The strong smell of piss permeated the air. Jungkook's nose crumpled as he opened the door to his house with a pile of clean water. His grandfather was boiling the Grimroot he'd retrieved from the Cultivation Sector and he briefly wondered how the old man could stand the strong smell of the herb, standing so close to the pot while stirring it. As though he hadn't been consuming the herb all the while, Jungkook scoffed to himself, shaking his head slightly.

Jungkook was reminded of what the herb actually was for. Taehyung mentioned that it was to treat ancient injuries. He'd seen the old man without clothes on. He sure had noticed the slight scars scattered here and there, but none of them were old. Most of the scars were caused by the recent events of when he'd trained alone or with Jungkook.

Days ago, the two of them had been quiet after Jungkook's outburst. He still hadn't spoken a word to his grandfather and the old man never was the type to start a conversation after each of his burst of anger, no matter what the reason was. Remorse stirred inside of him. Holding his breath for a few moments before giving up, Jungkook walked over toward the old man and placed the pile near the other piles he'd refilled.

"Why exactly do you need this?" he asked hesitantly, though he knew that the old man would reply him, nonetheless.

His grandfather continued to stir the herb inside the dark boiling water. "I have some injuries I need to treat."

Jungkook took a deep breath and sighed at the obvious answer the old man gave him. He should have been specific with his question anyway. "Grimroot is used for any ancient injuries according to the Cultivator I got this from," he said, picking the herb that hadn't been touched. "Where –?"

"Just some injuries I obtained so many years ago," his grandfather gestured at his back fleetingly and Jungkook's brows furrowed at the lie. He wanted to point out how those were new and couldn't be that old yet for him to go as far as using Grimroot, but he let it pass.

"How long has it been since you got them?"

"Too long ago I do not remember the exact day. No use to count the days, as if that would restore my health," he grumbled.

Jungkook pressed his lips into a thin line. "What caused them, then?" he asked, putting the herb back into the bowl. "Did you get them from your days as a Newcomer or –"

"Neither of those questions is going to help me," huffed him with a slight irritation. "We are running out of woods so it's best if you get some to add to the supply while you have the time."

The way his grandfather responded hinted that he was actually hiding something. Did he actually face mistreatment from his comrades the same way Jungkook did? He knew that one reason why he'd been harassed by his fellow Newcomers was for the fact that he'd been quite excellent in his training and he might land a top spot as a Defender once he graduated from being a Newcomer.

It might be the same for his grandfather, as well. He was the best Defender in his time while he was on an active duty.

The old man took a quick look and an irritated sigh escaped his chapped lips. "What are you still doing here?"

Jungkook let his own sigh rolled out his lips. As he strode toward the door with an axe in hand, he said, "You could save a lot if you would just head over to the Healing Sector and get healed."

His grandfather's silence hung in the air as a response, though briefly. He replied to Jungkook, then, the same thing he'd told him over and over again every time Jungkook mentioned of the Healing Sector.

"I would rather –"

"Die, I know," Jungkook cut him off, "You told me that about a hundred times if not a thousand, Grandpa. I just do not understand why."

*

Chaeyoung's frustrated groan came out of her naturally when her eyes settled on the figure standing in front of the door of her house. Junhoe's hands crossed behind his back, eyebrows lifting as though he hadn't the slightest idea why she acted that way.

Taking her out a few times in a week for some walk just for the sake of getting comfortable around one another would do nothing to change her mind. Useless for both sides. After all, they were going to be united eventually. She chewed the inside of her lip. No, I will never allow that to happen.

But still, this was useless.

"Why do we have to keep doing this?"

"Ask your father," he shrugged. "He requested this and my parents agreed."

"Your parents agreed. You do not want this," she stated.

"You're right. I do not want this," he said with such calmness that began to irritate her. "But my parents agreed it is my duty to do as they say."

"Do you ever say no to your parents?" she softly grunted.

When they were, again, walking around the Cultivation Sector, Junhoe suddenly stopped walking and after a while giving her attention to her feet, Chaeyoung looked up to see what had caused him to stop.

A woman of the Cultivation Sector with a basket filled with potatoes stood about ten feet before them. Her eyes on Junhoe and his were on hers. Chaeyoung saw emotions written on the woman's eyes, drawn on her face. The woman, then, turned to look at her briefly and Chaeyoung was surprised to see the look sent her way. She did not know what she expected, but she was certain deep jealousy was not it. Hurt reflected on the woman's face and the green-eyed woman immediately turned away.

"So, it is true," the woman said more like to herself, her jaw hardened.

When Chaeyoung turned to Junhoe, expecting a nonchalant look he'd wear all the time, she saw nothing close to it. The pained look on his face seemed to tell another story. She could see how he tried hard to keep his composure, but his eyes made his effort vain.

The woman said nothing else, averting her attention elsewhere as she continued to walk off with such heaviness pushing down her shoulders. The tension did not leave with the woman, though. Some of it stayed with Junhoe, too thick for Chaeyoung not to realize what the brief interaction actually meant.

"Who was that?" she asked carefully when they began to walk again.

Junhoe inhaled long and from the corner of her eye, she saw him shook his head. There was also a small smile when he shrugged. "Just another girl I have been with."

She studied his expression and saw something she never would expect for him to have. She recalled the look on the woman's face moments ago. "That would upset her deeply if she heard it."

Junhoe was about to say something in return, but she was quicker to grab the chance to speak. "I know you did not mean that."

He looked away and laughed. "Do you not know me yet Chaeyoung? I do not involve myself with love."

A faint smile crept on her face at the slip of his tongue. She did not say anything of love. Chaeyoung thought she knew him well, but after witnessing the subtle fluster of him and the pained look on his face, she was convinced that there was more to him than what he chose to show to the world.

She'd like to delve into it deeper. Perhaps, she could even use it to tempt him to join her in an effort to release them both from their parents' deal.

*

Jimin quickly made his way toward the tent when he was informed that he had a few new patients to heal. He was told that one of the patients he was assigned to was from the Supply Sector. A strange eagerness spread around him as he approached the tent with a smile on his face. All the time he'd been healing Defenders, Cultivators and Healers and this would be the first time a Supplier was assigned to him.

He didn't have much prior knowledge regarding Suppliers other than their minds were basically libraries, containing from information open for all to really private information that only the Village Leader should know, thus, working closely to the Village Leader. Suppliers weren't usually injured like how Defenders and Cultivators would since they mostly spent their times with their minds, less physical work for them. Even during his practice days, he'd rarely seen Suppliers came to get healed.

As he was about to enter the tent, he heard some people whining.

"Please understand," a Healer gently said with a tint of nervousness in his voice, "It is an order from the Village Leader himself that this Supplier must be treated in this tent with no one else around except the assigned Healer."

"Then are we not going to get healed today?" an older man asked.

"You will be healed, after the assigned Healer finished healing the Supplier but if you do not wish to wait, we can heal you at the other tent."

"I only trust Healer Park Jimin to heal me," one person said, a Cultivator, "my herb can still handle it for a while so I will wait, then."

"Move me to the other tent before I burn this one along with this Supplier," a disgruntled man said, a Defender indeed.

Around five people of different sectors went out of the tent and Jimin apologetically bowed his head to all of them, receiving only a few bows back. Jinyoung, the Healer who was inside came out next, shaking his head with a sigh as he followed the other patients and led them to the other tent to get healed by the other Healers.

Jimin entered the tent carefully, catching a sight of the Supplier sitting on a stone bench. He recognized the Supplier, someone who was almost like an assistant to the Village Leader. He was a young Supplier and Jimin was sure that the Supplier was close to his age.

"Please make sure that no one is around the tent," the Supplier, Yoo Youngjae said.

Jimin's brows drawn together momentarily but he didn't need to be told twice. He went out the tent to check and once he was sure that no one was around, he went back inside where the Supplier was waiting to get healed.

"What can I heal for you today?" Jimin asked after gesturing the Supplier to lie down on the bunk.

The Supplier only sat on the bunk, seemed hesitant to speak and Jimin understood that it must be for the nature of Suppliers, trained to be tight-lipped even when they were initially garrulous.

"I was informed that you requested for me to heal you," Jimin calmly said with a soothing smile so as to make the Supplier comfortable. "If that was true, I take it as you put your trust in me instead of the other Healers to heal you. Fret not. I will not ask for unnecessary question. I am here only to do my job to heal."

While Youngjae was still in the midst of thinking whether to open his mouth, Jimin took the time to use his eyes to inspect the man if he did have any visible injuries. He didn't seem to injure himself anywhere. Jimin averted his eyes back to the Supplier as he patiently waited.

"I am here not to get healed," Youngjae finally said, his voice was too low that it was almost impossible to hear. "Village Leader Seokjin sent me here to relay something."

Youngjae looked around with watchful eyes causing Jimin to feel uneasy at the sudden graveness of this situation might be with how Youngjae had been acting. "You must not tell anyone of this."

Jimin swallowed. "I promise."

Youngjae stared into his eyes long before he pulled something out of a small pouch he brought with him, head looking around again as he pushed his hand toward Jimin, signaling him to take it.

Jimin's face creased in confusion. "Village Leader Seokjin wished to give me...a flower?" He almost laughed. He would, if Youngjae's face hadn't been too serious that even the faintest of smile wouldn't have a chance to adorn his youthful face.

The Supplier's brows furrowed as he pressed his lips together. "Do you know what flower this is?"

"Ah... well," Jimin scratched the back of his head lightly. "I am a mere Healer. Flowers, plants... they are not something I would know except for the edible ones that are sold in the market."

Youngjae's eyes closed in what seemed to be an irritation. The Supplier inhaled deeply and Jimin waited for the revelation of what the plant might be and its significance. The Village Leader wouldn't send a Supplier to give him a flower for no reason.

"Village Leader Seokjin dreamed of something recently. He dreamed of this flower," the young Supplier said, dropping his voice even lower that Jimin had to cock his head slightly to listen. "He has a hunch of what it might mean but it's too early to assume. Nevertheless, it is never too early to be careful."

"Be careful?" Jimin asked, his own voice so low he was almost whispering. "Of what?"

Voices came from outside, though not close to the tent based on the volume, it was enough for Youngjae's eyes to jerk sharply toward the entrance of the tent. "I have to leave. Remember, you must not tell this to anyone else. Keep it a secret. Keep that hidden for now," he pointed to the flower in Jimin's hand.

Jimin immediately fisted the flower and finally hid it inside his boot. When he lifted his head, Youngjae had already stormed out of the tent.

"Wait!"

He rushed forward, opening the tent harshly and saw Youngjae walking fast, bringing himself farther and farther from the tent. Jimin wanted to call his name, Youngjae hadn't given Jimin the name of the plant and the reason Village Leader Seokjin wanted him to have it. As though sensing it, Youngjae spun around, gave him a warning look so serious Jimin's lips instantly sewn.