With a wry grimace, Jinki took Jonghyun’s hand and felt as if this was the time for him to come clean. However, he was extremely unsure as to how Jonghyun would react to all of this.

“Let’s talk about it in the morning, now really isn’t the time”

Forcing a bright smile on his face to battle the pain, Jinki coerced Jonghyun to return to bed with him. Although Jonghyun tried to hide it, Jinki knew that there were silent tears on his face. What had he ever done to be blessed with someone like him? At that very moment, if he was given a wish, he’d wish to only stay by Jonghyun’s side always. He loved Jonghyun too much to lose him, but at the same time, he was afraid to let him go. After all, he had seen too much, and Jinki really couldn’t allow him to be affected by all of this.

Jonghyun awoke in a dazed and confused state as he really had no clue of what had happened the previous night. Jumping out of bed, he ran his hands along Jinki’s torso to find the bruises and put more ointment on them. To his surprise, there seemed to be no sign of them at all. Could he have possibly dreamed it? It couldn’t be! Everything had seemed so absolutely real. The more he thought about it, the more his head began to hurt. It seemed as though someone was stabbing his brain with a sharp needle, and he could no longer form comprehensive thoughts. Screaming as he felt the pain intensify, he felt his agony stop abruptly when Jinki shoved him to the bed.

“Jonghyun, I think you need to leave for your classes now. Your headache could be because you didn’t eat well yesterday. Leave before you get late”

Only half comforted, Jonghyun did as he was told, but the thoughts and memory of everything that had happened from the previous night till now continued to haunt him. There was only one thought that kept circling in his head the most. What if his headache was connected with what had happened to Jinki? The only person who could answer this was Jinki himself, but getting answers out of him was like pulling teeth.

Jinki spent the day wondering why his pain had shifted to Jonghyun, which was something that had never happened before. Something very odd was happening and he definitely had to get to the bottom of it before it became too late to do anything about it. Opening the door to the dollhouse that he considered his home, Jinki looked into the mirror, hoping and praying that the next attack would be his. This feeling reminded him of the first time he experienced this. It had started years ago when he was very young. He lived in a town which was known for its magical residents. Though the majority of the inhabitants were mortals, there were a few clairvoyants and witches who lived on the other side, where the children had been forbidden to go. Needless to say, that was exactly where Jinki and his friends always preferred to play. There was something about the darker side of town that just called out to them. With no regard as to what would happen to them if they were found out, the brave children would hide behind bushes to peer into the windows of the most powerful witch in the area. Fascinated by the different colours of smoke that floated above her charcoal coloured cauldron, they would stare for hours at the dazzling fumes to amuse themselves. On one fateful day, the witch had left her window slightly open, which induced a naughty thought into one of the children’s head. Wanting to test out his theory, the boy carefully aimed and threw a large rock into the cauldron to check if the emitted fumes would be grey in colour. What none of them knew, was the fact that the spell would be broken, which was exactly what happened. The cauldron upturned with a crash and spilled all of its contents to the floor, alerting the witch who immediately glared at the boys and mouthed some words. As everyone around him turned and started to run away. Jinki was horrified to note that he couldn’t move his feet at all, no matter how hard he tried. Shivering with fear as he heard the sound of approaching footsteps, Jinki hoped and prayed that it was just one of his friends who had come back for him. However, it was the person he was most afraid of. Looking into the eyes of the scary-looking witch, Jinki finally realized why his parents had forbidden him from going anywhere near the magical side. It wasn’t even warts on her nose that scared him, but it was her fierce expression and the hatred in her eyes that did the job.

“How dare you trespass on my property?”

“I really didn’t mean to, ma’am. It was an accident”

“I’ll teach you what happens to scum like you”

Before he could open his mouth, she dragged him inside her house and tied him to a chair.

“How long have you been coming here? Tell me the truth, boy”

“I….I don’t remember.”

“So you mean to tell me that you have problems with your memory? Do you know what I can do?”

Waving her fingers in front of his face, she began to chant something in a language that Jinki couldn’t understand. His head began to hurt, while the rest of his body felt as though it had been set on fire.

“Ma’am, please. It hurts”

“I’ve cast a spell on everyone who knows you, and all experienced now was the consequence of that. Everyone, including your family and friends, has forgotten that you exist. You can never return home ever again. I have special plans for you, my lovely one”

Eyes wide in horror, Jinki could do nothing but watch silently as she brought a large dollhouse and laid it in front of him.

“Now that no one knows who you are, there is no need for you to live among the mortals”