10

Chapter 10

It was nearly the end of the summer holidays, where every single student would be savouring the last few days of freedom before being struck again with endless piles of coursework, numerous deadlines and an abundance of stress. It was also the time where the lazy slackers were forced to finish all the work set before the holidays, in fear of being stuck in a series of never ending detentions as punishment.

It was undeniable that over the course of the past week that the boys were really start to get on her last nerves and Jieun felt on more than a few occasions the incredibly tempting urge to rip her hair out in frustration.

While she had to give them some credit, in comparison to the times where she first encountered them, each individual has changed significantly.

For example, Chanyeol showed signs of making good attempts of managing his temper by trying out various breathing techniques that she had taught him. Though, she never told him that was her method for dealing with him. But that alone did not stop him from reacting to the incessant taunting from the ‘devil twins’.

Though, she appreciated the gentlemen-like attitude that Baekhyun and Suho sported on a regular basis—and she herself couldn’t believe she was saying this—their thoughtful chivalrous acts that would usually make her swoon were preventing her from doing absolutely anything around the apartment.

Going back to the devil twins, who although lived up to their name, were slightly more withdrawn from the group since the last argument which was admittedly blown way out of proportion than it needed to be.

Like the book had said, they were virtually inseparable. Meaning that no matter how many times she tried to speak to either of them alone, the other would rebuke her attempts…then would proceed to shamelessly flirt with her.

The only person who remained relatively normal and blissfully oblivious of everything was of course, Lay the unicorn. She had been informed by Chanyeol that he had obtained that particular nickname because his healing abilities were close to that of the calm, mythical creature.

Despite it being a slightly ego deflating name, Jieun just thought it made him even more endearing.

So, for her sanity and patience’s sake, she had decided that it was about time that she finally gave them some freedom, and what better solution than to go out for a nice picnic in the park on such a lovely summer’s day instead of being stuck in the apartment all day?

“It’s too warm, ugh.”

“Where’s that damned Baozi when you need him?”

“Chanyeol, I’m warning you stay away from me.”

“But hyung, I’m lonely and Jieun-ah won’t hug me either~”

Plus, it was safe to say that the scorching heat was evidently starting play on everybody’s nerves.

“We’re all leaving in the next five minutes, so if you aren’t ready by then I’ll leave you.” Jieun called over her shoulder, as she went to grab the picnic basket that she stored in one of the kitchen cupboards away from the curious, prying eyes.

It had proven to be a challenge to keep secrets from the boys, since they were practically near her all the time, whether she was volunteering at the hospital, doing her normal day routines to even visiting her grandma—but she only allowed Suho and Lay to accompany her, for the main reason that she did not want her any possible sceneries to arise in her grandmother’s head to explain the sudden presences of boys in her life—they were everywhere.

Literally, no exaggerations intended.

“Where are we going Jieun-ah?” Chanyeol bounced towards her, very much resembling the energy of a puppy with excitement evident in his eyes once she returned back into the living room.

“Aigo, that’s a secret~” She simply smiled, earning a whine from the overgrown male—slash child.

“What’s in the basket, kitten?” Luhan leaned forward; his interest resting on the bag as he raised an eyebrow with a predatory glint was visible in his eyes.

Suppressing a sigh, she placed a palm on his chest as she pushed him away; ignoring the suggestive look he was shooting her in response to her actions.

“You’ll find out soon enough, Luhan-ssi.”

“Jieun-ah~ why are you still being formal with us?” Chanyeol latched onto her while she was distracted, taking advantage of this moment by nuzzling into her strawberry scented tresses, merely inhaling the scent felt intoxicating to the fire breather.

“W-What are you doing, Chanyeol-pabo?” The startled girl, although used to the skinship acts, there was something different about the way that his breathing hitched the moment his nose trailed from her hair down towards her neck.

“We’re all ready now Jieun-ah~” She could distantly hear Suho’s perky voice filter into her ears, several footsteps walking back into the room, only for a collection of gasps to emit from their mouths at the scene before them.

However, it wasn’t the fact that he was holding her that made their blood run cold but the crimson stained irises and his canine teeth elongated as if he were about to take a bite out of her neck.

“Well, looks like the little kid isn’t all that innocent after all.” There was no mistaking the mocking tone in the baby faced male’s voice.

“Luhan, this is not the time to be joking.” Baekhyun quickly intercepted before another unnecessary argument broke out, before appearing before the girl in a flash as he shoved his brother away from her stiff form.

“Take her away, we’ll catch up after dealing with Chanyeol.”

“Get a hold of yourself Chanyeol!” The leader stepped before the curly haired male, who whirled around with a wild look in his eyes as if only registering that absence of Jieun’s presence by his side. Baekhyun easily shielding her with his lean figure as he manoeuvred the girl towards the door, who seemed to finally snap out of her trance as she turned around just in time to see the usually hyper male thrashing around in the combined hold of Suho and Lay.

“Why have you taken her away from me? I can’t take it anymore! I need to drink her bloo—“

Despite the fact that the door had closed shut, her thought process drowned out the enraged roars that were instantly silenced moments later. Jieun knew what he was going to say. Instinctively, her hand reached up to graze her neck in paranoia.

Noticing this, the light controller wrapped an arm around her shoulder with another one of his blinding eye smiles. “No need to worry Jieun-ssi, the others will sort it out.”

However, the crazed look in his red eyes haunted her mind as his voice kept repeating itself over and over again.

“I need to drink her blood!”

No matter how times she tried, she could not get the unforgettable memory out of her mind. It was as if it were deeply engraved into the centre of her brain, as flashbacks continued to haunt her subconscious.

Jieun let out a shaky breath, feeling goosebumps erupt over her skin. She could not understand why the sweet, overprotective and slightly erted at times male would say such a thing towards her.

Well, they are demons. How else do you expect them to act? All cute and cuddly like in those sissy fairy tails you are so fond of?

She glanced over to Baekhyun, who was waiting in line to grab sweet treats from the ice cream van vendor who seemed either oblivious or blatantly ignorant of the small cluster of giggling girls around him all clad in summery clothes that showed off their figures.

But given that the light powered male was practically prince charming in the flesh, she highly doubted it was the latter option.

The light brown haired male was inspecting the menu with interest, his eyes trailing over each individual confection for a few seconds each, subconsciously nibbling on his bottom lip as he did so.

Don’t forget he’s a demon too, Jieun. He could easily do the same to you as what Chanyeol might have done.

The fair skinned girl could not suppress the shiver that involuntarily ran down the full length of her spine, causing a short spasm in her body for a moment. It wasn’t difficult to imagine Baekhyun with blooded red eyes and fangs, neither was it with the other five demons.

The reason behind this was that demons were not meant to be angelic, perfect or sweet creatures. But that is just their outward appearance which sole purpose is to lure and seduce the naïve mortals that they prey on—to be able to satisfy what they desire and crave the most—human blood.

Looks like I, too must be like all the other stupid mortals they have wooed in the past. I knew I shouldn’t have let my guard down in front of them; I was so close to my death today because I was being so careless.

“Jieun-ah, I’m back~ I hope you like chocolate ice cream.” Ah, speak of the devil. No pun intended.

“Thanks,” She said shortly, avoiding his eyes as she hesitantly accepted the refreshing treat, mindful of the laser glares being shot in her direction.

Baekhyun blinked in surprise, having expected to be greeted by her glowing smile. However, given the unfortunate circumstances her cold reaction was completely understandable.

Being indirectly rejected like that caused an unfamiliar pain to strike in his chest. He felt his throat turn dry as he inwardly cursed the sheer stupidity of his brother. They were finally starting to make some process with Jieun, trust was being built up as her inner walls were slowly being broken down, allowing them into her life.

But then of course, he had to succumb to his inner, utmost desires that all of them had to face head on since they had met Jieun. Chanyeol was by far the most idiotic, hyperactive kid who relied heavily on his emotions.

And now, they were back on square one where they would have to fight tooth and nail to gain back her trust and acceptance, if she were to willing give it. Trust can take months or years to build but only a few seconds to break.

For the time being though, he pushed his contemplative thoughts to the back of his mind to ponder on later as he set his priorities straight by focusing his attention back onto the timid girl.

“Come on; let’s go for a walk to kill some time before the other get back.” He beckoned her to join him with another round of his cute eye smiles, extending his hand out like peace offering.

Heh, I’m not falling for your act again. I may have been tricked once, but I will not make the same mistake twice.

Nevertheless, she wordlessly walked ahead of him not bothering to acknowledge his hand as she took a of her ice cream while taking in the scenery around her.

The sunshine carried its warmth and comfort through the form of rays as it glided all around the park, the cloudless sky promising another humid afternoon. Glossy green leaves adored the branches of the trees where woodland creatures slept soundly under the cool shade beneath the foliage. In the play area, children were running havoc as they bounced around full of never ending energy. Bright, content smiles were plastered across their faces as parents watched on fondly.

If only I could live life in blissful oblivion like all of them. She thought wistfully, not noticing that she halted mid-step in her reverie.

She heard someone clear their throat beside her. “I don’t mean to pry Jieun-ah but—“

“It’s Jieun, none of that cutesy crap.”

“…I know that you must be confused right now with what happened with Chanyeol, but please…” He hesitated for a moment, “If you could just give me a few minutes of your time to explain, then I will leave you alone.”

The brunette stiffly inclined her head, the only indication that she was listening at all.

He nervously his dry lips, deliberating on his next following words carefully, to make sure that he does not offend the already agitated girl further.

“I—we want you to know that it is never, ever our intention to harm you in any way—“

She could not help but snort in disbelief at that statement. Right, like I’ve never heard that before! Of course I completely believe your lies. Just under an hour ago, I was nearly the victim of Chanyeol!

Nevertheless, he carried on. “—because you are our maiden, our saviour. It is our duty to not only serve your needs, but also to protect you from any danger you may be faced with.”

“With that happened to Chanyeol, it was without a doubt inexcusable behaviour. I would not blame you if you could not bring yourself to trust us again.”

The girl in question had long forgotten her ice cream, the chocolate already beginning to trickle over the wafer cone due to the intense heat of the sun. Inwardly, she was fighting an ongoing battle where one side argued that she should not let one accident ruin her relationship with the boys. Although she was still shaken up about it, she was not left in a critical condition.

However, the other rational side of her felt nothing less than indignation. She had just narrowly escaped with her life, and just because she was lucky this time, who was to say that she would be again?

Any one of them had the potential to morph into a dangerous beast, just like Chanyeol had shown who would not hesitate to attack her for her blood.

She instantly blanched at the thought of even the saintly Suho, who represented everything good and pure, shifting into the red-eyed merciless creature.

“You’re right Baekhyun,” After a while, she finally found her voice as she met his eyes head on. He returned the stare with his intense gaze practically smouldering her.

“I’m not sure I can fully trust any of you again. You can all say that this was just some accident, but what would you do if it happens again but no one is there to help me? You say that it is your duty to protect me, when you won’t even tell me the reason behind his actions. I know that wasn’t Chanyeol’s true nature, but if he could easily become like…that, then who’s to say that the rest of you would not turn into that?” She challenged him, making sure to keep her voice at a lower tone to avoid anyone from listening to their conversation as the brunette's gaze shifted, showing only signs of being cold and steely.

"I don't want to feel like I can't be safe around you guys."

Noticing that the neglected ice cream was starting to melt over her hand, he quickly disposed of it in a nearby bin as he gently cleared the mess by pulling out a handkerchief from his jeans pocket.

Focusing more on dabbing away the brown partly dried up stains from her pale skin he answered her calmly, fully aware of the surprised look she was giving him. “All of us experience blood lust; some are more tolerant while others have lower self-control. But we have been living for many centuries to learn how to control it. In Chanyeol’s case, he had a moment of weakness—just like you humans do in situations, of course it is not as extreme like our case.”

He aimed a tender smile at her, which caused her heart to flutter in response. “Everybody makes mistakes, but don’t we become better, more understanding people because of we learn from them? I am not asking you, on my brother’s behalf to forgive us for breaking your trust but to allow us to make it up to you, to prove to you that we can and will do everything in our power to protect you.”

The brown haired girl had trouble tearing her eyes away from the stunningly beautiful male; his eyes matched the smile that curled naturally on his rosy lips. The light wielder's beauty would easily rival that of a model. He gently squeezed her hand in comfort, causing her formerly harsh stare to melt and soften at his genuine concern for her.

Somewhere in the background, she could hear swooning emitting from the background, breaking the spell she was under as she turned her head around in confusion only to see the same girls who were fangirling over Baekhyun’s prince-charming like speech.

“Did you hear that? What could that gorgeous guy have done to make him say such sweet things to her?”

“Omo, I wish my boyfriend would be like that~”

“…I wish I had a boyfriend at all.”

Don’t those girls have anything better to do than to act like brainless fools around guys? She shook her head in disbelief, neverthless she absentmindedly allowed a smile to grace her face.

“I won’t make any promises, Baekhyun. But I’ll consider it if you all prove to me that I can feel safe in your presence.” She folded her arms over her chest in a stubborn manner, before whispering in a hushed voice so that the fan girls could not eavesdrop. “I’m sure that you understand that I would like to stay fully in tact during your stay on Earth.”

“Of course, that is completely understandable and within your right to desire so.” He nodded with a solemn, serious look taking up the vacant space on his face. “However, there’s something else I must tell you—“

A soft purring sound interrupted him, as the pair blinked simultaneously in confusion before their gazes dropped down to the ground where a black cat was slowly wandering around Jieun’s legs, its tail trailing almost lazily behind it.

The girl in question frowned slightly. This is unusual; all the other cats I’ve encountered over the years never take an interest in me. It’s probably because I’m more of a dog person.

The cat meowed loudly, presenting his wide set of sharp teeth as it looked innocently up at her with its large yellow eyes penetrating through her very soul with its sheer intensity.

Baekhyun tilted his head, as if to get a better angle view. He had not come across many feline creatures in his life due to the fact that for the majority of his lifetime, he had been held in captivity of the book with only his brothers as company.

He could feel his eyes widen for a moment, the look in that cat’s eyes looked very familiar. No…It couldn’t possibly be him, not after what she had done to him.

“Sorry kitty, I haven’t got any treats for you.” She crouched down to its level, as she carefully reached out to lightly its furry ebony head. It closed one eye as it let out another soft meow, moving forward to nuzzle its head into her arm. Jieun looked at its neck to see whether it was far from home or simply lost, only to find that there wasn’t a collar wrapped around its slender neck.

It could be a stray or its owner could have abandoned it. At the thought of that, she could feel her heart clench in sadness that someone would leave their pets to fend for themselves. People like that should have no right to even have pets, in my opinion.

“Jieun, I think the others are on their way now, we should go sit down in the shade and wait for them.” He reached out for her hand, only for the yellow eyed cat to hiss violently at him, baring its teeth out menacingly as if he were some dangerous threat to the human girl.

The girl in question swirled her head towards the feline in surprise. Why did it suddenly hiss like that? I assumed that it only becomes protective of their owners. Then, her expression became calculated. Then again, it is a stray cat so it could just be going senile or something.

“Yah, there’s no need for that.” She scolded it, with a frown playing on the corners of her lips. The charcoal coloured feline’s ears dropped in shame as it continued to snuggle into her arms before it slowly looked up at her with widened, dilated eyes adorably with a soft meow.

Quickly, she could feel her resolve dissolving away as her girlish tendencies immediately took over. But she somehow managed to squish the urge to squeal at its undeniable cuteness, she straightened her back as she walked beside Baekhyun while the cat absentmindedly.

“Right kitty, if you promise to behave yourself I’ll give you a treat, deal?” In response it merely released a loud meow as it leaned forward to her cheek almost lovingly.

Baekhyun felt a mixture of raw disappointment and annoyance surge through his veins at the display of affection. That cat has only known Jieun-ah for a short time and yet it has the nerve to do that? If any one of us tried to do that, she would not hesitate to glare at us.

As the oblivious girl started walking towards a shaded area that wasn’t particularly crowded with people, the feline turned its head towards the light controller and stuck its tongue out at him smugly.

His eyes narrowed in confirmed suspicion; there was only one person he knew that acted like that. The same person in fact who had been missing for countless centuries because it he was punished by a witch for breaking her heart for being a devious notorious womaniser.

Instead of feeling relief and joy, the only emotion that was invading his body was irritation. For the time being, he disregarded the reason behind why he felt this way, as he kept a steady, watchful gaze on the sly fur ball that lay seemingly innocent in the maiden’s hands.

There’s no mistaking it. He’s definitely back.

Author's Corner

I'll admit, I felt apprehensive of this chapter. Mostly because of the sudden turn of events *sighs* But there's a good amount of Baekhyun moments in there, I hope you liked it~

The next chapter will be the picnic and two more demons will be appearing at the end of the next chapter, and I've already got two specific people in mind ^^

Right, I think it's probably best I warn you all in advance in case you wondered if I had disappeared off the face of the earth, probably after the next update, I'll be going on hiatus for a while *end of January* because I've got some really important exams that I need to revise for.

That doesn't mean to say I won't be working on this, but updates would be scarce in the next coming months. So I'm doing my best to get these updates to you all, to make up for my absence ^^

AND GUYS. CAN YOU BELIEVE THERE'S ALREADY 10 CHAPTERS? I know there are plenty of stories out there with much more, but I feel like this is a personal accomplisment because I've stuck with this much longer than any other story I've worked on ^^

Thanks for reading and continuing to support me! :D

*some pictures of a puppy i thought was cute, LOOK AT ITS CUTENESS~*