disclosure | park woojin

21

Saturday comes without trouble. There have been no surges in demon activity, and though it caused a worry, it also provided some relief for the arrival of the boys' friend. Hana still hasn't managed to catch a name from any of the boys. It constantly slips her mind when her schedule day to night is back to back. Trying to be a mage while also being a student was hard, but Hana was determined to build her powers to get Eunbi back and stop the mastermind behind all of this. No one else should have to fall victim to the malicious intentions of this demon.

Hana passes through the glamour that shields the true state of her house from her neighbors, Donghyun at her side. She takes another look around the interior and grimaces at the mess. Surely even mages with restorative powers would also shudder at such a sight. "Are you sure we can't just start cleaning a bit? You know, to relieve some of the work he has to do? We could sweep the glass into a corner or something."

Woojin, who was crouching by the windows to examine any patterns in the shattered glass that covered the floor, stands and dusts his hands. "That's thoughtful of you, Hana, but I don't know how he works. He may prefer things to be left as they were. We'll have to wait and see. For now," He walks to the side, pulling out a chair that was still intact, leading her by the arms to sit. "Let's talk about your powers."

Training last night was brutal. Hana feels tired just thinking about all the strength training Woojin put her through. She could have given up at anytime - Woojin was adamant on that - but Hana refused. So today, she woke up with sore muscles that ached with each movement she made, and felt a little bit of regret for not stopping sooner. Nonetheless, she knows it's only better for the long run. The problem was, no matter how far she allowed herself to go, her powers weren't breaking out. It seemed like at the end of the day, she would collapse to the ground, sweaty and out of breath, but feeling no different from yesterday's training.

"We've been trying to push you for a while now, it shouldn't be taking this long." His eyebrows furrow in worry. "I'm worried that it has something to do with lack of exposure, but even if it was, it shouldn't be this big of an issue."

"I mean, we've tried both exhaustion and exertion. I don't know what else we have to do." Hana sighs. It's feelings like this during such a crucial time period that Hana hates the most. She felt utterly useless and because she lacked experience and knowledge in the world of mages.

Deep in thought, Donghyun stares intently at the floor. He slowly raises his hand to his mouth, biting softly on his thumb. "It's different for everyone. Some just have higher tolerances than others. But maybe... instead of pushing her to the extent of her physical capabilities, what if we tried her emotions?"

Hana perks up at Donghyun's suggestion. Emotions?

Woojin's face hardens immediately. "Donghyun-"

"It's kind of dangerous, I know. But we would be careful-"

"No." Woojin firmly snaps.

Hana protests. "I'm okay with it. It can't be that bad. I can handle it if I can get back up after hours of training."

"We're not discussing this any further. I'm not allowing it."

"Woojin," Donghyun pleads, "you know how much this means to Hana."

"Kim Donghyun." Woojin warns. His voice was quiet but livid, eyes looking at said boy in disapproval. Donghyun immediately lowers his gaze, submitting to Woojin's authority as a pure-blood. Hana still doesn't quite understand the dynamics in relationships among mages, but she found it unfair for Woojin to completely ignore Donghyun's proposal, especially because it concerned herself, and not him. "Woojin," She clips, rising from her chair. "Can I talk to you outside?"

He gives her a skeptical look. Hana knows that he knows she wants to try and convince him to allow this experiment and that no matter what, he's going to go through with his initial decision. When he doesn't move from his spot, Hana grabs him by the arm and pulls him out the door to the backyard. She lets go as soon as she determines they're out of earshot from Donghyun and begins to whisper angrily. "Why are you being such an asshole to Donghyun? He was just trying to give his ideas and you barely considered them before shutting him down."

Woojin laughs incredulously. "You have no idea what it's like to go through what he's proposing. You might not be able to handle it. It could be the simplest thing that sets it off, or you could be on the brink of death before you've broken through. There are risks."

"And what I'm doing right now isn't risky? I'm pushing myself to the point of exhaustion almost everyday." Hana argues. "Can't we just try? If it gets too far, we'll stop. I'm not delusional, I won't go any further than I can handle. I promise."

"There are other methods. We can save this for last." He reasons.

"Like what?" She asks. It comes out sounding like a challenge, as if she doesn't believe that he knows of other possibilities when they've been doing the same thing for weeks. She didn't mean for it sound like that, because all she wants is a solution and if they have to step into even the most dangerous of waters, she's willing to. They're all desperate, she knows they are. She could be another hand in combat, but most importantly, she'd be able to defend herself.

Woojin is completely silent. Hana stands before him, waiting for an answer. He shakes his head, "I don't know." He admits quietly, almost barely audible for her ears to catch. "I don't know but we'll figure it out."

Hana sighs, giving Woojin a quick hug for comfort. For the split second that she has her arms wrapped around his waist, Hana feels safe and content. And when Woojin's hugs her back, Hana knows she can trust Woojin. They would eventually find a solution because it's not only for their safety and Eunbi's, but also for their town and for their world. The unknown forces they're facing could already be too big of a match for four talented mages and a struggling rookie, but Hana decides in that instant that she won't let that happen. She has no idea how much time they have left, but as long as they continue to have at least some, she's not going to let it go to waste.

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greetings from the worst author in the world! wow, i'm really pushing the length of this story jfc. i really didn't expect for it to be going this long but it just keeps coming out like this and now i'm in too deep. i always have so much fun writing these chapters though, because sometimes little details tweak the plot that i already have planned out. as always, thank you for reading and i hope you enjoyed this chapter <3