Chan carefully knocked on the door of the bedroom. After not getting an answer, he hesitated a bit before he knocked again, a little more strongly this time.

"Yes?"

He opened the door slowly, revealing Jeonghan stretched out in his bed. The elder's hair was dishevelled but, even though it was obvious that he had been asleep only moments prior, he still managed to look quite breathtaking. It made Chan even more insecure than he already had been. Anxiously fiddling with his shirt, he stepped into the room.

Sloth was frowning at first, not exactly happy about getting disturbed while resting. There was little he hated as much as getting woken up - therefore it didn't happen all that often. He had already opened his mouth to lash out when the opening door revealed Chan's pale face. At once, his anger simmered down. Children and little animals had always been a weakness of his. The hands of the youngest tenant were visibly shaking and Sloth face softened even further. Sitting up, he combed his fingers through his silky hair while sending the human a smile. "Chan, what can I help you with?" The demon patted the space next to him and Chan reluctantly sat down.

"Hyung..." he began slowly but stopped, biting his lip.

Sloth was getting worried now. The younger had never seemed particularly scared of them before - had he found out about their secret? The question was burning on the tip of his tongue but he kept it to himself, waiting for Chan to continue.

The human took a moment to gather his courage until finally: "You... You don't hate me, do you? Me and the others? You wouldn't hurt us?" Chan squeaked, unable to meet the gaze of the demon.

"No! Why would you think that?" Neither Sloth's surprise nor his bafflement at these questions was fake. He wasn't like Wrath or Pride, too stuck up to accept anyone they deemed weak. On the contrary, he genuinely liked the human tenants even though some of them were a bit too loud. The only one he couldn't quite figure out was the demon who was hiding in their midst - but the younger didn't need to know that.

"It's just... I think Mingyu and Seungcheol might be planning something. Something bad. But I'm not saying they're bad people!" Chan hurriedly clarified, casting worried glances at the demon. His trembling voice was revealing his anxiety. It was obvious that he was terrified of Sloth's reaction.

"What do you think they're planning?" the elder asked. His tone was light, his expression composed. He had an inkling of what was going on - and scaring the child would only make matters worse.

"I lent them my tablet- I know you were there too but you probably fell asleep, right?" Chan didn't give the demon the chance to answer. "Anyway, I lent them my tablet and today I saw that they were searching for- for ways to kill people. And how to make it look like an accident." His voice had turned into a whisper, genuine fear was clouding his eyes. "Please, I can't talk to anyone else about this. Jihoon would probably get angry, and Soonyoung and Seungkwan wouldn't take me seriously, I'm sure!" Tears began to well up. "I know you're all friends but they seem to respect you a lot and you are such a calm person. Please talk to them! If they really plan something, you have to stop them!" He stared at Sloth in despair.

The demon's heart squeezed at the thought of how much courage it must have taken the younger to actually come and talk to him: an almost-stranger with shady friends. Admiration was an emotion he had rarely felt ever since he had become a demon - and that he would feel it because of a human was something he surely hadn't expected. On impulse, he wrapped his arms around Chan, petting his back and soothing him with the help of his power. In response, Chan buried his face in the demon's chest, the tension in his shoulders slowly dissipating at the gentle touch.

"Thank you for trusting me enough to talk to me about this matter, Chan. Please trust me once more when I say that it's not the way you think it is. They are not trying to kill someone, rather we are trying to stay alive."

Chan lifted his face to look him in the eyes, more curious than scared now. "You're trying to stay alive? Is someone chasing you or something?"

A small smile lightened up Sloth's serious expression. "Sorry, that's a secret for now. But judging by how things are going, I'm pretty sure it's going to be revealed soon enough - regardless if we want to or not." He sighed before he petted Chan's soft hair one last time and asked, "Do you want to go downstairs together? Dinner should be ready soon."

"Sure!" The younger eagerly got up, bouncing towards the hallway. Before opening the door, he turned towards Sloth once more. "By the way, that website wasn't very good. I can recommend better ones."

Jun was tired of the situation. He had tried multiple times to talk to his roommate after that fateful night two days ago but Minghao was like a ninja when it came to avoiding him. The only times they actually had spent together were during dinner and at night. During dinner, Minghao pretended to be mute, while at night, he pretended to fall asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.

Therefore, Jun had chosen a new strategy: an ambush. He had already set the trap by loudly declaring that he would return late today while he was having brea