WORDS. |Kim Seungmin

Thirty Five.

"And then they accuse us, women, of being always late because we take much time to get ready!" Aria whined to herself.

She was standing in front of her house, tapping her foot impatiently on the concrete ground. Her heavy backpack was almost breaking her back into two and the sun was burning her skin. She's been waiting like that for good fifteen minutes and none of the boys showed up.

A loud screeching startled Aria, halting her whining words from falling off her lips. The familiar car pulled in front of her and then the window rolled down to show Changbin in the driver's seat.

Changbin pushed his sunglasses down his nose bridge, looking at Aria from above them. "Get in!" He said.

"The boys are not here yet." Aria huffed.

"I'm here!" A voice yelled from behind Aria, making her turn around.

Her face fell once she saw her brother storming out of the house, carrying multiple bags, bundles, and ice boxes beside his backpack which was indeed heavier than him, and a carrier.

"Felix! We are not going abroad for God's sake!" Aria shouted.

The boy was still struggling with his luggage on his way to the car. Once he reached it, he smacked his hand on the trunk for Changbin to open it. "What? There is not a single thing in those bags that we might not need. And I told you I'm responsible for the food. I made sure we have enough supplies." He stated proudly.

"Of course, you did." Aria shook her head in disbelief.

Changbin got out of the car and made his way to the back to help the two siblings with their luggage. He lifted his head and flashed Aria a wicked grin. "And here comes your prince charming."

Aria rolled her eyes at Changbin's comment knowing by heart what he meant. Preparing her weak heart for what was coming next, she inhaled loudly before she turns around to be faced with the most breathtaking and mesmerizing smile ever. Not the gentle one, not the grateful one, not the shy or even the playful one. A wide genuine smile that made her insides stir.

Indeed, he was prince charming.

"H-Hi." She stuttered waving at him. He waved back awkwardly without replying. She guessed that he didn't want to get his skin painted early in the morning. "Are you ready?" She asked. He shook his head but kept his smile. "It's okay. We still have a long way there to get yourself prepared." She said flashing him her assuring smile.

With that, Seungmin's only backpack was shoved into the trunk too before the four friends get in the car. Changbin driving with Felix by his side, Aria and Seungmin in the backseats, they started hitting the road as they agreed one week ago.

Right after they handed in their projects, Aria and Changbin got a break from their part-time job. Along with Felix and Seungmin, they began preparing for the 'Finding Healer' trip. Seungmin was still reluctant but somehow, they persuaded him.

To start with, they needed to locate the victims from Seungmin's past. They started searching using all the social media platforms they could. Since Seungmin cut all the connections from the past and had no single friend from where he lived, Busan, the task wasn't easy. But with Felix's help, it wasn't impossible.

Because of staying indoors for too long, Felix started developing some hobbies including cooking, and stanning k-pop groups. That made the freckled boy get some skills in using those applications and websites, besides having connections in every single district around the country from the fan groups he was in. Felix could locate most of these victims with only their names and the high school they went to.

When the info they needed was ready, they made their plan and started mapping for their trip together that was supposed to take a week, then they hit the road.

The car was silent except for Felix giving Changbin the directions every now or then. Seungmin was lost in his own thoughts. He was building every possible scenario in his head, letting his anxiety takes the best of him. He wasn't aware of the pair of eyes that were looking at him with a mix of care and fear.

Aria wasn't denying how the boy was blooming inside of her anymore. She wasn't denying how she cared for him and how she wanted him to get cured of his curse. Ever since the day she heard his voice for the first time, she couldn't get enough of it. She didn't want him to ever stop talking again. She wanted to enjoy listening to his angelic voice and his devilish giggles.

But she was afraid.

Although she was the one to propose this trip, although she wanted him to be a Normal again, she was afraid of what to come next. She was afraid of the unknown Healer.

From the stories she heard about Punished and Healers, it wasn't uncommon for the Punished to fall for the Healers after healing them. Some said it was true love. Others claimed that it was due to the effect of how the Healers saved them from their fucked-up lives. And more guessed that the Healers and the Punished were meant to be from the moment they come into this life as soulmates.

That's why she was afraid. She was afraid that he might fall for his Healer and leaves her behind. She was afraid of breaking the bond they cautiously built together over the past months. She was afraid of losing him when she just started admitting to herself how she adored and secretly, liked the boy.

A soft sigh escaping his lips pulled her back from her thoughts. Looking at his peaceful face, he didn't look peaceful at all. He was in his own world of 'what ifs'.

Strangely, Aria got that feeling again. The feeling she was trying her best to fight. The feeling of wanting to touch him. It's been there lately, playing with her sanity every time he's close to her that she started thinking of herself as a pervert. But it wasn't in that way. She had an urge to extend her fingers and brush them against his skin. And that's why she was frustrated with how he was avoiding any kind of skinship between them, when he allowed her brother and friend to do so.

Aria huffed in frustration as the feeling started nagging again. She just closed her eyes and shoved her head to the other side, trying her best in distracting herself from her own dangerous thoughts.