Often, dinners would have everyone on the table. Only once in a blue moon would the table have less than four people filling empty stomachs quietly. Though, none of those rare days involved Chaeyoung as the missing person.

Jimin's empty gaze on his food shifted toward the empty seat beside him, toward the empty plate and untouched utensils on the table. He lifted his head and watched his parents eating quietly, acting very normal, like Chaeyoung's absence was a common occurrence.

"Where is Chaeyoung?" he asked.

Her mother's brows furrowed, stopping momentarily. The distraught in her face evident. Her eyes rested to Chaeyoung's place across her. "I haven't seen her all day."

Jimin put his spoon down, turned his attention to his father who was unbothered at all as he continued to eat. As each day passed, Jimin could feel his respect to his old man grew thinner.

He could not understand any reason his father had for his mistreatment toward Chaeyoung. Whether she was incapable or not to live up to the expectation, she would still be his daughter. Nothing could change that. Pushing and forcing Chaeyoung to be united to a man to be dutiful to the village, like Taehyung said, was totally an absurd decision.

With narrowed eyes, Jimin questioned, "Are you not worried, Father? Chaeyoung hasn't been back even at this hour. And Mother hasn't seen her all day."

His father did not lose his composed posture as he calmly looked into Jimin's eyes. "Perhaps, she is spending her time with her soon-to-be betrothed. What do I have to worry if she is with him, who will soon become my own family member?"

Jimin wanted to fling his plate toward his father. "And what if she is not with him?" he seethed.

"She is an adult," the older man said, his eyes falling onto Jimin's fist on the table.

Jimin slammed the table with his fist and his father's fingers curled tight around his spoon, fury began to appear in his eyes. "Being an adult does not eliminate the odds of her being in danger."

"Do not," the man said after a moment of his jaw tightening, "raise your voice at me."

He scoffed in return and shook his head as he leaned back. "She could be in danger out there. She could be screaming for her life to be spared," Jimin muttered, her voice earlier came haunting him.

His father scoffed mockingly, causing Jimin to snap his head toward his father. The man had a small smile on his lips, causing Jimin's eyes to widen as his gaze fell heavily on his father. He was in disbelief over the response he received.

With unblinking eyes, Jimin's eyes locked on his father as he said, "You are unbelievable, Father. I will not be surprised to see you smiling if my sister is on the verge of death."

"Stop exaggerating," the old man said.

Jimin only scoffed aloud, screaming in his head for his father to piss off. Day by day, it was only getting worse. At this point, Jimin was not even sure if his father would change his mind if it happened that Chaeyoung could finally be a competent Healer.

He got up from his seat and threw his mother a glance, closing his eyes in annoyance at how quiet his mother was, how powerless she made herself be every time things like this happened. Jimin walked away from the table, feeling a surge of pain at the indifference of his parents. Being Chaeyoung's brother who had witnessed all these horrible treatments she received from their own father was already a painful feeling and each day, it became almost unbearable. He could never imagine if he were in his sister's place.

When he went out the house, he slammed the door. He heard his mother trying to calm his father. He rolled his eyes. With deep sigh, he walked away quickly out of there, not bothered to bow to the guards as he tried to think of where he should head to. He couldn't think, though.

His mind was seared with the layered voices of his sister. The last time he was this worried was when Chaeyoung was only five years old when she got lost for hours. When he and Taehyung found her, he could finally breathe in relief as they hugged tightly, crying in each other's arms and made promises to always seek for one another if troubles paid them a visit.

It was because of that incident that Jimin was convinced that Chaeyoung was in a trouble. It was the same feeling. He had told Taehyung about it before, that he could sense that his sister was in trouble and both had traveled around the village to find her stuck in wild roots alone in one of the deepest forests in the village.

Jimin realized he had walked into a Cultivation Sector, standing in front of Taehyung's place. He sang the tune Taehyung taught him, entered the place as his heart began to pick up a race. When Taehyung emerged from his house, a drop of tear rushed down Jimin's pale cheek.

*

An eternity would be an understatement as Chaeyoung waited for Jungkook's grandfather to respond to her pleads. He closed his eyes for a moment, looking away with a long exhale through his nose. When he looked down, Chaeyoung followed his gaze and her eyes fell onto his hands.

They were shaking.

He curled his fingers, an attempt to stop the shaking but he failed. Chaeyoung rushed toward him, holding his hands. His eyes were watery, and she felt her heart sinking when she managed to read what was written on his face.

He was scared. Scared of losing his grandson. His only grandson. The only family member he had left.

And it wasn't Jungkook's first time being so terribly wounded that no one would be able to know if he would survive or not.

"Let me help you," she quietly said, squeezing the two warm and calloused hands of the old man. "Tell me what to do."

He drew in his breath a few times before the shaking finally stopped. "Take five from each basket," he said as he took out five pots. "Boil each herb separately. Once they are boiled, pour the water into the bucket. Mix them." He placed a large bucket on the floor. "Repeat for five times. Can you do that?"

Chaeyoung nodded her head determinedly and began to roll her sleeves.

"I will be cleaning his wounds in there," he told her. "If you need anything, just knock on the door. All right?"

"Yes."

After the elder Jeon helped her to light up fire, he walked away into another room and came out with lots of clean cloths. He took a pail of water kept in the kitchen and entered Jungkook's room. Chaeyoung began her tasks immediately, but her eyes repeatedly went to the closed door, hoping for his grandfather not to push it into a close. She wanted to check on Jungkook.

When the old man finally exited the room, Chaeyoung had just done doing everything. Her eyes instantly looked toward where the old man was in front of the opened room. She tried to look past the old man, but he shut the door before Chaeyoung could get a glimpse of Jungkook. She let out a disappointed sigh, turning back toward the pots on the stoves.

Jungkook's grandfather approached her with a bucket filled with water that was tainted with Jungkook's blood. Her stomach twisted at the immense amount of it, her heart becoming more desperate to see him.

"Did you throw away the herbs you've boiled?"

Chaeyoung averted her eyes from the bucket and slowly shook her head.

"Fill the largest pot with this," he gestured to the bucket of water with Jungkook's blood in it. "Put all the used herbs into the pot as well. Keep boiling until you can see only a little amount of water left."

Chaeyoung swallowed nervously, her eyes went still, glued onto the image of the dark red water. His grandfather lifted the bucket filled with the water from the boiling. When he turned around, hastily, Chaeyoung asked, "When I am done with it, what do I have to do after that?"

The old man looked into her eyes for quite a long time. There was a flicker of warmth in his eyes. "Take it out of the pot, place it in a bowl and please help me inside."

*

He lifted the steaming cup of chamomile tea and took a sip. His lips burned slightly, and he hissed. Putting down the cup carefully, Jimin took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Are you all right now?" Taehyung asked gently.

Jimin dropped his head to his palms before his fingers combed through his hair. He gripped them lightly, released a sigh before releasing his own hair. "Honestly, no. But I feel a little better." He looked over to his friend who shot him a look of concern. "Thank you."

Taehyung shook his head and chuckled, placed his arm around Jimin's shoulder. "That's what friends are for, Jimin."

Taehyung had run to catch him before he fell to the ground as his sister's faint cry grew louder in his ears and the last memories of his father making fun of his concern over his sister's disappearance playing in his head mercilessly. Jimin had silently cried for hours that night. He cried as he sat in Taehyung's house while watching the dimmed moonlight and stars on the sky, thinking of how wrecked his family was. Taehyung had said nothing for all the hours, knowing so well that Jimin wanted silence and would be ready to speak when the time came.

The only people whom he allowed to witness his cry after he left childhood years were his sister and Taehyung. His mother was always with his father, while letting a tear drop in front of his father would only make him appear weak to the latter's eyes.

He remembered when he fell onto his face, skin scraped against the ground and he'd cried, his mother scooped him up and healed him instantly. His father had only looked at him as he cried. When he stopped crying, the man had told him that 'only the weak would cry'.

"Can I ask you something, Taehyung?" he asked, his eyes staring into nothing in the far distance. Taehyung hummed and Jimin swallowed. "Is it all right if I resent my own father?"

He turned to his friend, waiting for a response. Taehyung's brows furrowed momentarily, and he licked his lips, sipping his own drink.

"If I have to be honest with you," Taehyung pressed his lips into a thin line and leaned backward, propping his hands on the floor behind him, "I don't know. With how things have turned out upon every decision he's made, I do understand where your anger, where your disappointment come from, though."

Jimin breathed in softly, feeling a lot calmer with Taehyung supporting him.

"I don't understand him. He treats his own daughter like she is an outsider. Like she means nothing to him. How could he?" He took the cup into his hand. "And Mother... she's... I don't understand her these days. She seems so..."

His hold on the cup tightened as he thought of how his mother looked. She looked far from her usual self. Any sign of contentment that used to adorn her beautiful face had gone. Her face now looked dejected, always unsmiling, always so weary.

Rubbing his face wearily, Jimin sighed into his palm. "Mother doesn't look like herself. She speaks no more. I wonder what Father has done to her. It's like...she has lost herself, Taehyung."

Taehyung was silent briefly, only drawing out a long sigh. "Perhaps, she doesn't agree with your father's decision on the unison."

Jimin nodded, feeling another wave of anger inside of him as he thought of Chaeyoung being forced into marriage with the infamous lover of many women. His sister deserved better than that.

"I guess the impending wedding is what wears her out," Taehyung continued to say and Jimin couldn't agree more. Taehyung sighed so heavily. "I can't even imagine seeing Chaeyoung, even on the betrothal day if the man is Junhoe. I wish it will be someone she really has feelings for. It will be a lot lovelier and more comfortable to see."

For a moment, Jimin thought of the Newcomer his sister was clearly in love with. He imagined Jungkook having a blond hair instead. What would happen if Jungkook was born a Healer? Would Chaeyoung be paired with Jungkook?

Taehyung's voice interrupted him from the picture he'd drawn in his mind of Chaeyoung being happily married with the man of her choice.

"I wish your father would give you one solid reason why Junhoe is his choice."

Jimin closed his eyes and let his body fall backward, making himself comfortable lying on the wooden floor. Yes, he wished for the same thing. He wished for nothing else but a reason, a believable reason, a logic reason as to why Junhoe was the chosen man out of all. He didn't think that at this point he wanted his father to list out every reason he had.

Jimin just wanted only one reason. One reason to make him understand the choice. One reason for him to accept the choice as it was. One reason for him to push himself to accept Junhoe as a future family member of his. One solid reason for the ill treatment Chaeyoung got. One reason that would comprise all of those.

One reason was all he needed. Was it too much?

Multiple faces suddenly flashed across his mind. Father. Mother. Village Leader Seokjin. A crumpled flower. Red Dahlia. Chaeyoung.

Jimin's eyes flew open. He sat up straight as one word began to swirl around his head. Taehyung jumped in surprise beside him.

"Is everything all right?" his friend asked.

Jimin's brows furrowed. Reason, his mind whispered. Why did the images of his family, the symbol of betrayal and the village leader himself surfaced in his mind? Reason, a voice within him whispered.

"Jimin?"

He stood up on his feet quickly. Questions surfaced in his mind. Latched onto those questions was the word 'reason'. Why was the flower handed to him? Why would Chaeyoung's face emerged when he thought of Red Dahlia? What caused his father's indifference toward his younger sister?

And then, as his mind was occupied with 'reason', his eyes widened at a realization.

The images that appeared in his mind earlier made another appearance. Jimin felt his heart quickening. He turned to Taehyung who was standing in confusion behind him.

"Are you going to tell me what is going on?"

Village Leader Seokjin's voice slowly entered his brain, reiterating the last things he told Jimin. The voice faded, replaced with the faint voice of his sister desperately calling his name. Jimin was suddenly scared.

Taehyung's firm grip on his shoulder pulled him out of the trance. He was looking down at Jimin intently. "Jimin, tell me what is going on."

"I will tell you everything," he breathed shakily, "but we also need to find Chaeyoung."