Chae Lin? Minzy called out, walking out from the bathroom. She was gone from her bed without a word, leaving Minzy alone in the room. Chae Lin? Chae Lin! She called out again, confusion written all over her face. Strange.

                She began running around the whole house, looking for CL. Has she found the ability to freely walk again?

                If only Bom and Dara were here, they could’ve helped me find her. Aish, they’re out buying groceries… why must they be gone at this time!?

                Suddenly, there was a knock at the front door.

                Could that be Bom and Dara? She thought, making her way out. They could help me look for Chae Lin!

                She hopped up and unlocked the door, pulling it open with a bit of a struggle. There stood Hi, her hair a bit frumpy and her outfit a little discombobulated.

                Hi! Minzy cried out, jumping into her friend’s arms.

                “Hey, Minzy!” Hi chuckled, petting Minzy’s head. “Man, it was a long journey to get here as quickly as possible. I didn’t even have time to brush my hair or anything! Plus, there was a lot of traffic while coming here.”

                That’s alright. At least you’re here!

                “That’s so sweet of you.” Hi smiled, walking into the house with Minzy in her arms. “I heard that Chae Lin’s here! Bom and Dara told me.”

                You’re right! But… after I finished talking to you, she suddenly disappeared. You see, she’s been sick for a couple of days… sick to the point where she couldn’t move or talk. But then, she suddenly vanished into thin air!

                “Bwoh…? That’s really strange…” Hi mused, frowning all the while. “Is she getting better?”

                Yep. She’s finally able to use telepathy in order to talk with me!

                “Ah… that’s very good to know…” Hi took a couple of steps into the living room and stopped abruptly, her eyes wide with terror.

                W-What is it…? Minzy asked, gazing up at a shocked Hi.

                “T-Tablo’s presence…” she breathed, “I can feel it all around us…”

                That bully, Tablo that got my brother in trouble?

                “Yes… H-He must’ve…” she began, feeling the dark words choke up , “…taken her away.”

                WHAT!? T-That… T-That can’t happen! Minzy cried, jumping out of Hi’s arms. She immediately ran all over the house looking for Chae Lin, silently hoping that Hi’s assertions were wrong. S-She was just right here… Minzy stammered, her eyes searching frantically around every nook and cranny of the massive mansion.

                “M-Minzy…” Hi began, looking around the house. “I really think she’s gone.”

                Minzy stopped searching, slowly curling up into a ball. It’s all… my fault. I-If I had kept an eye on her, none of this would’ve happened.

                “Shh… no, don’t say that.” Hi said softly, petting the small puppy. “It’s not your fault. You wouldn’t be able to defend that dark wizard anyway. He would’ve hurt you as well. Bom and Dara… they called me earlier and told me that they were on their way home to greet me. We’ll ask them to help us track her down, arasso?”

                Minzy nodded slowly, trying hard not to whimper. The immense amount of guilt was slowly diminishing but that didn’t mean that it still took up a big chunk of her heart.

                “Why… don’t we start on that rose potion, hmm?” Hi said softly, smiling gently. “I know you’ll really enjoy making potions with me!”

                The puppy’s ears instantly perked up in excitement as Hi mentioned making potions. Imagine yourself getting excited when you were a child when your friends proposed making cupcakes or other sweet delicacies. Yep, it’s that same excitement that instantly cheered Minzy up.

                The two got going right away, retrieving the glass jar and setting it on the counter. Hi gently lifted up the cover and examined the petals in such wonder and awe, occasionally gently touching some of the petals.

                “You’re right, Minzy… these are really magical. I could just feel the power radiating from them with just a slight touch.” Hi breathed, her eyes shining with excitement. “I’ve seen some roses with only a small fraction of the magic that this possesses. You could save a life with this.”

                Minzy just simply nodded, anticipating what Hi was going to do next.

                Hi starts the potion making process as she pulls out her tools from her newly purchased infinite bag (again, which enables you to carry things such as a rice cooker, a flat screen T.V, or even a small giraffe).

                “It seems that there’s one petal left on the rose… we shouldn’t pluck it off.” Hi explained to Minzy, pointing at the petal. “We have to respect the rose and allow it to run its full life cycle, to the very last petal. Plus, it’s pretty magical and it probably means a lot, right?”

                Yep! This rose is like a timer for Seunghyun. He got turned into a beast and it’s there to remind him how long he has until he gets turned into a beast forever. Minzy said, lightly pushing the fallen petals onto a bowl for crushing.

                “Ahh… I’ve heard all about that! It’s the talk of the school!” Hi laughed, beginning to crush the dried petals into a powder. She sprinkled a couple of other herbs in and continued pounding. “Chae Lin… what a troublemaker.” She chuckled goodheartedly, recalling all the shenanigans that CL and Daesung always pulled off. “Seunghyun… he’s doing well, isn’t he?”

                He is! He even found his true love!

                “Oh, I’ve heard some rumors! That’s really good to hear!” Hi smiled, sighing contently. “Jiyong, isn’t it? I heard he was a really nice boy.”

                Yeah! He’s a really really good person.

                Hi laughed lightly once more. “I think everything will work out well in the end, don’t you think?”

                I’m not so sure about that. Jiyong suddenly disappeared, now everyone’s panicking and out looking for him.

                “Omo. Is he alright?” Hi gasped, transferring the powder into a little black pot.

                I don’t know, to be honest… Minzy said sadly. But everyone was so worried to the point where oppa had to run and look for him as well.

                “Se7en’s here!? I was always wondering where he was…”

                Minzy nodded. Mm. You know too well about what he did and what his punishment is… but he’s here, in Seoul. But anyway, he’s out there looking for Jiyong.

                “Aigoo… Your brother is such a good person…” Hi mused, biting her lower lip as she began to heat up the pot with a mini-burner. She untwisted some vials and offered it to Minzy to pour in, smiling proudly at how Minzy was a skilled potions maker even after she was turned into a puppy.

                “You know…” Hi said turning to Minzy, “This potion would only work if you put a lot of love into it. Do you have a lot of love to put into this potion?”

                A lot of love, Hi! Minzy said proudly. I love everyone here. I love you, my brother, Chae Lin, Jiyong, Seunghyun, Bom, Dara, and Taeyang! Whoever needs this potion I will give all of my love for them so they can feel better!

                “That’s the spirit!” Hi exclaimed, ruffling Minzy’s head as she watched the liquid inside the pot turn a deep red. “Oh, by the way… Can you push the glass rose closer to me please?”

                Minzy complied, gently pushing the jar over with her nose.

                “Last of all, to complete the potion, we have to cut off some of its thorns to remind ourselves that every rose has its thorns.”

                What… do you mean, Hi?

                “Every beautiful thing will always have… some pain behind it, if that makes sense.” Hi attempted to explain, furrowing her eyebrows at the realization of how hard it is to explain to this young child. “Every love/relationship will always have some heartbreak behind it whether you notice it or not.”

                Hi sighed when she saw the blank look on Minzy’s face.

                “Okay, you know CL and Daesung, right? They love each other very very much. But, lately, CL has been so sick that she wasn’t able to talk or move, right?”

                Minzy nodded, eagerly trying to follow Hi’s words.

                “Well, have you ever thought about how much pain Daesung had to endure?”

                All the time, Hi… he stayed by her side 24/7, without moving or eating. I could feel that he was so torn up inside.

                “Well, then does this beautiful relationship has thorns? Does this beautiful thing cause him pain?”

                Yes… it does. Ah, it makes sense now! Minzy said, barking in excitement.

                “So whether you notice it or not, every beautiful thing has pain behind it. Every rose has its thorns. Maybe your love for these people will also have pains, unfortunately.”

                But my love with overpower all those pains.

                “Aigoo… you’re such a mature kiddo.” Hi mused, poking Minzy on the nose.

                “WE’RE HOME!” Bom shouted on the top of her lungs.

                “Watch the ear!” Dara cried, covering her ears.

                Bom! Dara! Minzy exclaimed, hopping off the kitchen table.

                “Hey, Minzy!” Bom gushed, holding the small puppy in her arms.

                “I’m starving. Let’s make dinner.” Dara announced, walking into the kitchen. She near dropped all of her grocery bags in surprise as she saw Hi sitting there, happily making potions on the kitchen table. “L-LEE HA YI!” She exclaimed, running over to embrace the girl.

                “Ah, annyeong,  noona!” Hi laughed, trying hard not to knock over her potion.

                “When did you come? Why are you here? What are you doing?” Dara asked, showering her with immense questions.

                “A-Ah, Minzy called me to come over to make a potion out of these rose petals from the glass jar,” Hi said, pointing at the one-petal rose, “uhh… I came about half an hour ago.”

                “Aigoo, I’m just so excited to see you!” Dara said happily, hugging the girl again.

                “I’m glad to see you too!”

                “Have you met CL yet? She’s not… in the greatest condition right now but she’s alive and well.” Dara said, pointing at Daesung’s room.

                “Ah… that’s what Minzy and I wanted to talk to you guys about…” Hi said hesitantly, eyeing Bom as well.

                “Why, what’s wrong?” Bom asked, frowning as she set Minzy down.

                “Chae Lin… is missing…”

                “WHAT!?” both chorused at once, being hit with pure shock. Bom immediately ran to Daesung’s room to confirm the fact. What soon followed after was a bloodcurdling shriek of horror.

                “SHE’S GONE SHE’S GONE SHE’S GONE!” Bom cried, dropping on her knees as soon as she ran back to the kitchen table.

                “That’s what I was telling you guys!” Hi said, trying to calm both of them down. “T-Tablo…”

                “Tablo!?” Bom exclaimed, feeling much disgust in his name. “N-Not him again…”

                “That explains his faint presence still lingering in his house.” Dara said, her eyes narrowing. “I knew something was up.”

                “And you were right. Minzy was contacting me while CL was taken away.” Hi said, sighing. “But we shouldn’t just stand here and just continue to worry ourselves. We should start tracking her down right now.”

                “I’m already on it…” Dara murmured, focusing on conducting her spell to locate CL. “Tablo’s just like a weed that never dies, isn’t he…?”