when you enter. I know when you arrive.” Sungmin finally noticed Lady Maeng herself situated at one of desks.

“I know, but I like doing it. Feels better to announce myself. Anyways, Lady Maeng, this is Sungmin, my friend and Master Sunwoo’s apprentice. Sungmin, my Master, Lady Maeng,” Donghae introduced.

“It’s an honor to meet someone as respectable as yourself, Ma’am,” Sungmin said giving a stiff bow. “I hope you don’t mind me intruding today.”

“It’s quite alright. I’m just glad to see someone has some manners around here,” She said side-eyeing Donghae. “Donghae said the two of you were working on something together and needed some guidance.”

“Yes Ma’am. We’ve hit a bit of a dead end on our own.” Sungmin was quite nervous to ask for help from Lady Maeng as she was quite intimidating to most. But with some encouragement from Donghae, Sungmin showed her their notes and the two began to fill her in on their situation with Kyuhyun.

“Did you bring the potion with you,” she asked after their story.

“We did,” Sungmin said pulling out the small vial. “We’ve tried to determine what the potion is for, but we’ve never seen anything like it.”

“And we’ve had a hard time figuring out if it is made by one person or two. This is the same potion I was asking you about double symbols for,” Donghae added. Lady Maeng took the vial from Sungmin and ordered Donghae to fetch a bowl and some other supplies for her.

Lady Maeng started by pouring the potion into the small bowl. On a large tray, she poured a small amount of water, just enough to cover the bottom, and placed the bowl in the center. She first covered the small bowl with a lid and then put a larger clear dome over that that covered most of the tray. Next, she poured a small vial of a different potion into the water and took a lit candle, taking the flame to the water. The potion she added allowed the water to react with the fire, creating a low layer of fire atop the water and causing the dome to fill with smoke.

“When dealing with potions, the mage’s mark will only appear as large as the volume of potion. Thus, to really look at the symbol we must magnify it. The lid on the bowl protects the potion but also reacts with the smoke to create a sort of projector within the dome.” Lady Maeng followed her explanation up by laying a hand on the dome. The potion within the bowl in the center started to glow slightly, and shortly after the symbol Sungmin and Donghae have only seen a miniature version of, was displayed nice and large within the fog.

“So, it is a double symbol?” Donghae questioned. “If it were two people, the symbols would have split, right?”

“Correct. The other way you can tell is that the colors bleed together and there is white around the green in the turtle and green outlining the white of the cloud.”

“Do you know who’s it is?” Sungmin asked this time.

“As a matter of fact, I do. It is very rare for mages to have a double symbol like this and they tend to be some of the most powerful mages out there. Donghae has in fact met the owner of this symbol.”

“I have?” Donghae furrowed his eyebrows and cocked his head slightly to the side, trying to think of who Lady Maeng might be referring to.

“Yes, just a few weeks ago, I asked you to pick up my order from him. Have you forgotten Jongwoon that quickly?”

“But I checked Master Jongwoon’s symbol with one of your medicine vials. His was a red rose.”

“Ah, you checked the wrong potion then.” Both Donghae and Sungmin stared blankly at her. “My medicine is not created by Jongwoon, but instead by his business partner Heechul. Jongwoon may be one of the most brilliant minds at creating potions, however, Heechul is a healer by trade and nature.”

“We looked up Master Jongwoon’s shop, but I don’t remember seeing anyone else,” Sungmin mentioned.

“You were looking for your friend, thus you were mostly looking through the channels that were visible for non-mages as well, that’s why you also found his pseudonym. Had you looked closer at the mage only channels you would have heard of Heechul as well. Both are mages skilled beyond their years, so it was a good idea to send your friend to them. Jongwoon even has two apprentices he takes care of with Heechul’s help.”

“So then, what is the potion for? What is our friend taking?” Donghae asked.

“That will be harder to determine.”

“Why?” The two looked at each other and then at Lady Maeng in disbelief.

“Don’t give me those looks. You’ve already tried it yourself to no luck and that’s not just a lack of experience. I told you, Jongwoon has a special skill for making potions. If he is helping your friend, then the potion is created specifically for your friend. I could look at it and dissect the ingredients and probably come up with a couple different options for what it is for. But it’s unlikely that even I would be able to confirm its exact purpose. I have four books in here written by Jongwoon of potions he has created or improved as well as how he goes about creating potions based on the induvial.”

“So, if we want to know, then,” Donghae trailed off.

“You will have to ask your friend or Jongwoon and Jongwoon won’t tell you,” Lady Maeng finished. “He is very serious about the confidentiality of his clients.”

“But we already know Kyuhyun won’t tell us since he already lied to us about it,” Sungmin mumbled, looking down. “He probably couldn’t.”

“No. I imagine that Jongwoon has kept him quiet. Your friend is not a mage, as far as he knows, the only mages he knows are those from the shop. Jongwoon wouldn’t just lightly put his apprentices at risk of exposure, thus he knows your friend won’t say anything and it seems he is right to do so. The only reason you two know is because you are mages.”

“Then what should we do?” Donghae asked.

“Should? Well, there isn’t specifically anything you should do. Honestly, if you’re just worried about a mage messing with your friend, then you needn’t be. If Jongwoon is giving him a potion, it’s because he needs it. And he is perfectly safe in Jongwoon’s hands. But if that isn’t enough for you, then your only course of action is to tell him about yourselves first. Only then will you maybe be able to speak to him about what he’s dealing with. So, you have to weigh the decision between keeping your secret or revealing theirs.”


~

A/N: OKay I'm still alive. At least it's been less than a year since I updated. I know many people got more time to write during 2020 however I didn't. In all reality, very little has changed for me with the pandemic besides limiting what shopping I do and seeing my friends. I've had to go to work the entire time and our job can't be done from home so I've been in for my normal hours and actually even more than I get on average, so it was an exhausting year.
On top of that, when I did have time or motivation to write, it can in small bursts where I was lucky to get a scene written. Which was extra disappointing since this chapter was the one chapter since the first couple that was so clearly written in my head and yet I could never get it written. Anyways, I pushed through and finally it's here. I'm sure many of you will have to reread to remember what is going on, but I hope even with the dreafully slow updates, you are enjoying it. I still love this story and am determined to see it to it's end no matter how long it takes me and I'm thankful for any of you who stick it out with me.
Also to anyone interested for if I post the occasional progress update or anything else, my twitter is @littlemenomaru I don't post much but I do lurk for anyone who wants to chat on there too.
^^♥