DUAL

//20

His duty as a Healer wasn't keeping him busy as much as the Master did. The Master had asked for Jimin's help to monitor and instruct the Healers in practice. Never did it occur to him that instructing the Healers would be stressing him out so much. Though those people were deemed to be much better than his sister, Jimin found it hard to deal with them. Perhaps, it was their cockiness that put him off.

The hectic days almost caused his mind to forget about the flower that he'd kept hidden for almost ten days. Jimin twirled the crumpled flower, now dried and brown. Everything happened in the tent when the Supplier was there invaded his mind. If he wasn't so occupied, he'd have gone to Taehyung, someone he could rely to in regards of plants not only because his friend was a Cultivator but also because he was someone Jimin would trust with his entire life.

The Supplier's words marched into his brain. He was told that he wasn't supposed to tell anyone at all about it. If he showed the flower to his friend, would it be considered as him letting Taehyung know? Why must it be kept a secret? What could it possibly mean? The Village Leader dreamed of this flower, the Supplier told him. Why?

Why was he given the flower?

There was a knock at his door and instinctively, Jimin slipped the dried flower underneath his stack of clothes in the closet. "Yes?" Jimin opened the door and was met with his mother who looked nothing like her usual self.

She seemed to be filled with exhaustion and Jimin noticed the faint look of grief on his mother's face. Chaeyoung's future seemed to take a toll on his mother and Jimin sighed heavily, the urge to fight his father only grew with time.

"Is something wrong, Mother?" he asked gently.

She shook her head and smiled but anyone could see how sad the smile was. "I was wondering if Chaeyoung was here."

Jimin craned his neck slightly to look around the house and outside. "She must be out to meet her friend," he said with a soft smile.

Her mother's frown remained although she seemed to try her best to hide it. "So he came again."

He chuckled and shook his head. "Koo Junhoe is assigned to heal quite a number of patients today. Chaeyoung is out with someone else, I think."

His mother lifted her eyebrows, frown began to subside as curiosity took place. "As much as I want to say a name, I think Chaeyoung wouldn't appreciate it if I spill something," Jimin chuckled.

*

Chaeyoung bowed her head to Jungkook's grandfather when the old man left her to wait for Jungkook in his house. His grandfather had gone to somewhere else to train himself and Jungkook told her to wait in his house while he helped his Newcomer friend to walk as they'd head there together.

Jungkook told her that the Newcomer who was also his sparring partner might need her healing ability for him to be able to walk properly again and Chaeyoung was exhilarated to gain a new patient to heal. When the two men arrived with Jungkook supporting his friend from his side while the latter limped himself into the house, Chaeyoung immediately grabbed a chair for him to sit. As soon as the man was seated with a groan, her eyes instantly landed on his leg. His pants were too tight for it to be rolled up.

"Is it possible for you to change your pants?" she asked the Newcomer politely. "Perhaps, just wrap a cloth around your waist for the time being. Do you have a wide cloth, Jungkook?"

"There's no need for that," Jungkook said, his face flat as he took a knife and before the Newcomer could say anything, Jungkook cut the pants up until where the wound ended.

Chaeyoung blinked her eyes in surprise and cleared her throat, inspecting the large wound at the man's calf. There was another at his ankle after he kicked off his boot. "How did you get all these?" she asked, brows deeply knitted.