~

After the discussion with Lady Maeng, Donghae and Sungmin decided to give themselves a couple days on their own to think. They figured they wouldn’t influence each other’s thoughts initially and then they can discuss it together. That’s how they found themselves in Sungmin’s bedroom a few days later.

“So,” Donghae started, “what are you thinking?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure.” Sungmin sighed flopping back onto his bed. “We know Kyuhyun did eventually listen to us and went to Master Jongwoon. And that since he doesn’t know we are mages he couldn’t tell us. From what Lady Maeng told us and from your impression of Master Jongwoon, Kyuhyun is in good hands. But we don’t know what’s wrong with him and he’s stopped talking to us, well you, about it.”

“But we know he’s okay, or rather will be. Either way it’s obvious he’s been getting better. Does that mean we should stop and leave it be?”

“Maybe,” Sungmin said not sounding very convinced. The two went silent, hoping that that would be the end of it and that they had made their decision. But after few minutes, Donghae stood up and started pacing the small room.

“So, why doesn’t it feel like the right answer?” Donghae groaned out, obviously very frustrated. “I can’t say that exposing ourselves seems like the right answer either, but it feels like I won’t be satisfied just leaving it here. I think it would just be something that quietly constantly nags at me.”

“What part?” Donghae paused his pacing to stare blankly at Sungmin who had now sat up to look more directly at Donghae. “What part is going to nag at you? Not knowing what’s wrong with Kyuhyun? Knowing Kyuhyun knows about mages and magic but not about us? Not knowing what happened to Kyuhyun in the first place that gave him a magic born ailment?”

“I don’t know. All of it? None of it? It wouldn’t stress me out so much if I knew. But even us just making our decision has me second guessing everything because it doesn’t feel right.”

“So, you want to tell him then?”

“No,” Donghae groaned out and proceeded to faceplant onto Sungmin’s bed, narrowly avoiding Sungmin himself.

“Why not? And I mean beyond the twenty some years of warnings and horror stories from literally every mage older than us that we know reminding us to not tell our secrets to non-mages.”

“Because I never thought I would be telling Kyuhyun. Or at the very least, certainly not first,” Donghae said just barely turning his face enough to be heard clearly enough.

Sungmin hummed a short, confused tone and looked down at Donghae. When Donghae didn’t say anything, Sungmin started poking him. It took a minute, but Donghae sighed and rolled over onto his back.

“For a while now, I’ve assumed one day I would be telling Hyukjae. But even with that, I didn’t think it would be for some time still. Like a couple years maybe.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I mean we’re dating. It’s not fair to forever hide this from him. But I was going to wait. Right now, we’ve always been together since we met and even more so since we started dating. It’s really easy for any relationship to do well and feel like forever in those cases. At least compared to relationships where you rarely get to see or talk to each other, and that’s for both friendships and romantic relationships. Hyuk and I haven’t been in a position where we’re too busy to see each other for more than a couple days and even then, we’re constantly texting. So, part of me fears when we graduate things will change and maybe not for the better. But I also want to work to make sure our relationship stays strong and I’m sure he does too. I fear for the worst but work for the best.”

“So, when did you want to tell Hyukjae?”

“My thoughts were, we would graduate, enter our careers and our adult lives. For the first while we will both still be living at home but eventually one of us will move out or maybe even both of us separately. Then after some time we would move in together and once we were secure and comfortable living with each other, then I would tell him. I just feel like we have to get through these hurdles to know our relationship is as long lasting as we can make forever be.”

“Do you think it would be a disservice to your relationship to tell Kyuhyun before Hyukjae?”

“A little bit. It feels unfair.”

“Though before all of this, they were equal, neither knowing of the real existence of mages and magic. But now, they’re not. And I think that changes some things.”

“Yeah, Kyuhyun knows, Hyuk doesn’t but Kyuhyun is a good friend while Hyukjae is my boyfriend. So, which factor weighs more?”

“That’s up to you. What do you want to do now since you’ve seemed to talk yourself out of our initial decision?”

“I don’t know. Talk to Jongwoon?” Donghae suggested. Sungmin furrowed his brows and gave a slight jerk of his head.

“Why?” Donghae shrugged. “Didn’t we already agree that that would be pointless?”

“I think I just want to try. Maybe he’ll take pity on us or something. Or maybe just give us some advice.”

“Or yell at us.”

“That too.”

“Alright.” Sungmin sighed. “If that’s what you want to do, we can give it a try. But we will have to go sometime while Kyuhyun is in class.”

“Why?”

“Remember, Wonshik said that his boyfriend mentioned Kyuhyun hanging around a few times. And Hyukjae has mentioned Kyuhyun heading off somewhere else during breaks when the group isn’t getting together. So, I would rather not risk the chance of bumping into Kyuhyun there. That would require immediate explanation we’re not sure if we are ready to give.”

“We know Wednesdays are his late day, we can make that work, and I can double check with him that their schedule is back to normal this week just to be sure.”

“Okay. We can do Wednesday.”

~

Wednesday couldn’t come fast enough for either of them. Just waiting gave them too much time to stress about it. It also wasn’t surprising when they hesitated just outside the store, silently trying to convince the other to go in first. It was only when someone else was leaving and held the door open for them that they finally made their way inside.

Instead of Ryeowook manning the register like the last time Donghae was here, it was the boy from his pictures. Sungmin recognized him as well and it did nothing to ease either of their nerves. But either way, Sungmin proceed to approach him.

“Excuse us.” Sungmin called out, getting Taekwoon to look up at him. “We were looking for Jongwoon.” Taekwoon didn’t move but Sungmin could see his eyes dart between him and Donghae a few times.

“Wait here.” Taekwoon didn’t give them a chance to say anything when he just walked away, past them and up to the loft. Sungmin and Donghae stood in silence, only occasionally sparing each other a glance now and then.

“Ah, so it’s you.” They heard Jongwoon speak from behind them, barely noticing Taekwoon take his spot back behind the counter. “Come in here.” There was no room for argument, so the two followed him into the shop. He took them to the table near the back of the room and gestured for them to sit down. “So, Donghae what brings you in today? And with a friend. Sungmin, I presume.”

They hadn’t considered the idea of Jongwoon already being on to them, and now Donghae and Sungmin were wondering just how much he knew. Sungmin had instinctually nodded when Jongwoon addressed him, but elbowed Donghae afterwards.

“Uh, we,” Donghae started hesitating and looking between his hands and Jongwoon. Jongwoon on the other hand was sitting nicely in front of him, expectingly with a smile that only made Donghae more nervous. Donghae cleared his throat and tried again. “We wanted to ask you a couple questions.”

“Oh, what might that be?”

“We were at Lady Maeng’s the other day discussing potions, and you were brought up.”

“I thought you were Lady Maeng’s only apprentice.” Jongwoon interrupted and looked over to Sungmin.

“He is. I study under Master Sunwoo. I was just joining for the lesson that day. I was curious about a few things that were relevant to his lesson, so Lady Maeng allowed me to join.”

“And now you are both here.”

“Lady Maeng mentioned that you were the best with potions, even pointed out that she has a couple books that you have written on potions,” Donghae continued to explain. “We were talking about how you create potions specific to the person you’re helping so each one is unique.” Sungmin was nodding along, long having figured out Donghae’s plan.

“Yeah, and we wanted to know just how you managed to make those. What goes into creating a potion like that? Since Donghae mentioned having met you before, we thought we might be able to ask,” Sungmin added.

“You came to ask me how I make potions? I’m sure Lady Maeng and Master Sunwoo can explain that well enough.”

“Not just regular potion making, but the custom ones. Where you don’t use a common recipe but instead make one specific for a client and their situation from scratch. Like how do you learn to do that?” Sungmin asked, explaining further.

“It’s not that different really. Same with medicine. You learn the different materials you have to work with, as many as you possibly can, what they do in each form. And by that, I mean, a plant’s leaves can have certain effects while the stem or roots have different ones. Furthermore, cut, boiled, mashed, fired, and whole are all states which your material can be in, and each can change the properties and effects. This is of course basic knowledge for potion making. As is then knowing how different materials act when put together because many will change their effects completely sometimes even neutralizing them.”

“Right, we’ve learned that”, Donghae confirmed. “That’s basic chemistry. Also knowing your material’s source is important especially plants because different growing conditions effect the potency and reaction. Adding in the magic component is unique to mages abilities and gives a better control over the potion’s final outcome. Stabilizes it.” Jongwoon hummed, pleased with additional comments.

“Very right. And all mages must know these to make any potion, whether they’re following a recipe or not. Creating a customized potion for someone is studying the problem you are trying to solve and taking all your knowledge of existing potions and materials and creating the right combination to target the problem.”

“Don’t all potions do that though?” Sungmin asked.

“Yes. But on a much broader scale.”

“How so?”

“There are many potions that are a one size fits all. They target a problem that is relatively the same for everyone who has it and thus can be treated the same way with minimal change needed. But when I make a custom one, I am targeting something more precise than that. Think of it as the difference between a potion for magic restoration versus one for a curse. Magic depletion is the same for all of us, restoring it is the same as well. But a curse is much more specific, and you need to know both the curse and the person being affected by it and how. Yes, there are many potions out there to help remove curses, but they very quickly get more complicated.”

“Do you treat many people with curses?” Donghae asked.

“Some. It’s not common but it’s not a rare occasion either.”

“Are you treating anyone for a curse currently?” Jongwoon narrowed his eyes and his whole demeanor went serious again after having relaxed slightly with the potion conversation.

“Even anonymously, I would not reveal anything about my clients and certainly not what any of them come to me for.”
There was no room left for debate. Donghae and Sungmin knew they could go no further with their current plan. Glancing at each other, it was a silent debate to back out now or switch tactics. Sungmin was ready to back out and nudge his head slightly towards the door, hoping Donghae would get the hint. He seemed to understand but shook his head. Instead, he grabbed out the vial of Kyuhyun’s potion. After speaking with Lady Maeng, she kept the potion itself, but Donghae took the vial back.

“I believe this was one of your vials though,” Donghae stated, handing the vial back to Jongwoon. Donghae had hoped to throw Jongwoon off with it but was not surprised that he hadn’t. Sungmin just sighed and slumped down in his chair.

“Yes, and I am fully aware you stole it from my client. Do you understand the trouble you caused with that? Both the taking of it, and everything you have done since? Do I even wish to know what you have done with its contents?” Jongwoon questioned them.

“We didn’t do anything with it. Not really. We were just trying to dissect it and determine its use. Currently it’s at Lady Maeng’s,” Sungmin explained. “She’s the one who told us the mark was yours.”

“You needed to have Lady Maeng tell you the maker’s symbol on the potion was for the mage you yourself sent your friend to?”

“When I first saw Kyuhyun taking the potion, I briefly looked at it and saw the mark, but when I met you, I falsely assumed that you made Lady Maeng’s medicine. So, when the marks didn’t match, I got worried. Then I dragged Sungmin into helping me. We weren’t trying to cause any trouble.”

“But you did, intentional or not.” Donghae and Sungmin shrunk further into their seats. “Taking the potion almost risked Kyuhyun’s treatment. And while you thought you were being sneaky with your questioning, your running around with my apprentice’s pictures has now brought his safety into question and you further into suspicion.”

“The only ones who saw those pictures were those who already knew him. I swear. It was just the three who were there that night. I saw him giving Kyuhyun what I assume was the potion and could tell either he or Wonshik was mage. But I couldn’t pinpoint which of them it was, so I took the pictures to ask Sungmin.” Jongwoon side-eyed Sungmin and waved off his nodding.

“Just so we are clear, I need you to confirm that you know nothing of my apprentice and are no risk to him and when you leave here today, you will speak to no one of his location.”

“We don’t and we will keep it that way. We promise,” Sungmin spoke for the both of them. Donghae nodding along.

“Good. I assume I don’t need to go over what will happen should you go back on that. And I expect you to apologize to him as well. As for Kyuhyun, at this point, regardless of your reasons for your actions, you owe him an explanation as well.”

“But,” Donghae started to argue but Jongwoon immediately stopped him.

“He’s smarter than you give him credit for, and you are not as sly as you think. It’s too late for you to back out now. Keeping it from him longer won’t help either of you. Tell him and tell him soon. Then of course you can finally get all the answers you were looking for.”

Jongwoon didn’t let them linger much longer before sending them back out into the bookstore. Of course, not without a final reminder to speak with Taekwoon. They stood just outside the door, watching as Taekwoon finished checking out a customer and sending them on their way. Taekwoon didn’t notice them right away, so they had the chance to make sure there weren’t any other customers in hearing range of them before they approached.

“Sorry to bother you,” Sungmin starts with, “Taekwoon?” Taekwoon looked up and glanced between the two again.

“Did you need something?”

“Yeah,” Sungmin hesitates. “Jongwoon said we should speak with you and apologize.”

“For?”

Sungmin elbowed Donghae.

“Right. Uh, Wonshik may have told you already,”

“Donghae and Sungmin then?” Taekwoon interrupted. Both nodded.

“Jongwoon told us that our asking for you caused some panic. He didn’t explain why, just that it brought your safety into question.”

“We honestly don’t know anything, and we are sorry for the worry and panic we put you and Wonshik through. While we tried to be discreet for our own sake, it obviously only created more suspicion and trouble,” Sungmin added.

“You didn’t want Kyuhyun to know what you are.”

“No,” Donghae admitted. “Or anyone else for that matter. We didn’t know if any of your friends knew, so we couldn’t tell them either.”

“Only Wonshik knows. The rest will come later. When it’s safe.”

“You’re planning on telling them? You’re not worried?” Sungmin asked, wide eyed.

“I know the bad side of people finding out, very well. But I also know the good of it. Both are why I’m here.”

“That’s why Wonshik wouldn’t even say your name. You’re hiding from whomever it was who took it badly,” Sungmin pieced together.

“Yes.”

“And you still want to tell others?” Donghae asked.

“They are not the same. Neither is Kyuhyun.”

“Kyuhyun always swore against it, argued with me, and said it was all fake. He was so addiment to the point that we would fight, and it felt like a personal attack. You can see our hesitation.”

“He has proof now. The only hard part will be admitting everything else.” Taekwoon moved back around to the café’s counter, as a customer came up. Sungmin and Donghae lingered for another moment but ultimately decided it was time for them to leave. Taekwoon however, wasn’t quite finished with them. “Wait a moment.” They were halfway to the door when he stopped them. They watched as he finished his customer and came up to them. “When you talk to Kyuhyun, don’t mention me. Or to anyone else.”

“Even though he already knows you’re here?” Donghae asked.

“Anyone can hear.”

“Right, we’ll be careful and keep your secret. If we see Wonshik we will apologize to him as well, discreetly, otherwise, please let him know.” Taekwoon nodded, satisfied enough with Sungmin’s words.

“You may leave then.” That was all Taekwoon said before walking away and that was enough for Donghae and Sungmin to take their leave.

Once Donghae and Sungmin had left, Jongwoon came out of the shop, obviously having listened to their conversation with Taekwoon.

“I’m surprised you told them that much.”

“They needed it.”

“I suppose. Are you worried about them?” Taekwoon shook his head.

“They know enough, they will stay quiet.”

“We can talk to Kyuhyun too once we know they’ve told him and make sure they do. He’s proven to be trustworthy.”


A/N: Happy Kyusung Day. Sorry this chapter has a lack of Kyuhyun and thus Kyusung in it. But I finally got where I was happy with it and got my friend to read over it for me just the other day, so after some inquiring I decided to post it for Kyusung day anyways
But otherwise, Yes I am still alive and working on this. I am aware that it was over a year between parts. Last year was a lot with lots of work and barely any rest time, and with the style of this chapter being a harder one for me to write, when I did have the time it was hard to focus on this chapter so I worked on other projects in between. And recently I lost my job so now I'm job hunting again, so it's been a lot of stress.
Thank you all who still come back to this story with my very wild posting habits. I really hope you are still enjoying it, and I promise there will be kyusung interaction again in the next chapter whenever I get that one written.
^^♥