jaeyong is used to being beaten and bruised. he's lived his entire life training, getting into squabbles, and genuine fights on hunts. he is littered with scars, some large and some small, and he wears them with pride.
these days, it's different. these days, it's a return to his family's old tricks, forcing him through nightmares in the name of training. jaeyong doesn't mind it. it's necessary; he knows this. he believes it. he is weak now. he needs hardening-- strengthening, and this is the best way. even with seoyun's insistence that he will die like this, that it's just abuse, not training at all, jaeyong doesn't change his mind. (maybe deep down, he knows something isn't right. maybe deep down he knows the danger, and he fears them just as much as he fears everything they put him through to try and defeat it. maybe deep down he knows he should leave, but he stays.)
now, however, it's more important than ever that seoyun and huangjun don't see any of the injuries he sports from his exercises. the mental scars likely run deeper than any sohye can heal, but jaeyong ignores those, if he even knows they're there. (he is an expert in manipulation; maybe he even does the same to himself.)
this time, it's a bad bruise, just below the right side of his ribcage, expertly delivered by his father so as to not cause real lasting damage, but serve as a reminder of jaeyong's weakness. he should never even let his guard down enough to be struck; if anyone he trains with can manage to get a blow in on him, it's one he deserves to take. he doesn't resent the bruise, but he does fret over it. this is not one easily covered with makeup, or small enough that huangjun may overlook it. (huangjun knows every inch of him now. he can always tell when something is out of place, anyway.)
sohye helped to treat his back when it was burned by the hot shower his parents forced him into, guiding him toward a quicker recovery of a wound that likely wouldn't have taken too long anyway. he still doesn't know if it actually helped, and he still isn't too keen on seeking the help of a witch, but he doesn't know where else to go. he doesn't know that she's not cursing him instead of healing him, either, but it's a risk he's willing to take to keep the cruelty behind his training a secret from his boyfriend.
at least siphons & spells is interesting, even if so much as setting foot in it sends a shiver down his spine. even as a human, he can practically feel the magic-- something unnatural and dark that needs to be purged from this world. he already decided upon meeting sohye that he'll kill her one day, but for now, she is useful, so he'll keep her alive. for now, he'll use his time in the shop to gather intel as well-- to take note of the people he sees here as potential wielders of magic.
he's heard that the shop is picky about letting people in. part of him wonders how it decided he was worthy.
when he sees sohye, he simply sighs, expression giving away how displeased he is that he even needs to see her again.
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