"Are Yeosang and Dongwoo okay?"

Kyelin looks up when she hears the question, as she's been wondering the same thing. She's been meaning to talk to Dongwoo about it after they didn't spend any time together at the festival and how he's been acting a bit differently. Kyelin also saw how his mating mark has faded, and it's made her think the worst has gone down between the two mates.

"I'm... not sure, but I think I'm going to go talk to him. He's still in the building, yeah?" Kyelin asks, looking towards the boys' building when Yunho nods at her.

Kyelin walks into the boys' building and sees Dongwoo sitting in the living area on the couch, all alone. She walks up behind him quietly and puts her hands over his eyes," Guess who?"

Dongwoo chuckles and removes Kyelin's hands, "Hm... I wonder who it could be? It's not like your voice gave you away," he turns his head around to see Kyelin, "What are you doing in here, Lin?"

"I just wanted to check up on you, silly. What's wrong with that?" Kyelin smiles, sitting down with him, "Are you feeling okay? I've been- Everyone's been a little worried about you lately..." She says softly, being careful of her wording. Her voice is full of concern for her friend, it hurts her heart to see Dongwoo being so distant physically and emotionally these days.

Dongwoo sighs, leaning his head back on the top of the couch to stare up at the ceiling, "I don't know, Lin... It's been really hard on me the past few days, and my wolf is feeling it too. I just want him to be happy, yeah? But it still hurts... I knew about Wooyoung for a while and Yeosang's feelings towards him, yet... I was still shocked. My mind is just very mixed up right now, I'm afraid," Dongwoo tries to sort through his feelings aloud, but he can't seem to get them straightened out. He's glad for their detachment not being excruciating as it was for Wooyoung, but he can only thank their mutuality for that. The mark dissipation causes him some discomfort and a spurt of pain as more parts of it vanish, but he could never begin to imagine how Wooyoung must've felt after Sunghee.

Dongwoo doesn't hold a grudge or harsh feelings towards Wooyoung, more so he feels a yearning. Not for Wooyoung himself, no of course not, but wanting what Wooyoung has — Yeosang's heart. It's going to be difficult for Dongwoo to get over Yeosang completely. After all, he had a crush on him since they were young and he had fallen in love with him quite quickly. That love he's had burning inside of him won't extinguish itself as easily as it was to light in the first place. The embers will stay hot for a long time after the flames die down, and afterwards, the ashes will still be there. He can only hope that there will be some sort of wind in his life to wisp them away eventually. Maybe then, he will be able to start anew.

"You can always talk to me about these kinds of things, Dongwoo. I'll be here for you, whether you want me to give you advice or even to just listen. That's what friends are for, right?" Kyelin says with a supporting smile and pat on his shoulder, "You're a strong person, so I know that you're going to get through this. I'll be there every step of the way if you'll let me."

Dongwoo takes Kyelin in for a hug that he very much needs at this moment, "Thank you, Kyelin. You're such a great friend... I'm so glad that we met here."

Kyelin's eyes widen as she's brought into Dongwoo's chest, but she carefully wraps her arms around him, letting herself fall into the warm hug. She can only ever really remember hugging Yunho and his father Kangmin like this, so it feels nice for her. Her family was always caught up in the pack, being travelling gatherers for Essence. She never thought ill of them for not being around much, she knew their work was important, but she can't help but wish she got to see them just a little more.

When she thinks of how she grew up, her first thoughts aren't about her parents, but about Yunho and his father. It wasn't difficult for anyone in the pack to understand why she wasn't with them since they knew what her parents did, but when she came here, she was asked about them and how they were doing with her gone. Honestly, she didn't know what to say other than that she wasn't really sure. It hurt to know that they probably didn't even know she left.

Kangmin was heartbroken when Kyelin told him the news that she would be leaving for a month. She expected this reaction since Yunho hasn't been home often, so she's been his only personal contact while he's been getting his strength back after recovering from his illness. She's always been like his second child, especially with how close her and Yunho always were. If the pack didn't know better, they would've thought they were siblings.

Kyelin and Dongwoo had talked a lot about her past, and it helped her feel better now that she talked about it with someone more neutral on the situation. It was nice to hear what he had to say, and it made them grow even closer as Dongwoo also opened up to her.

Kyelin was the first person Dongwoo went to after he and Yeosang unmated, and she comforted him through it all. Of course, she knew about their relationship and Dongwoo's worries he would sometimes get. It pained her to see those worries come true, but she has to admit that it's better for the long run. Dongwoo deserves nothing but happiness and to receive the same amount of effort that he puts into someone.

Not that Yeosang didn't meet those standards, he was just on a different path of life and when he finally realized, he ended it. Kyelin wished it could've gone a bit differently, but life doesn't always work out like that, does it?

All she can do now is help Dongwoo get through this hard point in his life and be by his side as a friend and confidant.

"I'll be forever grateful that we met here, Dongwoo. You won't forget about me after we leave this place, right?" She chuckles as they pull back from their hug and settle back onto the couch.

Dongwoo shakes his head with a teasing smile that Kyelin is happy to see again, "Who's to say I'd never visit you?"

Kyelin furrows her brow, "You'd really visit me? Ha, I'd love to see that. When Essence gets visitors, they always try to test their medicines on them. I'd like to see you try and get out alive," she winks.

"I think I'd be just fine," Dongwoo laughs, and the sound is music to Kyelin's ears, happy that she could bring him some happiness through the dark times.

~

Yeosang looks at Kyelin as she leaves the group to go talk to Dongwoo and he looks towards the ground, kicking around some pebbles in the dirt as his mind fogs up. His body would normally flinch at a sudden touch, but when he doesn't, he knows who just grabbed onto his hand.

Wooyoung.

Yeosang lifts his head up to see Wooyoung's bright smiling face and his heart skips a beat, his wolf purring at his contact with Wooyoung.

"Let's go talk, yeah?" Wooyoung asks, no worrisome tone behind his voice to cause Yeosang anxiety. He answers with a small nod.

~

That morning, Seonghwa meets the group of now only boys standing gathered in the center of the grounds with good news on his tongue.

"I talked to my parents last night," Seonghwa starts, catching the attention of both Yunho and San. They turn to him with cocked heads, as if asking him what they said, which he quickly responds with, "They said at this point, they'd try anything."

"Really?" Yunho's noticeably excited voice echoes, jumping up on his toes at the thought of Seonghwa's sister finally becoming healthy.

Seonghwa nods and has to keep his eyes on Yunho when he catches how hot his cheeks feel after looking at San for too long, "They were... Hesitant at first since we had tried Essence medicines when we went last year and they didn't help her, but I told them about how confident you were, Yunho. That's when they agreed to give it a try," Seonghwa explains.

Yunho smiles brightly at Seonghwa's words, "I had a feeling that they would agree!" He giggles excitedly, "That's why I already started on making the medicine last night, with the help of my love, here," he winks and nuzzles into Mingi's side.

Mingi chuckles and wraps his arm around his mate, "It's almost done, right?" He kisses the top of Yunho's head.

Yunho nods, "It should be done by this evening if I continue to work on it now."

"Is there anything else that you need to complete it?" San asks, wanting to help in any way he can for the sake of Seonghwa's sister.

"Yeah, we could go out and gather if you need," Hongjoong steps in, Jongho close behind him.

Yunho shakes his head, "No, no, I have everything back in our room," he insists, not wanting to alert anyone of his plan. Only Mingi knows of his powers, and he's going to try to keep it that way... But he has a feeling that Seonghwa will want to be there when he 'gives the medicine' to Areum, and with Seonghwa comes San as well. There's a good chance that the two of them will see his powers, but he and Mingi already discussed the possible outcomes.

As long as no one else is present, they believe everything will be fine. San and Seonghwa are trustworthy people, and friends to them, so they're confident they won't turn them in for his forbidden actions.

If only they were that lucky...

Later that day, Yunho runs to Seonghwa and San with Mingi not far behind him, trying to keep up with his enthusiastic mate.

"Yun, slow down or else you're going to trip and fall!" Mingi calls out, but he's already reached the two boys.

Yunho turns around to Mingi and playfully winks with his tongue out, "I'm not so clumsy!" He turns back to Seonghwa and San with two small bottles in his palms, "I've finished it."

Seonghwa looks down at the bottles to see a faint green-tinted liquid in one and a faded orange-looking salve in the other, "You're sure it will work?" To which Yunho returns a nod.

"Why are there two?" San asks, the curious side of him coming out.

Mingi finally catches up to them and puts his arm around Yunho's shoulder, almost like that's its homing pad where his arm will always return.

"One is for Areum to drink, while the other is for me to smear onto her forehead," Yunho explains, lifting up each bottle as he describes which is which.

Seonghwa's brow furrows at his explanation, "You're not allowed to touch my sister, Yunho. Did you pay attention when we were going over rules in our lessons?" Seonghwa asks, feeling even more uneasy with the whole situation now.

San interjects before Yunho can say anything, "But, Hwa, that may be the only way for the medicine to work. It won't be for long, right, Yunho?" He looks over at Yunho with hopeful eyes.

Yunho nods, "Only a few seconds, I promise," he reassures, but he honestly isn't sure how long it will take to heal her illness. To heal his father, it took a full minute, so his worries start to arise at Seonghwa's reaction to him.

Seonghwa nods slowly, looking at San to see his comforting smile and it warms his heart up to the idea just a bit. He bites his tongue and starts walking towards Areum's room, trying to keep his mind clear, "Let's hurry, now..."

All of them gather in Areum's room, and to put it bluntly, she's not looking well. She can hardly lift her head, much less move any of her limbs, and it breaks Seonghwa's heart to see her like that. One odd thing they noticed when they got there, however, was that Areum's door wasn't shut all the way, but those thoughts were lost when they saw her condition.

"Y-You're sure it will work?" Seonghwa's voice waivers as he speaks, walking to his sister's bedside with San within reach.

Yunho nods, "I'm positive, Seonghwa. Please trust me," he says, his voice noticeably having more worries in it than before as they're actually here now. Yunho looks to Mingi for comfort and finds it instantly in his eyes, knowing that he's telling him that it will be alright.

San can feel the fear and worry radiating off of Seonghwa, and it makes his heart ache, his wolf wanting to take him into his arms and tell him it's okay. San hopes that this movement won't make it worse, putting his hand gently onto Seonghwa's shoulder.

Seonghwa looks up at San with tear-filled eyes when he feels his touch absorb his emotions, his worries lessening as San touches him. He makes no movements to remove San's hand, actually leaning into the contact.

"Areum?" Yunho asks, making sure of her consciousness as she seems to be coming in and out.

Areum opens her eyes further, seeing blurry images of four boys around her, one leaning over to check on her. She makes a humming sound to show she's awake, but she wonders where the girl went that was here. It's gotten hard for her to recognize people after her blackout a few days ago, but she can still distinguish a few features.

She thought that the one who was just here was Eun-

"I've brought something to help you, Areum," Yunho explains softly, opening the bottles, "You can drink this, okay?"

Areum hums in agreement at the hazy words, drinking down whatever was in the bottle the man held to her lips. She looks to the other side of her bed to see the other two figures, one of them looking like her brother, but there's someone holding him.

It couldn't be, right...? She can almost hear the faint sound of crying coming from the pair -- specifically the one that looks like Seonghwa, and it pains her heart to hear.

"Now, I'm going to have to rub this onto your forehead, is that okay?" Yunho asks, knowing that the drink wouldn't do anything other than lessen any pain she's feeling. This is where he will be able to work his magic.

Areum hums again, rolling her head slowly back to the man she's not sure if she's met before. She feels his hand press against her forehead with some sort of warm cream and her heart feels electrified as her vision blurs with a shining light.

Yunho feels all of the magic in his body take over his fingertips as they're pressed to Areum's forehead, a soft glow appearing which he's afraid will alert Seonghwa and San of what is really happening. Mingi squeezes his shoulder, feeling Yunho's fear for his new friendships.

Seonghwa's eyes are the first to widen at the sight, his eyes trailing to Yunho who looks like he's concentrating hard.

What is happening...?

That glow is not from the salve he made, Seonghwa knows that for a fact, and his mind instantly thinks the worst. The worst that happens to be the truth.

Is Yunho...?

Seonghwa doesn't even notice the tears streaming down his cheeks until San brushes them away with his thumb, his cheeks tingling from San's touch. Seonghwa feels his breath catch as he looks at San, seeing a soothing smile on his face which calms Seonghwa down. He returns his gaze back to Yunho and Areum, and San slides his hand into Seonghwa's, trying to support him in any way he can, knowing that an extreme conflict is going on in his heart right now at what they're witnessing.

Mingi looks at San and Seonghwa, worry running through his veins, but he's set at ease when Seonghwa nods at him.

Yunho concentrates on his healing, and Areum's veins light up a dull golden color as she's put to sleep and the healing process begins. The process takes only two minutes, but those two minutes were vital. Mingi, San, and Seonghwa were all facing Areum, backs towards the door when it begins to slide open.

Yunho hears the faint noise, but doesn't lose his fixation on healing Areum.

Seonghwa looks behind him to see Eunji standing in the doorway, her eyes widened with horror as she realizes what Yunho is doing -- what Yunho is using.

Forbidden magic.

The words repeatedly run through her mind as she watches what is happening, taking in a deep gasp before she shuts the door and runs.

Seonghwa flinches to get up, alarm running through him, as well as San when he sees Eunji too. San keeps both of them seated and whispers soft reassurances to Seonghwa that they will sort everything out afterward.

Yunho eventually raises from Areum and falls back into Mingi's arms, being completely worn out from draining all of his magical abilities on healing Areum's illness.

"Sh-She'll be awake and healthy in the morning," Yunho says weakly, his eyes fluttering as Mingi picks him up bridal-style.

Seonghwa's eyes widen at Yunho's words and he nods, a thankful smile on his face, "Thank you, Yunho. Thank you so much," he profuses, wanting to give him as many thanks as he possibly can.

Mingi carries Yunho out of the room and back to their room in the boys' building, leaving San and Seonghwa in Areum's room.

Silence falls between them, both thinking of the same thing.

Did Eunji know what was happening?

Will she tell...?

San stands up and turns towards the door, "Let's go tell Gyungho and Hyejin that Yunho has given her the medicine, Hwa."

Seonghwa startles back to reality when he hears San's voice and he nods, going with them to walk to his parent's room to tell them. The conversation goes as smoothly as it can, the Park's announcing to the pack that Areum will have no more visitors for tonight and to have a restful night.

As San and Seonghwa walk together out of the great room where they found Gyungho and Hyejin, one thing is still resting at the forefront of their minds.

Will Eunji tell?

End of Chapter Thirty One