When Taehyung's arm was fully healed after multiple sessions of healing, skin was back to normal, golden and smooth, both Chaeyoung and Taehyung cheered. Although it took her that long, she couldn't contain her own joy seeing the end result. She wondered what she might feel if she was able to heal it in a go. Tears of pure joy would fall.

Taehyung was excited to show one of his plants. He ran outside of his house while pulling her hand. He told her that he could only show it to her now that both his arms were working, since it would need the energy of both to wake it up.

He held out both of his hands in front of him, a bright green glowed around his arms and Chaeyoung watched as the small tree with thousands of leaves began to shake. A blink of her eyes, the tree let out a shriek so loud she covered her ears.

"Easy there!" Taehyung said aloud. "Easy, it's me!"

The tree grew bigger, the branches shook harder and Taehyung shouted her name. A number of leaves left the branches, sliced through the air like darts thrown in a speed of light. Chaeyoung's eyes grew wide when one leaf shaped itself as a green blade coming toward her face and she tried to escape the attack, turning her head sharply, only making it easy for another leaf to cut her cheek. Chaeyoung winced, holding her cheek as she quickly ran back into Taehyung's house.

"That's my friend! That's Jimin's sister, you fool!" Taehyung shouted at the plant once it stopped launching attacks. "You are not supposed to attack your master's friend!"

Chaeyoung looked at her hand and saw her blood on her fingers. She traced the cut using her fingers, let out a relieved sigh. It didn't seem to be a deep cut. Taehyung came a second later, kneeling in front of her.

"I am really sorry. It hasn't been awakened since my arm was injured. That never happened," Taehyung spoke quickly and gasped with wide eyes when he saw the cut. "Is it bad?"

"No," she smiled. "Jimin can heal this in a second."

"All right," Taehyung sighed. "Well, get back home now and get healed fast. I have put it to sleep again. When I introduced it to Jimin, it didn't act like that. In fact, it likes Jimin! I don't know where it learned to play favorites. I think it will take time to get to know you."

Chaeyoung bid farewell shortly after. In the market, she saw Jungkook on his way home. Her lips curved into a smile that grew bigger. With lighter steps mirroring how light her heart felt when she saw him, she walked toward him and called his name. Jungkook turned, stared at her briefly before his brows furrowed.

"Why do you have that?" he asked, already stopped walking.

Chaeyoung stopped walking too. Eyes settled on him curiously with brows lifted before she moved closer. "What?"

The stutter of his hand echoed hesitation. His hand rose higher, then, and a finger touched her cheek delicately. "You cut yourself here." He brushed his finger slightly against her skin, a feathery touch and her heart briefly responded with a distracted beat.

Chaeyoung smiled, pulling her head slightly from his touch and began to walk. "A leaf cut me," she chuckled. "Taehyung's plant didn't recognize me, and it probably wanted to protect him from me."

Jungkook sighed out loud as he matched her steps. Silence accompanied them along the way to his house. He was naturally quiet, but it was too unlike of him to be that quiet. Something she picked up about him was that he was only like that when he wasn't feeling good about something. She hadn't been around the Defense Sector for a while. Something must have happened that she didn't know about. Spending most of her time in the Cultivation Sector, she missed out lots.

"How is it going with your practice so far?" he asked when they were in front of his house.

"Still the same," she said sadly before looking up at him. "Can I come in?"

"Do you not have practice later?"

"I do, of course. But as you can see, my pendant is not glowing at the moment. I will be there when I am summoned," she stated, a small smile pulled on her face. "Why do you ask? Do you not like my being here?"

Jungkook's face softened. "That's not what I meant." Smiling, he pushed open the door widely, inviting her in before he lit up the candles with his finger to brighten the dark space.

*

"Where is your grandfather?" she asked.

Jungkook chuckled softly as he placed all the food supply he had just bought onto the table. "He is out to train himself. He wants to stay in shape and brush up all skills. He said he wants to at least defeat one enemy if there is a future attack."

She displayed a smile, warm and sweet but it all changed in one short moment when her soft frown hung on her face. Her head hung low, her shoulders and chest fell heavily with the sigh she let escape.

Jungkook shifted closer, tilting his head slightly. His hand placed under her chin and he brought it upward. Her eyes looked at him briefly, sighing again before she pulled her head away.

"What's bothering you?" he asked gently. Deep inside, he had a guess that it might be something related to her ability to heal.

A smile forced onto her face. "Even your grandfather makes himself useful for the village's safety." Then, she laughed, bitterly. "While I am here with a progress so small that takes me nowhere. Everyone else climbs a mountain, and I am at the leg of it, walking in the same spot."

His face fell at her thoughts about herself. "Don't say that. I think you're progressing well. You just don't realize it."

"You are saying that to make me feel better, aren't you?" she chuckled.

"I am just being honest with my thoughts."

She looked at him long, gave a smile so enchanting Jungkook felt his heart twist and turn, restless at each second passed. Then, he remembered how her smile had been way bigger, way more enchanting when she was smiling at whatever it was Taehyung was talking about and he felt it burn behind his chest. His lips pulled a smile so bitter that was so brief he couldn't help but look away, breaking the eye contact they had.

"How's your shoulder?" she asked a moment later.

Jungkook took a deep breath, turned to her and asked, "My shoulder?"

"Yes, your shoulder."

"What of my shoulder?"

Chaeyoung looked confused, then, gave him an unsure smile. "You injured both your shoulder and your stomach. I healed your stomach... though, not entirely. I haven't with your shoulder."

He forced a smile and turned his body away from her, pretending to be busy with the bread in the basket. "It's alright now."

"Can I see?"

He shook his head. "No, you don't have to."

Nevertheless, Chaeyoung followed him, cornering him and it was easy to admit defeat when she was looking at him in the eyes. The look in her eyes was soft but it was filled with silent pleas, demanding him to comply. With a sigh, Jungkook closed his eyes briefly. "Chaeyoung, it's already all right."

"I just want to see it," she softly said. "Please."

"It hurts no more," he told her with a convincing tone.

Chaeyoung went silent. For a moment, she only stared at him and he did the same. It was her eyes that captivated him, putting him in a lock that he didn't even realize when her hand already went to his left shoulder. He only realized the presence of her hand when her fingers dug into his shoulder.

Jungkook yelped in pain, abruptly pulling his shoulder down and away from her hand. He heard Chaeyoung's sharp gasp as he staggered backward, his free hand clumsily trying to find the edge of the table behind him to stabilize himself. Her hands were frantic in front of him, reaching to him with soft sounds of concern escaping her lips alongside her apologies.

"Is that a way to show how it no longer hurts?" she asked with a frown pulling at her face. "Please, let me heal you."

Jungkook hesitated, but who was he to fight her? No matter how strong he was, it meant nothing if it was a fight against her. She was his weakness.

Slowly and reluctantly, Jungkook let loose the outfit covering his body. As soon as his shoulder was revealed, Chaeyoung's gasp came out, louder than he expected. Her head shook lightly, her eyes fixed on the wound and her hand trembled.

"This..." she breathed as she took a step closer. "This isn't how it looked the last I saw it. What happened?"

Jungkook tried to smile. "Injuries like this are bound to happen in the training ground."

"But... this seems like it's aimed toward where your weakness is. Everyone knows about your shoulder. Why would they do this to you?"

"It's what trainings are for," he said calmly, a thought passed through his head, his jaw briefly hardened. "Whatever reason it is, I'm grateful to that person. He reminds me how enemies will always go for our weakness to bring us down."

Her fingers lightly came in touch with the fresh wound. Swollen, bigger and red jagged streak. "If I had healed you the other day, if I could do it in one attempt, it wouldn't be this severe," she said disappointedly, sighing and Jungkook watched as the beautiful shape of her brows moved when she furrowed them.

The closeness made it even possible for him to feel her breath against his skin, cool like morning breeze. She stared at it for a while, brought her face and body closer as she inspected it.

"I thought you've forgotten about it," Jungkook muttered after a while, eyes staring down at her.

Chaeyoung looked up at him, their eyes met and Jungkook just realized how close they were to each other. He felt his face grew hot at the little space they had left between them.

When she spoke, her voice was soft. "Why would I forget about it? You told me it was for another day and I kept it in my mind ever since."

"Well," Jungkook spoke with a low voice after he swallowed. "You've been too occupied with someone lately that I thought it wouldn't have a place in your thoughts."

He noticed how her face had softened, her eyes locked onto him for the longest moment before she broke the eye contact again. She took a deep breath, placed her right palm on his wound with so much care, placed her left hand over her right and he watched her eyelids flutter close as the healing process began.

Like before, he witnessed how she went from glowing with blue and a face exuding calmness and beauty, to being restless and when her eyes opened, she was breathless and exhausted to the bits and for one second, she looked like she was going to faint but regained her energy slowly when Jungkook gently held her arm before letting go.

Chaeyoung removed her hands from his shoulder. Like before, her face frowned in disappointment, but she managed a tiny smile right after. "Almost there," she whispered, her slim fingers traced about the streak.

She brushed her palm there, where Jungkook could no longer feel any pain. Jungkook let the silence lock his lips despite the many words he wanted to say. He let his eyes linger on her face longer, the face that was so close to his as she repeated her apologies for not able to make the scar leave.

His lips slightly parted, like he almost said something, because he wanted to stop her from apologizing. She should never apologize. To him, nothing she did was wrong.

Her right palm still lingered around his shoulder, like it was meant to be there. She still remained close despite the healing process was done moments ago.

When she looked down, her blond hair tickled a part of his face. Her left hand touched his abdomen where the scar was on its own way of healing. Her fingers danced about the faded streak, making their way from one end of the line to another and his stomach went tight.

"I want to make this one to disappear," Chaeyoung said very softly, almost like a whisper, like she was afraid someone else would hear her.

Jungkook said nothing. She looked up and Jungkook held her gaze for a moment before his eyes travelled south, stopping at her lips. Her hands on his shoulder and stomach went still. He leaned close unhurriedly like he owned the time until he felt her forehead against his. He waited to see if she was going to step back. She didn't.

The tightly closed mouth of hers parted as she inhaled with a sound. Then, like a soft breeze, her breath slipped out, softly caressing his lips and Jungkook leaned in more until their noses touched. A voice in his head commanded him to wait again but he had enough of waiting.

Jungkook closed his eyes, tilted his head and closed the gap, pressing his lips onto hers gently. Chaeyoung's hands on him surprisingly began to move. The hand on his shoulder shifted to his neck, fingers stroking his hair with gentle moves. The hand on his stomach found its way to his waist, staying there as if it was the only thing that would keep her from falling.

He placed a hand on her waist, clutching it slightly and pulled her close, taking in the coolness of her body and giving her the warmness of his. Jungkook tried his best to show his feelings because he couldn't tell, the feelings that had only piled up all through the years even when there was a time where he wanted to rid them off but couldn't.

A moment gone, one hand stayed at her waist before the other was on the small of her back. Jungkook pulled her even closer until she was fully pressed against him, her body arching into him and both her arms wound around his neck. The next moment, he could see a bright light of blue even with his eyes tightly closed. Chaeyoung pulled away, breathing shakily and murmured, "I need to go."

Jungkook looked at her, nodded reluctantly but he rested his forehead on hers and his hands showed no signs of letting her leave just yet, holding her hips like it was to be protected at all costs. When she didn't even try to move away from his hold, Jungkook tried to lean in once more before his ears registered the sound of a rough cough.

They pulled apart in an instant. Right across from where they were, his grandfather was looking at them with amused eyes. Chaeyoung was still facing him and when he looked at her face, it was crimson red as she hesitated to turn around to face his grandfather. "I should – I should go," she stuttered, words came in a rush as she was looking at her own feet.

She turned around quick, didn't look at his grandfather's face when she bowed and scurried away. Jungkook swallowed thickly, looking at his grandfather who was still standing at the same spot.

"You –you should have knocked," Jungkook stammered, unable to look at the old man in the eyes.

"I should have knocked to enter my own house?" his grandfather sneered.

Jungkook scratched the back of his head that suddenly felt itchy. His grandfather then stood right in front of him, doing nothing else instead. Jungkook looked up and saw that the old man was looking at something on the floor. He followed his grandfather's gaze and his eyes slightly widened when he saw his own clothes lying on the floor.

"She was healing me," he explained quickly.

"I can see that." His grandfather nodded. "What I can't see is how you took so long to unleash your feelings."

His hand rubbed his nape and slowly, he bent down to pick up his clothes. It wasn't as easy as it seemed, even when his emotions weren't exactly hidden from her. He hadn't exactly told her, but he hoped she did catch it. After all, sometimes a thousand words couldn't match the power of a single action.