Third Person POV

"Jigem otokae (What should I do now)?" Ying sobs as it's been 24 hours since she's locked in a bedroom full of books. She's scared, terrified, restless like ants on a hot pan. She knows what comes next, she knows she will meet her sister soon. And she's aware that it's gonna be an even worse sisterly reunion as compared to the last one. "I hope they won't give me substances that only allow me to make something poisonous..." She prays with her shuddering lips.

Ying's currently wearing her oversized white T-shirt and a pair of short jeans. Her snickers are placed by the locked metal door. She will seize the opportunity to escape if she finds the chance. She searched every corner, every piece of tile in the room for burrows made for any escape plan. Nothing.

The witch could see her through the hidden cameras as she was warned seriously. Well, it was more like a threat.

**Flashback 회상 starts**

"Where are you taking my sister?" Ying shouted as two hunters arrived to separate the both of them. The efret had lost her consciousness as the cold metal absorbed her energy throughout their journey back to the lab, though it took less than two minutes for one teleportation to end.

"We believe it is none of your business, Ying." One of the hunters said. "She belongs to Red Twig now." The clarification acted like a merciless knife that kept on piercing her fragile heart. They treated Faeries as animals, or objects. They took her sister away and claimed her as their property.

They did know that such an act was inhumane. Yet they ignored the fact that they might be killing a human because they had an excuse in mind - if Ping manages to survive when the drug takes action, the serum extracted from her body may save thousands of lives in the world.

"But why my sister? Go find the other efret, not her!" No matter how furious she was while she was ranting at the hunters, they remained expressionless even when they were locking her into the room.

"Dr. Kim said you may put these books to good use." One of them informed coldly before Ying could hear their fading footsteps. Ying couldn't hear a sound even though she had pasted her ear at the metal door. It was dead silence outside her room.

Or was it due to the sound-proof system?

**Flashback 회상 ends**

"Attention all exam takers." Dr. Kim's voice comes resonating against the walls, breaking the human girl's reverie. Following the voice source, Ying can see a hologram and there stands the witch in her white coat. "We will distribute your candidate code numbers today. Please check your emails from time to time for your respective exam schedules. Your code numbers will be included in the email. Please be aware that you will be taking the exams individually. Put your notes and the reading materials to good use while waiting for your turn."

Ying's hands ball into fists at the sight of the woman, though she still listens to every spoken word. She never knows all exam takers of Red Twig will be locked in respective rooms before Examination Day.

"...I wish you all the best for your exams and good luck."

Dr. Kim's figure disappears after she finishes her speech. But, the word good luck keeps banging against her eardrum like the sound of an annoying fly. She is clear that unlike the other candidates, she won't be that lucky to pass that exam as her life would be at stake.

She does not know about the exam questions, but she has a strong feeling that it will be the end. Either she will die becoming her sister's prey or she will pass the exam by killing her sister.

***

Head Biologist Office

Bracing her chin on her desk, Dr. Kim stares at the glowing cylinder placed in front of her with her peripheral vision. Water is filled inside the tank and there's one Faerie captured inside. Its long periwinkle hair wavers gently as the bubbles float towards the surface. The hem of the dress dances beautifully as the Faerie sleeps. "The trees told me that your sister's soul is resting inside your body..." murmurs Dr. Kim before she nudges her head to fully face the unconscious Faerie. "Shall I talk to her?"

Indeed, the Faerie captured inside the tank is the Faerie Queen. Being a witch herself, Dr. Kim cast her teleportation power from a distance rather far away from where she and the sisters were. It was when she snapped her fingers, the teleportation worked which eventually brought Jimin and the Faerie Queen to the lab by the time she brought the sisters back. Such an action is convenient, yet it costs part of her energy. Her body will fail if she tries to use her power again. She needs time to recover. And she cannot let anyone know about this.

The Faerie Queen's silence answers her question. Dr. Kim hums as she leaves her seat and walks towards the cylinder. The Faerie's figure appears clearer. Soft glowing ripple illustrates his fair skin while light reflects on his eyelashes, turning them white. Dr. Kim puts her hand on the cylinder, feeling nothing but the smooth glass surface.

"Faelyn," she whispers. But there's no response. She repeats the action again. Her palm never leaves the glass cylinder. "Faelyn." Her voice is steady as she's determined to summon the Faerie Queen's other personality. "It's me, Heesun."

Silence answers again until the Faerie Queen's eyes snap open and an invisible force throws her backwards. Files and papers scatter on the ground due to the strong force, while Dr. Kim manages to balance herself and avoid knocking her waist by the table. "Who dares to summon me?" asks a sonorous feminine voice, in which this averts the witch's attention towards the broken glass cylinder.

The light blue fluorescent light stops illustrating the Faerie's fair skin as it was shredded into sharp, tiny pieces like the glass. Sparks begin hissing while dropping from the broken light tube. The Faerie glares daggers at the woman standing in front, furious upon the abrupt summon. Her eyes glimmer under the shadows, they aren't light purple, but sage.

With the corner of her lips curled, a grateful smile appears on Dr. Kim's face. "Faelyn..." The Faerie blinks for the first time, and then the second. Her eyebrows are still furrowed. Green, moving vines slither in her dark hair like snakes. "...welcome back."

Another few minutes of silence occur until Faelyn's expression softens. "H-Heesun?" she asks with an uncertain tone while walking out of the cylinder. Greenish blood stains the tiled floor as the broken glass cuts her feet, but her Faerie ability heals the wounds in seconds. "What is this place?"

Faelyn begins registering the room. Wet, messy floor scattered with lots of torned documents, ink stamps, and other stationeries. Files are in disarray and some of them nearly fall off the shelves."It's my office, Fae." Dr. Kim answers with an awkward yet polite smile.

"What are these?" asks Faelyn as she reaches for the files with her long vines without seeking the biologist's permission. Before she's able to touch the private and confidential documents, the biologist stops her in time. "I'm curious." Faelyn furrows her eyebrows with her lips pouted.

Although she's using her brother's skin to talk, the expression doesn't appear weird either. Indeed, the brother wears a beautiful face too. So beautiful until he looks so feminine among all the male beings around him. "Mianhae Faelyn, I can't let you read the documents. But there's one thing I can tell you."

ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴀʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴅʀ. ᴋɪᴍ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴛᴇʟʟ ғᴀᴇʟʏɴ ɴᴇxᴛ? ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ᴡᴇʟᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ɢᴜᴇss ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴛ sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ 😘😉

ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ғᴏʀ sᴛᴀʏɪɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴍᴇ, ʏᴏᴜʀ ʀᴇᴀᴅs ᴀɴᴅ ᴠᴏᴛᴇs ᴀʀᴇ ᴍʏ ʙɪɢɢᴇsᴛ ᴍᴏᴛɪᴠᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴀʀʀʏ ᴏɴ 💕💕