Before Her Very Eyes

Chapter 52

If Jeonghan was the devil now, then Arin loved the devil. He could beat and batter her, but she would still love him. In a way, she was happy to be beaten if it meant that the pain in his eyes would disappear.

He was yelling like a madman as he collapsed on the floor, struggling against whatever it was that possessed him. At one point, the struggle was over, and his neck snapped to stare at Arin with a loog of pure evil, like he would murder her in that instant.

Arin was afraid of him, but at the same time her heart burned to give him relief from the agony that was ailing him.

He lunged toward her, and she didn't dodge it or try to escape. She let him grab her neck and squeeze it.

There were bright red veins in his eyes. He did not look like Jeonghan at all.

Just as Arin was about to pass out, Jeonghan's hand went limp and fell to his side. Arin collapsed on the floor, gasping for air. Arin looked up to see what had happened; it was Yoonsa. She had her arms out like she was casting a spell on him.

"Get out of here," Yoonsa said, her eyes focused on Jeonghan. Whatever it was, it eventually made Jeonghan drop on the floor, as if he were dead.

Arin only assumed the worst.

"What happened?" Hoshi asked as he barged in.

"He almost killed her," Yoonsa answered him. "I had to do something."

"What did you do?"

"I cast a sleeping spell on him..."

Arin relaxed, and it looked like Hoshi did too. "How much magic did that take?" Hoshi asked.

"I couldn't control how much magic I released," Yoonsa said, looking down in shame. "He was about to kill her, so I had no time to focus!"

"How much magic did you waste?" Hoshi repeated through gritted teeth.

"A little bit more than I got from this session..."

Hoshi sighed in disappointment and ran his hand through his hair, stressed. "We need more magic now."

"Why are you angry with me?" Yoonsa said. "I'm trying! Jun's the one who took Larali out and ruined everything!"

Hoshi looked at the bracelet on Arin's wrist. It was white now, even as she stared at Jeonghan's limp body.

"Well now that he's asleep, it's not working," Hoshi murmured.

"We'll have to try again tomorrow," Yoonsa said. "And keep Jun out!"

Hoshi nodded in agreement.

-

The following day, Hoshi approached Arin, held her hand, and kissed it. He was watching her bracelet the whole time. He noted that the color got darker when he did.

"You're someone who gets flustered by touch," Hoshi told her. "And that fluster makes your love swell for an instant, which makes the magic increase."

Hoshi was right about that. She remembered the time when Jeonghan kissed her in the elevator, or when he hugged her, and how the magic became stronger by those very acts alone.

"We need magic fast, Arin," Hoshi said. "Do you understand what I mean?"

Arin nodded.

"Kiss him, hug him, sleep with him, whatever, just please, whatever generates more, do it."

"No!" came the voice of Jun, who had overheard the conversation from outside the door. His fists were clenched as he barged in, eyes fixated on Hoshi.