Ara thought her brother was going to yell at her.

She knew she was too far down the hole to hide everything from Hongjoong, he could read through her if he wanted too and she was well aware herself that she had been acting suspicious for the last few days and that it was only a matter of time before Hongjoong would ask questions. Mingi had gave her an alarmed look, your brother didn't know about this? 

She had sighed and with her hands hung at her side, "Jongho, close the door for us," she had told her friend, who did as he told. Hongjoong had pulled up a chair to sit on, his eyes looking intently at his sister - an expression Ara couldn't quite pinpoint. Maybe it was his way of telling that he'll decide on it after she told him everything. 

"Go ahead, I'm listening," said Hongjoong, his tone calm - almost as if he had been anticipating something like this. Ara gave a brief glance at Ghost Boy who had taken to stand beside Mingi, who obviously couldn't see him. Whether it was intentionally done to be funny, he flashed her a faint smile for support, even though she knew he was hurting on the inside. 

"Okay," she blurted, before launching into a full-blown storytelling. She left out the more alarming parts like the fairy ring being potentially cursed, the near-death encounter with the boggart even though the massive crossbow slung across Jongho's back said otherwise and of course, breaking into a luxury house were excluded from the narrative. 

As she explained, she studied Hongjoong's expression which turned progressively unreadable much to her disappointment. There were parts where Jongho added with context, corrected the details here and there to make it look natural; he was being considerate and knew that it was better off for Hongjoong to not know everything. She thought her explanation would have provided more clarity than confusion, maybe she was wrong and was about to get an earful from him. 

Instead, Hongjoong was silent for a moment, and he fished out something from his jeans pocket - the fairy ring Ara had supposedly hidden from him. "I should have seen it coming, I guess I don't need to hound you down for answers anymore..."

Ara stared, "H-how did you-" 

"Of course I'd find out," he answered, jaw set. "Ara, did you think I was dumb? That day when you showed Jongho this, I knew you were up to something. I just chose not to question you at that time. Even if I did, I don't think it would've changed anything," 

The way he spoke made Ara uneasy, as if there was more he knew and she didn't. It was never like this before, she was the one who had to hide whatever she saw from him, that was until he found out on his own. "Well you clearly know something that I don't," Ara said. 

Jongho nodded, "You didn't seem that surprised when we told you this whole ghost thing has something to do with faeries."

"Can faeries have anything to do with ghosts? I thought that was like a mutually exclusive thing?" Mingi asked, somewhat lost. 

"Ara, knowing what you can see, did you really expect me to not know about what goes on in this city?" his voice was hollowed out. "Where you run off to? What Jongho is?" Jongho made a choking sound at that comment. "It was only a matter of time before this happened, guess I chose to forget it," 

Ara reached out for his hand, her brows furrowed together. "Jjoong, what are you talking about?" Artist's hands, she thought and briefly it brought her back to the time when they were kids and it hit her, that she couldn't really remember a time where it wasn't just her and her brother. Why couldn't she recall the memories of them and their mom? The person she had heard Hongjoong reminisce multiple times before-

"When mom was pregnant with you, she encountered this woman in the forest," said Hongjoong slowly. "Of course she realised it was actually a faerie because she...presented her with gifts, for her kids,"

"Gifts?" Jongho and Ghost Boy asked at the same time.

"I hardly remember anything, other than what mom told me before..." he trailed off, Ara knew the story after that; their mom somehow ended up in an asylum, driven mad and they were separated, now no longer in contact. Another thing she and Hongjoong chose to put past for good. 

"What did she tell you Jjoong?" Ara pressed. Did she tell you that before she went mad? 

"She said the faerie lady granted you the gift - of seeing the world clearer than others so you could be the hero you were destined to be, according to her,"

"By 'clearer' she meant ghosts?" Ara asked. "Well that sounds like a pathetic gift. Did the faerie really say all that?" 

"I'm telling you what I remember,"

And then Mingi interrupted, "Then what about the part that she'd be a hero? Did she give the specifics? Perhaps this involved saving, say, a missing boy whose dead-or-alive status is unknown?"

Ara frowned, "Don't think so, our mom had us before Jeong Yunho disappeared. The timelines don't match."

"It doesn't have to," it was Jongho who answered. "If there's one thing I know about faeries, it's that whatever they say or do is meant to be vague since time works different there. Their gift could have something to do with the present, or even the future."

After much thought, Ara had drawn a conclusion. "I think we should ask Rocco this, he is an elf which is like a subspecies of faeries too right? Plus Jongho needs to return that crossbow of his,"

"He won't like that he'll be having a bunch of teens visiting him, on his day-off at that..." Jongho sighed hopelessly before eyeing Mingi. "Are you coming along?"

"Of course he's coming," Ara answered for him. "He's the one whose friend is missing, plus he owes me money for my service."

Mingi shook his head in dismay, "Getting dragged in all this mess is great service, thanks..."

"And Ghost Boy?" Jongho asked again, and with that Ghost Boy's head snapped to attention. His gaze met Ara's, whom he could tell seem to linger on him. There was gentleness, but coated with something else - like she was studying a fine specimen, in intense wonder he couldn't explain. 

"We'll ask Rocco about that too. If my wild guesses are correct, which they're more often are than not," her eyes still focused on Ghost Boy's face, where the sunlight from the windows had hit exactly where he stood. This was where he looked most like a ghost, slightly faded like a hologram; but not enough to dissipate his refined features. The light reflected from his eyes, almost hazel at some angles, the perfect shape of his lips that she had come close to touching when she had ran her fingers across his cheek. If it's true...

"We might just be killing two birds with one stone." 

When all of them were about to leave, Hongjoong had held Ara back. "I know you're worried, Jjoong. But that's not going to stop me-"

"I am worried," he replied with a sigh. "But I'm not going to stop you either if that's what has been set for you, Ara. Mom told me to be there for you when it happens, but I can't stop what is to come. So no more hiding things from me, I'm only one call away from you,"

"I'm almost glad you're not the type to skip work for your dearest sister," she chuckled. "I'll call when there's an update. And Jjoong?" 

"Hmm?"

"You said the faerie gave both of us gifts. What did she give you?"

It was another one of his unreadable expressions, gone as soon as it appeared.

He shrugged. "Something about true love, which I have yet to find - so it's pretty much a ton of bull for my part if you ask me."