Chaeyoung jumped a little when Jungkook came from behind her, unintentionally surprising her while she was practicing her healing ability by the pond. A pup had cut himself at its head and Chaeyoung had immediately brought it to the pond.

One of the things Jimin had told her was that animals wouldn’t take too long to heal if there was a presence of clean pond water. She did succeed in healing the wound, but she wasn’t able to grow back the fur. The poor pup still had the scar.

“I have done all the things Jimin had told me to do, but I still can’t be a Healer who can completely heal my patient in one single attempt,” she muttered sadly. “Do you think I am cursed?”

Jungkook gave her a look of disbelief, briefly making a face that was all too familiar to her, a face holding an exaggerating expression that would somehow always lift up her mood. Chaeyoung tried to suppress her smile but she couldn’t. She giggled and feigned being offended, her hand reached out to one of his boots that he’d taken off and she threw at him when he closed his eyes, elbows propping against the green grass.

The heavy boot landed directly on his abdomen. Jungkook winced and his body curled, his face creased and Chaeyoung’s smile faded upon seeing him writhing in pain. He was holding back a groan, veins popping out on his head and neck and panic grew within her. Quickly, she went on her knees and held his arm. “Jungkook. I am so sorry. Please forgive me. I am –”

“It’s…” he breathed, almost sounded like he was choking out the word. Shaking his head, he tried to get up. “It’s all right. Do not… worry.”

Her face fell as she watched him propped one elbow against the grass, another arm covering the part that seemed to be the root of his pain, the area where the boot had landed.

“How can I not worry when you are in such pain?” she asked, her eyes lingered on his abdomen, wondering about what had just happened. A little serious yet softer, Chaeyoung said, “Something must have happened to you.”

Chaeyoung’s eyes settled on him, watching him as he looked far away before he averted his gaze and their eyes locked again. She wouldn’t force him to open up in haste. She knew that he would always tell her the truth.

“On the Defending Skills evaluation day where I sparred, I didn’t only injure my shoulder,” Jungkook finally said. His eyes lost their playfulness, replaced with fear and pain.

Jungkook looked down, then, and Chaeyoung followed his gaze. His hand slowly held the hem of his dirtied white shirt, lifted it up carefully, revealing the scar on his abdomen.

Chaeyoung gasped in shock, one hand covered . The scar looked greatly awful. It was short but broad. Without a single touch, she could already feel the roughness. The skin had darkened and looked like it had never been treated at all. It had happened for weeks, or perhaps, a month had passed yet the scar looked fresh.

“You have all these horrible scars…” she began after inspecting the scar for a while with her eyes, “and you didn’t tell me?”

Jungkook pulled his hand away and let the shirt covered it again. “It doesn’t hurt as much anymore.”

“I know that I’m an awful Healer unlike my brother,” Chaeyoung said with lowered head, her fingers fidgeted with each other. She couldn’t imagine the pain he must have felt. “But I am your friend. Aren’t I?”

He slowly brought himself up to sit again. “Forgive me. I didn’t want you to worry.”

“What’s a friend for, then, if I can’t worry for you?” she asked sadly. She saw sadness mirrored in his eyes. “I would –I would get my brother to heal you.”

“That is impossible,” he smiled bitterly. “I have told you. It’s a rule that we are not allowed to get healing for any wounds at all.”

“If you’re not allowed to be there, then I will bring him to you,” she insisted.

Jungkook shook his head lightly. “I don’t think that’s allowed either. Is he not an official Healer already? If an official Healer is caught trying to heal a Newcomer, I’m afraid he’s going to be punished for it,” he explained with a low voice.

“Why does such rule exist?” she burst. It was totally ridiculous to her that the well-being of the important people who would be first in line to protect the village was neglected.

“There will be lots of injuries even during trainings. We were told during the Introduction Week that Newcomers will be trained really hard and that no injuries will be treated by the Healers. We can only seek for manual treatment, using herbs that most of the times cost a little too high. So, pains are to be stomached. It’s crazy, yes, but useful to make our bodies numb to pain, easier for us to fight in more intense battle. Toughen up no matter what,” Jungkook explained lengthily with calmness.

Chaeyoung stared at him, imagination of him being stabbed by flaming sword flashed through her mind and her heart began to tug painfully. She imagined a few other people, Newcomers like him who had to sustain severe wounds that would cost their lives.

“Then, those Defenders in the Healing Sector…”

“The higher-rankings, elders and children of Defenders are allowed to be there to get healed. Only Newcomers are the exception.”

“That is very unfair,” she solemnly stated. “Everyone deserves to be healthy. Everyone deserves to get healing.”

Jungkook offered a smile. “It’s all right. I am certain that with a few more training sessions, I’ll be numb to any pain. After all, once I’m free of being a Newcomer, I’ll receive the healing I’d need.”

Chaeyoung’s gaze fell to her hands on her lap. The mockery she had heard from the people around her buzzed in her ears. Her father’s words rang in her mind. The look of frustration on her Master’s face floated in her head. She wanted to prove them wrong. Most of all, she wanted to prove to herself that she wasn’t as hopeless as she appeared to be.

“I am far from being good,” she began hesitantly, “but if you would allow me, may I try to heal your wound?”

“But I am not allowed –”

“To get healed in the Healing Sector,” she cut him off. “We a