Chapter 19

 

 

 

 

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“And now if you look to your left, you will see the language building for all those enthusiastic linguists among you bright intellectuals!” The tour guide droned on in her painfully chirpy voice that seemed too sincere to be feigned, continuing to point out every little detail using a minimum amount of space for taking a few breaths in-between her speeches. It didn’t help either that Zelo was tagging along side her, as expected, contributing to her increasing headache as he rambled on about his mixture of nervousness and excitement. Does this boy ever stop talking?

 

“Can you actually believe we’re at University? Omo, its gone so quick right Jieun-ah?”

 

“Hm, yeah.” She absentmindedly replied her attention blandly elsewhere as she scanned around the campus scenery with some interest. The surroundings was a sight to behold, from the petals of the cherry blossom trees cascading downwards with the aid of the light breeze, fluttering down like a spring butterfly before decorating the moist grass with spots of pastel pink. That would make a good reading spot under one of those trees, she mused idly.

 

“Are you even a little bit excited? Honestly, it’s like trying to pluck teeth to get a reaction from you Jieun-ah!” Her friend stomped his feet, his lips pulled down into a heavy frown as an indication to show off his displeasure. The tall male turned away from her slightly, as if refusing to even spare a glance in her direction whilst dishing out the silent treatment. Doing the act justice like a five year old.

 

Aish, even if I shown the slightest bit of interest he would still find something to complain about. She shook her head in disbelief, her hair swaying around slightly as she moved closer to nudge him. Though, much to her amusement, he didn’t even stop to look at her but instead he chose to carry on walking forward with a straight unblinking stare.

 

She feigned a weary sigh, making sure that he was able to hear it. “Well, if that’s how you’re gonna be, then I guess you’ll be alright if I leave you finish the tour by yourself while I have a look around?” Knowing that he would probably think she was bluffing, she stepped out of the line to allow the other students in the tour to pass through. It wasn’t until she had walked far from the group, thus creating enough distance between herself and him and the empty space beside him that he had realised that she wasn’t joking.

 

And in 3…2…1 She could barely keep the grin off her face as the sounds of his footsteps scrambling from the foot path became more distinctive and louder as he quickly approached her. But she didn’t expect him to run barrelling into her, the sudden force of the action of which subsequently caused her to stumble, her assigned lesson timetable and other vital papers to loosen slightly in her grasp, until her balance was restored when he clutched onto her arm—adamant on not letting go anytime soon.

 

“I can’t believe you were going to leave me stranded there with complete strangers! What if I got attacked? What if some girls thought I was so handsome that they would bug me for ages, huh? Are you starting to feel guilty for your actions now Jieun-ah?”

 

The short brunette in question shot him a deadpan expression. “Junhong, you’re 184cm tall, I’m pretty certain you would just intimidate people into thinking you’re older than you are. And if those girls did talk to you, then what’s the harm in talking to them back? Isn’t it about time you started talking to girls other than me?” She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him, ignoring the flabbergasted look on his face. “And don’t you always complain about wanting a girlfriend? Or is somebody don’t ready for the commitment yet?”

 

He flushed for a moment, not knowing where to look as he scratched his neck uncomfortably. “It’s not so much I’m not ready…it’s just I don’t know how to approach the girl I like.”

 

Jieun slowed down her pace until her converse clad feet stood unmoving on the ground, turning her head up towards him as she blinked a few times in an attempt to process what her friend had just admitted to her. Has baby Zelo finally found somebody he likes?

 

From what she can remember during school, there was no denying that Zelo did have his fair share of admirers—including both the openly affectionate to the more timid girls—but he didn’t seem to take much notice of them as he spent his time focusing on developing his musical talent during break times and gallivanting around on his skateboard causing girls to squeal so noisily that it could have deafened anyone unfortunate to happened to pass by. That didn’t mean of course that he was clearly ignoring the numerous girls’ efforts with their carefully handcrafted cakes and cakes, he soaked up their attention like a sponge for those who were brave enough to approach him and for the lucky few who were in his classes or those who managed to keep his attention for over five minutes. But this wasn’t because he enjoyed being in the spotlight nor was he arrogant, he was extremely friendly once you got to know him, and much like a puppy would if they learned to like you, he would follow you around persistently—Jieun had learnt the hard way on this one.

 

Her face softened, feeling like a sister watching one of her siblings develop a crush, it was unusual for him to bring up such an issue when they hardly even touched on the topic of relationships in past conversations. But she could not stop the warm feeling growing in her chest from the fact that he trusted her enough to reveal such a secret.

 

But of course, the sentimental moment didn’t last very long as she reached upwards to ruffle up his fringe with an easygoing grin. “Is baby Zelo finally growing up? Did you meet the girl in the University you dropped out of? Do I know her?”

 

He let out a whine, patting down his dishevelled hair in vain. “I’ll have you know that I am very mature for my age, Jieun-noona. You just don’t see that part of me because I’m just so naturally cool that it hides that side.” Suddenly, he became bashful once more, taking a few peeks at her from underneath his snapback. “And she’s not from the other place, she actually goes here…”

 

Jieun raised an eyebrow at him before looking around the campus placing her hand above her eyes to cut down the binding rays of the sunshine momentarily peeking out from the huddling forms of clouds, furrowing her eyebrows together as she saw an excess amount of girls swarming around the area. He’s already found someone he likes? That was pretty fast. Then again, it could be his hormones acting up, I was never quite sure if he had completely hit puberty or not, other than of course his sudden growth spurt. She nodded thoughtfully to herself.

 

“Really? Where is she? Is she still around here or not? Maybe you can try talking with her to get to know the girl better?” She glanced around with a curious air, only to have her arm pulled back gently by the blushing male who refused to look her in the eye.

 

“Ani, i-it not important, Jieun-noona...”

 

She puffed her cheeks out at him, casting a confused look in his direction before letting out a dejected sigh. “Aish, the only time I get the opportunity to help you out with girl stuff and you get all shy. Well, if only you were like this more often, I think we would get along much nicer.”

 

“You mean we aren’t getting along now?” He voiced out indignantly, his eye widening as he did so. The brunette shot him an unimpressed look in response then processed to shifting her attention away, much to the younger boy’s mixed feelings of relief and disappointment. He exhaled deeply, closing his eyes for a moment. That was a close one…

 

“And let’s not forgot that it’s not like you’re committed to being in a relationship, heck I can’t even remember any time you were in a relationship. You’re practically aual—maybe you should get that checked or something, Jieun-noona.” He smirked at her causing the brunette to raise an eyebrow at him at the abrupt change in disposition before she rolled her eyes.

 

“It’s my choice whether I want to be in a relationship, I don’t need a guy to feel complete in my life.” She sniped back, feigning a haughty look as she flipped her hair over her shoulder earning a snicker from him. “Besides, when the time is right for me and no one else then I’ll decide to give this whole relationship thing a go. But since I don’t see that happening in the near future, perhaps it’s best to forget all about it.”

 

Zelo nudged her with a soft look, his former smirk no longer present on his face. “You know that if we’re both single when we’re old, like when we’re in our thirties or whatever, we could always go elope somewhere and travel the world together, wouldn’t that be better than spending the rest of your life with someone you hardly know?”

 

Jieun pondered on that thought for a moment, the idea did sound appealing, but of course only time would tell of where life would ultimately bring her. Not to mention whether the twelve demons would remain in her company until then, she suddenly frowned unknowingly. The grey haired male took this as a reaction to what he suggested, his shoulders deflated in defeat. She blinked, snapping out of her trance, thus pushing her unnecessary thoughts to the back of her mind as she linked arms with her friend with a bright grin.

 

“That sounds like a pretty good idea, Junhong. I think I might have to take you up on that offer, if the conditions are met of course.” She winked at him, letting out an uncharacteristic giggle. Zelo stared at her in agape, not once in the whole duration did Jieun giggle like a girl. Perhaps a few times she chuckled but never did that sound ever escape her lips during the times he had spent in her company.

 

“Well, since we’ve ditched the tour halfway through, we can just check out the clubs stalls over there?” She pointed forward in the direction where a double row of different booths were lined up, successfully diverting his attention in the process she noticed in relief at nearly being caught out, some were decked out in eye-catching colours—the photography, drama and the art groups—while others did not stand out as much in comparison to colour yet were able to grab the attention of those passing by. Simply watching the first years walk through the middle path was like seeing defenceless little lambs being scrutinized by hungry vultures—the people behind the stalls.

 

Zelo shot her an incredulous look. “Are you actually suggesting that we sign up for these clubs? I thought you didn’t like socialising with people?”

 

“I wasn’t planning on being a part of any clubs, pabo. I was just thinking that you might want to join some rapping or music club, you’re still into that stuff right?” The brunette shrugged her shoulders, even from the corner of her eye she could see his eyes twinkle in joy, she nearly released a sigh.

 

“I knew you paid attention to what I said to you, even though sometimes you put onto a front that you don’t care!” He clapped his hands, the corners of his eyes crinkled into an adorable eye smile. “Hey, hey do you want to hear me rapping some time, Jieun-ah?”

 

If he had asked a few months ago, she would have gave him a straight answered him—no. And that would have been the end of it. It was mostly because she wasn’t that close to him until recently, he was like that annoyingly happy guy who although you had to polite and said that you don’t mind him being around, what you really wanted to say to him was to get lost and to bother some other unlucky buggers. Looking back on it now, she could not have felt guiltier of treating him badly—despite how oblivious he was of the situation. He was the kind of friend you didn’t realise how lucky you were to have him until he was gone…like when he was supposed to go off to his first choice university far away from their hometown, but then rely a day before he was meant to start his course. She guessed that it was his absence that made her miss him the most, his all round dorky attitude, that eye smile that used to make her want to punch him for looking too cute…suddenly, she felt the strong need to slap her forehead at the overflowing amount of mushiness that she was feeling at that moment.

 

Jieun turned to him, taking him by surprise as she smiled at him—not sarcastically like he was accustomed to but earnestly. “Sure, that sounds like a plan Junhong.”

 

He couldn’t suppress the beaming smile that stretched across his face; he was practically radiating unadulterated happiness that it nearly caused her to cringe at the sight but she immediately squashed that urge, not wanting to put him down. Well that is until she heard what he said next.

 

“How about calling me Zelo instead, Jieun-ah?”

 

“Don’t push your luck, Junhong.” She shot him a deadpan look before she shook her head at his disheartened expression, grabbing his hand to tug him along. “Now let’s go see what these clubs got to offer, hm?” The grey haired male pursed him lips into a thin line but nevertheless allowed himself to be dragged by the petite girl, he gazed at her with a fond look before a small smile twitched at the corners of his lips.

 

 

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As it turned out, timetabled classes didn’t actually commence for at least the beginning of the week, since the three days were scheduled and designed for the various clubs that went on within the university. It wasn’t exactly compulsory to join these extracurricular activities, but it wouldn’t look good if you spend the entire duration of your university life simply studying without doing ‘character or team building exercises.’ Great, I thought I would have left all those back in high school. She stuffed back the urge to release a long drawn out sigh.

 

The short girl allowed her gaze to hover around the stalls with little interest; the majority of the clubs were being run by seniors or some juniors. There were much more that she had initially anticipated, from cookery stalls (she had a feeling that Kyungsoo would look keenly on this one), to sport clubs such as baseball, basketball and even the hardcore sport of ping pong. She could have sworn that she saw a cheerleading club not too far from where she was standing; (Jongin would have probably liked that.) It was only now that she giving it some thought that she had a pretty non-existent knowledge of what hobbies the twelve did in their spare time—apart from football…and sparring that she had recently discovered that they liked.

 

Being stuck in that small apartment wouldn’t be healthy for anybody. I should look for some part-time jobs they could do, maybe they could help out with the sporting activities or even join up for clubs that they’re interested in if sport’s isn’t their thing. She adjusted her backpack with a thoughtful look, until an idea suddenly dawned on her mind. B-But if they were to attend or work here…if they were even allowed to, then we would be spending even more time together…

 

The thought of being coddled to death did not sit well with her, not in the slightest. She grimaced, knowing full well that Chanyeol would take no other pleasure than clinging to her side if he so had the chance. Then of course they would all—eventually—follow his lead. No way in hell would I let that EVER happen, over my frigging dead body.

 

“—Thanks man, I’ll check it for sure!” Zelo hollered over his shoulder with his easy-going grin at the basketball stall, holding a flyer in his hand as he made his over towards her.

 

“Made some new friends I see?”

 

“Don’t worry, none would ever be able to replace you, Jieun-ah~” He sang into her ear as he threw an arm over her shoulder, she merely rolled her eyes with a good-natured smile. “I think right about now would be a good time to have lunch break, what do you think?”

 

I am feeling somewhat peckish right now…She nodded to herself, remembering the food that Kyungsoo had taken the time to prepare for her was tucked up all nice and ready to eat inside her bag. Besides, wouldn’t want Kyungie-umma to worry his mind over me forgetting to eat.

 

“Sure, why not?” She shrugging, taking a sweeping glance around in case there were any stalls they had missed out. There weren’t as many rapping clubs around, but there seemed to be an abundance of singing and dancing groups flooding the area. Jieun was about to pivot on her heel when she spotted something from the corner of her eye, she tilted her head to the side as if to get a better look at the stall.

 

“Hey Junhong, I think there’s a rapping group over there, do you want to go check it out before we eat?” At the very end of the line, as if they were forced at the back were a trio of guys huddled together, conversing in hushed tones, once in a while they would pop their heads up to see if anyone was approaching them. However, it didn’t seem like they were attracting much attention. Though just by taking a look at their serious, almost scowling facial expressions, overly intimidating stances to their consensus dress code of skulls and guns, she couldn’t blame the poor most likely frightened freshmen for not wanting to stop for a chat about joining them. 

 

But having gone through the ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ theory on too many times to count, there was no point in disregarding them solely based on their appearance. For all she knew, they could be very nice people but are not given the chance to show that they are. Besides, if it does happen to get ugly, there was always the plan of pointing at something to divert their attention then making a break for it. Ah, that never usually failed her. Especially when used with the likes of clueless Chanyeol.

 

The grey haired boy blinked, before turning his head in the direction she was looking in. He clicked his tongue, shaking his head to show his evident disapproval.

 

“Jieun-noona, don’t you think you’ve already got enough guys in your life now? It’s a tad bit greedy, don’t you think?” The girl in question did not even bother attempting to string a sentence together and in her intensified annoyance she swung her arm into his shoulder with a death glare earning a satisfactory yelp in reply.

 

“They’re the only group who are blatantly people who like to rap in this entire club sign up place so unless you want to spend the term with the basketball jocks, keep on walking.” She simply pushed him forward, keeping a steady pace behind him, who in return did not cease his whining until they gradually got closer to the group. Jieun stayed back a few steps away to let Zelo speak with them, having pretty much zero knowledge about his beloved hobby, she could only stare and nod as her available options of responding.

 

Zelo bowed respectfully, catching the trio by surprise as he introduced himself with an air of coolness that she was hardly used to, having been accustomed to his usual dorky self. As if the heavens had broken and the sunshine had fallen upon them, bright smiles adored their faces as they returned the bows all too eagerly, instantly breaking the whole bad boy vibe they had going on.

 

The brunette felt the corners of twitching upwards at the sight of him making new friends. Of course, it was too early to say whether or not the friendship would last, but at least for now there would be a group where he could feel comfortable in, allowing him the opportunity to diverge in his gifted talents and to be himself.

 

It wasn’t until he had swivelled his head around and pointed directly at her—she even stupidly looked behind her to see who he was pointing at—the attention to be attached on her causing her smile to be instantly dropped, her heart feeling like it was on the verge of stopping. Don’t tell me he’s going to do what I think he’s gonna do.

 

“—And she is one of my closest friends! Come on over here and say hi, noona~” He beckoned her to come forward towards the little group. Knowing that the overgrown baby would only stir up a fuss if she ignored him, she donned her nicest smile as she approached the group, executing a bow as she drew nearer ignoring every urge and instinct in her body to run away.

 

“I’m Kim Seokjin or Jin; I’m the oldest in the group, nice to meet you.” The formerly poker faced boy waved shyly, and for a second Jieun had sworn she had seen a pink hello kitty bracket on his wrist or maybe she was just hallucinating, she wasn’t quite sure.

 

“Yo, my name’s Min Yoongi or also known as Suga, ‘cause I’m sweet like that~” He smiled cutely, his eyes turning into crescents. There was no denying, even for Jieun, that this boy radiated cuteness, this simple act had even affected a few unsuspecting girls who happened to look in his general direction, causing them to swoon at his looks.

 

The last one of the group puffed his cheeks out as he flexed his fingers into peace signs against his face with an exceptionally bright grin. “Annnd, last but not least, I’m Jung Hoseok, but you can call me J-Hope, the most handsome and coolest person ever, here to spread happiness and good will whenever I go!”

 

“It’s nice to meet you all, my name is Lee Jieun, and unfortunately I don’t have a cool nickname. If it’s not too much to ask could you to look after my friend for me, he can be quite a handful but I’m sure he’ll fit in well with you guys.” She patted Zelo on the shoulder, the latter grumbling under his breath as he shuffled his feet; if it were just them there was no doubt in her mind that he would be whining loudly in her ear, but he had to hold a cool look—even if they turned out to be the complete opposites of what she expected them to be like.

 

“Oh, you aren’t interested in joining? It would be an honour to have a lovely lady such as yourself in our group.” J-Hope winked at her, causing her to let out a bark of laughter at his gall while Zelo narrowed his eyes slightly.

 

She waved her hand lightly, shaking her head. “I wasn’t gifted with the talent of rapping nor dancing neither do I have much knowledge about it, since I’ve always been more of a mainstream pop kind of person.”

 

“We don’t just stick to hip hop; we sometimes compose dance covers to k-pop songs, our maknae Jungkook is one of the best dancers I know of.” Suga told her earnestly, nodding like a proud parent would.

 

Jieun blinked, trying to see if there were any other guys on the stall that they were talking about. “Where are your other friends? Are they taking an early lunch break?”

 

“Rap Mon’s actually supposed to be helping us right now, but he’s showing the others the ropes before setting them loose. The rest of them are all in high school, most of them are in the final years, excluding Jungkook. They also try to advertise on their side to get more people to join but so far we haven’t been so lucky in recruiting anyone. I’m not sure what we’re doing wrong.” J-Hope scratched the back of his head with a pout.

 

These guys actually seem like pretty decent people, it’s just a shame that others don’t see it. She frowned to herself. While she didn’t have any particular interest in these sorts of groups, that didn’t mean to say that she did not mind lending a hand to those who needed it, besides this group could be good company for Zelo—which is a good thing considering how much of a troublemaker he can be if not kept a close eye on. And if this were the one of the only rapping clubs on campus, they were probably the friendliest by a long shot. Like most bystanders, she had initially had her assumptions about this group—I mean, there were stereotypes that most street gang members were rappers right? And street gangs usually equalled to violence, which was a big fat no, no for her and especially the easily influenced Junhong. The last thing that boy needed is to get into even more mischief. Though—despite the small wisps of doubt that swirled in her mind but she merely reassured herself that she would be cautious of this group, you could never be too careful these days—there was something…likeable about these guys, she couldn’t put her figure on what it was. But that was something to think about for another day.

 

“Well, now you’ve got two extra people here to help you out, maybe we should start with a few of us handing out some flyers by the main area where most people are passing by?” Junhong looked at his friend in bewilderment, who while would not hesitate to help out a fellow person in need, would not do so willingly for a group of strangers that they merely met minutes ago.

 

The trio all exchanged a look between them, not expecting that kind of response at all before huge smiles blossomed on their faces. “So you’ll both join us?”

 

“Junhong-ssi will, I’ll just help you with getting more people.”

 

“Ah, we’ll get you to sign up in no time, Jieunnnie.” Suga grinned at her, causing the brunette to shoot him a half-exasperated look. “Sure, sure. And maybe Junhong-ssi will shrink some day.”

 

The lanky giant grey haired baby pouted. “Hey, don’t jinx me now, Jieun-noona. It took lots of milk to get this tall.”

 

“You should probably cut down on your milk, wouldn’t want you to never stop growing Junhong.” She shrugged her shoulders as she took a few flyers from Jin with a smile, causing the older to flush as he fidgeted from one foot to the other. Zelo’s eyes widened as he raced after her, waving a few flyers in his own hands.

 

“But I’ve drank lots of milk this morning! Does that mean that I’m gonna keep on growing? Is that a critical condition that I should get checked by the doctor?!”

 

 

                                                                                                                                  

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Jieun twirled the umbrella in her hand, watching as the raindrops fell into the various puddles that littered the road. She made sure to stay clear of any dangerously big pools of water huddled around the sidewalk in case a car were to splash into it, causing the water to be unceremoniously thrown into her direction.

 

It had been a semi-successful day, after a quiet start, a few people had taken the flyers and more people seemed to be interested in having a look at what the group had to offer, the boys—who she had learned to have another name as BTS or Bangtan Boys told some interested bystanders where they usually practised and the times if they ever wanted to check it out. Jieun had encouraged them to smile more, in an attempt to entice more to speak to them.

 

Of course, it turned out that this created attention from the opposite rather than the intended audience but the boys treated the girls with nothing but sheer hospitality and kindness. This in turn rightfully earned them a few fans who promised that they would support them; Even Zelo earned himself a few more fan girls. Once finding out that the latter and Jieun had not had their lunch, they pushed them into having food with them, in which their natural charisma just seemed to pour out. So all in all, it was a good day’s work done. I need to thank Kyungsoo for taking the time to make such a delicious meal! Maybe I should try making one of his favourite dishes?

 

It was strange now thinking about it but she had hardly thought of the twelve demons that were living in her apartment, she had this hunch that a few would try to sneak out and follow her around the campus. They weren’t exactly the kind of people who could sneak around without getting caught. But much to her surprise, none of them appeared to be around, not that she minded of course—she was relived in fact that they didn’t suddenly pop up when she was speaking to BTS, honestly their over protectiveness will one day successful kill her. She never did get that call to tell her how Suho and Lay were doing.

 

I hope they’re doing okay; I bought some medicine in case they ran out. On her way home, she had made a quick trip to the local supermarket after remembering that her paracetamol tablets were running low before returning on her journey back home. She had considered visiting her grandma since she had not been for some time now and there was no doubt the older woman would start to worry over her well being—even though she rang pretty much every morning and sometimes in the evening to check that she’s safe and well. You know, just grandma being grandma.

 

There were a few occasions where a few of the demons tried to answer the phone, being fascinated with human technology, but the moment her dear grandmother’s voice drifted from the speaker phone, she literally dove for the phone, she had to make a rule that only Suho or Lay were able to answer it—seeing as they were the only two she had introduced as her neighbours during one of the visits where they accompanied her.

 

“It wouldn’t hurt to go see her, it’s not like it’s far away from the apartment. They could just call me if they needed anything. Plus, I’m sure that they are taking good care of their brothers.” She nodded to herself, checking the road to make sure it was clear before she crossed it. I’ll only stay for an hour.

 

 

However, just like every time, she ended up staying more than an hour as she had expected. Though in her grandma’s company, the time just seemed to fly by. The soft eyed woman settled a plate of cookies and milk onto the table—having dessert wouldn’t hurt, it was just a bonus that it was her own special recipe. She nursed her own cup of tea as a choice of beverage whilst fondly watching the brown haired girl munch away at the chocolate goodness.

 

“Is everything alright at home, Jieun-ah?”

 

The petite teenager absentmindedly nodded her head, taking a long sip of her milk leaving a pale moustache on her top lip whiched she moved to wipe off. “Nothing’s changed since you called me yesterday, granny. I’m fit and healthy and about to get stressed from my impending uni workload.”

 

“Just remember not to overwork yourself, dear. You know too much stress is bad on the body. Besides, you’re a smart girl, I’m sure you’ll do fine.” Like most grandmothers, she was a calming presence to be in, something that Jieun was for once grateful for, especially in her currently chaotic life. “And if you ever need any books, I’ve got plenty in my study if you ever wish to borrow any for reading material if your assigned syllabus is a tad bit on the boring side.” The grey haired woman patted her hand with that smile that never failed to get her smiling along to.

 

“Now, how are Joonmyeon and Yixing doing? I haven’t seen them in a while now, have you scared them off? I’ve been meaning to give Joonmyeon a new recipe I have been working on recently; he can try making it for you then.” She winked teasingly at her with a breezy laugh. Oh, that’s right. Jieun didn’t know how it happened exactly but her grandmother had been trading her recipes—on the sly, since she never told her the so-called ‘secret’ recipes—to the Exo-K leader based on the assumption that he would cook these treats for her. Of course, Suho would always attempt to make them…only to cook them until they were on the verge of burning. The amount of times she had to lie straight to his dashingly smiling face was beyond the point of being ridiculous.

 

“They’re caught some illness that’s been going around so that’s why they didn’t tag along like they usually do.”

 

Grandma’s eyes widened, all traces of mirth vanished. “Oh that’s just dreadful news, have you brought them any hot soup? I think I’ve still got some left in the fridge so you can take that home with you, all you need to do is warm it up to give it to them.”

 

“I’ve bought some medicine on my way home today, so I could give that to them with the soup later on when I visit them.” She gestured her thumb towards her bag which was hanging off the edge of the chair, wiping some cookie crumbs from .

 

The grey haired woman’s face softened, her natural smile causing her eye to crinkle at the sides in approval. “It’s very good to see that you’re so caring about these boys, you know they must be so happy that you’re making the effort to take care of them, since they are so fond of you when the three of you visit. Which by the way has been a very long time ago, you should really bring those boys more often, and it’s a change by having more company around this quiet house!”

 

Oh, would you like it if I invited all twelve demons into this house? For some reason, there was no doubt in her mind that her grandma would actually have agreed to it. Most likely because there would be the ‘likely chance’ that out of the twelve, one could potentially have a interest in her or whatever ridiculous storyline that runs along the same path as her grandma’s beloved collection of romance novels.

 

“Honesty grandma, whenever I’m here all you talk about is them, am I not interesting enough?” The hazel eyed girl frowned, folding her arms over her chest in an exaggerated huff. The only reaction she was able to get was a few chuckles and a supposedly reassuring pat on the head. Jieun shot her an exasperated expression as she lifted up her drink to take a couple sips of her milk to wash away the cookie traces.

 

“Of course, I immensely enjoy having your company, my dear. Is there anything wrong with wanting to get to know the boys that could one day become your boyfriend?” And like most grandmothers, they were strangely engrossed in the love lives of their grandchildren, some even going as far as getting involved with trying to set them up with the grandchildren of people they know. Jieun supposed she was lucky in the sense that her grandmother wasn’t that type of person, but instead she was extremely nosy. In response to this—before she could even register her own actions, her body reacted before her mind could—the brunette spat out the milk, the liquid droplets spraying the table into a messy cobweb-like structure.

 

“B-Boyfriend? Where the heck did you get that from?” She managed to choke out, covering with her hand as she released a stream of incessant coughing.

 

To which, her grandma actually rolled her eyes at. “Don’t be so naïve, Jieun-ah. It’s pleasing to see how well they treat you; do you know how rare it is to see a boy treating a girl the way they look after you? My, if your grandfather was like that, we probably wouldn’t have argued so much.”

 

“What? Treat a girl like they’re made out of flipping glass that could break at any given moment? As if they are incompetent and unable to look after themselves? This is the 21^st century, granny, and an age where girls are able to look after themselves just as good as guys can.” Jieun insisted with a flourish of her hand.

 

“You know, it doesn’t make a girl weak nor the stereotypical ‘damsel in distress’ if she accepts help from people, in particular from boys. There are boys out there who strive to look after their girl’s every need. However, not everyone’s intentions will be good but you should not let this get in the way of letting people in, because it is easy to shut people out of your life and to practically become a hermit—however, I just don’t want to see you in years to come, still refusing to accept that you—my little beloved anti social granddaughter—can let someone into your life and into your heart because one day, you might find by the time you realise the importance of that those special people who may have liked you before they may have already moved on with their lives with somebody else.” Grandma smiled softly towards the younger girl, grasping onto her hand tightly as the intensity of her gaze was nearly enough to make her double back.

 

“Is this your way of giving me love life advice, granny?”

 

“No, it’s my way of telling you to stop worrying about the little things in life, sometimes you may try to wait for the ‘right’ moment for something, but that doesn’t always come around like you think it’s going to. There are times when you need to make the right moment or time for something to happen because it’s only you who can do that, no one else; otherwise you would be filled with regret in later life. I don’t want you to have any regrets, my dear.”

 

Jieun furrowed her eyebrows together; trying to soak it all in, a strange heavy atmosphere lingered around the pair. “But when is the right time for these things? It could be any time for all I know!” I don’t even understand what the heck she’s going on about, right time for what?

 

The grey haired woman simply grinned back. “That’s the point, sweetie. You need to be a bit more spontaneous in life, just go with the flow of things. Waiting around just makes you feel anxious, builds up all those negative feelings which could leave you doubting whether you should carry out with your intended plan of action.”

 

“…Where exactly are you going with this? Are you basically telling me that I should just get a boyfriend because you’re worrying about me turning into a hermit or an unstable emotional wreak?”

 

The grandmother actually seemed to be contemplating this for a brief moment, much to her amusement. “Maybe a bit of both, who knows where you might be leading to these days. What I think you need is a good old push in the right direction, my dear.”

 

“Or I could just stay in the direction I’m going in and hope for the best?” The woman shot her an exasperated look as she released a sigh. “Sometimes I wonder if all the efforts I make to give you advice are in vain.”

 

“Well, if it’s any consolation, I have to say that you make pretty good cookies.” As if to endorse her statement, she took a big bite out of the double chocolate chip cookies with an exaggerated smile that you would only usually see on commercials.

 

“You always somehow link it all back to food, don’t you?” She shook her head in disbelief, yet a fond smile blossomed on her face. “You’re an exceptionally odd girl, my dear. But whoever is able to win you over will be very lucky indeed.”

 

Jieun snorted. “You’re really hooked with this whole boyfriend issue, aren’t you grandma?”

 

The woman blinked a few times before she clicked her tongue at the younger girl. “Aish, you’re really something you know that?”

 

“But you love me for it, grandma~” The girl clasped her hands together, tilting her head to the side as she shot her the infamous puppy dog eyes—to which the latter simply shook her head with her ever present fond smile, nursing her cup of tea she said. “And I will never stop, my dear.”

 

 

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It was already approaching the evening time when Jieun approached her apartment building; she grabbed her bills from her locker on the bottom floor before she made her way towards the elevator. The lights seemed to be going funny as they flickered on and off, for Jieun—leaving the assumption of the faulty wiring system was to blame. It was unusually quiet, almost dauntingly silent. Most times you would be able to hear the neighbours but this time round, it was so hushed that you could hear a pin drop—that is if you actually paid attention.

 

The brunette stretched her arms over her head, waiting until she heard the popping sound of her bones before she lowered her arms. She rolled back her shoulders, feeling how tense they were from the long day. It didn’t go as bad as she thought it would have been she just hoped that BTS would stop bothering her about joining. Though she was almost certain that they would simply continue on doing so regardless of whether she said anything.

 

“Man, I can’t wait to just sit down and relax.” She mumbled to herself, liking the idea very much as the ding of the elevator door bounced off the walls as it resounded, stepping out as she fished her jacket pocket for her keys. Jieun hardly had enough energy to tell any of them off, but she hoped that they had at least attempted to tidy up the apartment—and also most importantly put her mattress where it belonged.

 

Once the door was unlocked by the sound of the click, the brunette pushed the door open—only to be greeted to complete and utter pitch darkness. She furrowed her eyebrows, moving to turn the light switch on before closing the door.

 

“Guys? Are you there?” However, no answer was spoken, only silence entered her ears. She narrowed her eyes in unveiled annoyance; her patience was already running on an all time low as she scanned her surroundings for any indication to where they were.

 

“This isn’t funny, stop messing around.”

 

“But we’ve hardly even started, human.”

 

Jieun blinked, turning around to see Suho on the other side of the room. She was about to say something when she realised that something was deadly wrong here, there was not even a trace of his trademark smile plastered on his face, instead he remained indifferent, his aura felt…different and unlike him. Although she did not know what was going on, she was certain that whoever this person was, no matter how much he may look like Suho, he definitely wasn’t himself.

 

“Who are you?”

 

The ‘impersonator’ tilted his head, his irises darkened until swirls of red mingled in, a mocking smile played at the corners of his lips. “Why, I’m your dear Suho. Who else would I be?”
 

Jieun gritted her teeth, her hands gripped into fists at her sides, her umbrella had fallen to the side. “Don’t play ing games with me, whoever you are. What have you done to Suho?”

 

He suddenly smiled, though with his eyes, it only served the purpose of being undeniably sinister, no longer was it the angelic smile that she had grown to be so fond of. “Now, now, I haven’t done anything to your precious Suho. Because I am Suho.”

 

“What are you talking about? You’re nothing like Suho…you’re a—“

 

“Monster?” He drawled dryly, raising one eyebrow in a challenging manner. Jieun faltered, her gaze dropped for a moment. “Go on, you can say it. It’s what I am, it’s who I am. This is the true form of Suho, whether you can accept it or not, human.”

 

The brown haired demon raised one hand up, creating a wave of water to materialize from the atmosphere as he controlled it to surround the unsuspecting girl. The need to cause this girl pain was far too tempting to ignore, he smirked as the images of her thrashing around in the ball of water entered his mind, suffocating until the last signs of life were plucked away without a single trace of mercy. He nearly sighed in bliss.

 

“You may be a demon Joonmyun, but that doesn’t make you a monster. Your actions are the deciders of what you become.” She spoke up, raising her head to meet his eyes full on. “You could kill me, but what good will that do for you in the end? Another murder on your conscience? Maybe even spend a longer period of time in that book.”

 

His eyes narrowed into slits, baring his teeth at her like an enraged animal. “I will not go back in that forsaken prison. I will destroy that book and you so that my brothers and I can be free from you idiotic, useless humans who pretentiously claim to be our masters.”

 

“If it is freedom you want, then I shall give it to you.” Jieun shrugged almost nonchalantly, though on the inside she was terrified. She felt like any wrong move she did could quite possibly endanger her own life, thus her heartbeat was working on overdrive, the palpitations felt like it was threatening to burst of her rib cage any second now. But she couldn’t freeze up now, she didn’t have any time, she had to deal with this now.

 

He glared at her with full force, twitching his fingers which caused the water to edge closer to her. “Do you take me for a fool? I know when you are lying, human.”

 

“What will it take to give you freedom?”

 

Suho smirked with a devilish charm. “Your life will suffice just nicely.”

 

The petite girl narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m afraid that I cannot and will not under any circumstances give you my life.”

 

“Not even for our freedom?” He spoke mockingly with a glower, an expression which did not suit him in the slightest.

 

“There must be something else that I can do.”

 

“You could of course sign that you no longer wish to be our master.” From the shadows, Lay emerged—yet very much like Suho; his features were clouded over with evident distaste towards her. They’re only telling me this now when they’re being controlled by some bat- crazy demons?

 

“…What’s the catch? It can’t possibly be that easy; wouldn’t I have to break some kind of bond?” Jieun had to remain cautious in her actions, one false shaky move and that is all it would take for her to fall. Even if this seemed to be her one way ticket to getting rid of them, she could not shake off the feeling that there was something not right about this.

 

The formerly gentle faced healer turned to her with an indifferent look. “Bonds are complex matters, however our bond as master and servant is not as strong as you may think it is. Therefore, it will not take much to break it.”

 

“What will it take?” She exhaled deeply, preparing herself for whatever answer would be given.

 

“You will have to sacrifice one of our brothers in exchange for our freedom.”

 

“…Wait, what do you mean? I thought you said it would not take much to break it!?”

 

“The price for our freedom comes from a sacrifice, the purpose of the bond is that it should not be broken—hence why the consequences are not to be taken lightly. So, it’s either you will die, or one of our brothers will die, choose carefully human girl.”

 

This was happening all too fast, Jieun could not even think straight let alone be able to make a—literally—life changing decision. She tried to pace her breathing, but it was not working, instead she kept inhaling and exhaling too quickly and haggardly. The sheer intensity of the pressure of the situation was phenomenal, of course there was a ing catch—either she dies or one of the twelve would die. Its funny how your life can be in danger in literally seconds when in the presence of psychopathic demons.

 

Slowly but gradually, she could pick out from the corners of her eyes the remaining ten brothers. Unlike Joonmyun and Yixing, they looked pleadingly towards her as if trying to tell her telepathically to not give up her life for them, that it wasn’t worth it. They had been living far longer than she had, it wouldn’t be fair on her to lose her life at such an adolescent age when she could have done so much more with her life if given the opportunity. Jieun lifted her gaze to look at each and every one of them, it was such a stupid time to think about such things at a crucial moment, but they were all so handsome—it would be such a waste if they were to die in her place. She could feel the pricking of her tear duct, threatening to release the waterworks, feeling so close to death that she could practically touch it.

 

“Don’t do it.” That was what they were mouthing at her, at least that’s what it seemed like they were doing as there were no vocal sounds erupting from their mouths. She closed her eyes, thinking back to just over half an hour ago; she was with her grandma—her dear sweet grandmother whom she loved very much. She couldn’t be more grateful of the fact that she was able to spend some time with her. And Yunhee, who never failed in her appointed sister role to look after her, even when she didn’t have to. Jieun was just regretful that she did not speak with her parents as much as she could have, given the chance.

 

The faces of Suho and Lay when they spoke about being trapped in that book, the amount of time that they had been waiting to experience the daily routines that she would often take for granted, that they wanted nothing more than to be free—or at least they would never say it out loud but she was aware that freedom was very significant to demons, very few were made to be servants to other demons—it must have been unheard of and purely humiliating to be under the control of a mere teenage girl.

 

She bit her lip, clutching her hand so tightly that the circulation was being cut off. Taking a long deep breath, she opened her eyes. “I’ll do—“

 

“No, I’ll do it.”

 

Jieun could not believe her own ears. The person who stepped forward was the person who had remained adamant on not liking her in the slightest, the person who was a frigging-jackass to her. Yet despite all that, he was still prepared and willing to take her place.

 

Suho’s lips were pulled into a thin line. “Zitao, back down. There is no need for you to do such a thing if that human is going to accept her fate.”

 

“I cannot do that hyung. It’s under our commitment as servants to protect that human who you are forgetting is our master regardless of whether we like her or not. I have failed to do so in the past so I will sacrifice my life as punishment and in exchange all of you will be free just like we all wanted.”

 

Tao… Jieun’s eyes widened in shock, the unadulterated emotion riddled all over her body. She did not expect him of all people to do such a valiant act for her.

 

The leader released a weary sigh, closing his demonic red eyes for a moment. “I do not wish to inflict harm on you brother. However, I will not be so lenient a second time. Now step aside so I can finish this.”

 

The brunette was about to speak, not wanting anyone to put their lives on the line for her. I have done nothing for them to even do such a thing for me. I have always complained about them, always making them unwanted by keeping them at arm’s length. Yet why is this one, the person whom venomously did not like me from the start, willing to do so? The dark haired male suddenly appeared in front of her, his intense stare digging into the person he looked up to aside from Kris.

 

“Go ahead, kill me. Or are you too weak to even carry out with it?”

 

Suho’s eyes flashed darkly, the demon’s anger obscured his rational mode of thinking, letting out a piercing roar as he moved with inhuman speed towards the time controller, he rose up one hand to strike the latter, who merely stood still as he braced himself for the impending blow.

 

No…I can’t just stand by and watch this happen. If they want their ing freedom so badly enough to even try to kill their brothers, then I should just give them what they want. You could call her crazy for even considering what she was about to do, but in these situations sometimes you could not just think—you barely had time for that. All you could do was rely on instinct. Jieun’s eyes latched onto the others who could not even watch, her eyes hardened. Each of them only have their brothers, they need Tao in their lives.

 

Before she knew she was moving, she ran in front of Tao, the blade collided into her stomach and her vision was clouded with nothing more than a sea of crimson red, a type of pain that tore into you quicker than you could even prepare yourself for. A gasp escaped her lips, the force of the action caused her to be knocked backwards thus resulting in an awkward landing on the floor. Everything became a blur, like those moments where supposedly your life ‘flashes’ before your very own eyes. Jieun placed her shaky hand on her stomach, only to choke at the sight of it when she lifted it up, blood dripped from it, she could feel herself starting to lose unconsciousness. The weightless feeling of being on the verge of dying was surreal, kind of like you didn’t really know what was going to happen to you—if you woke up, at least. With one final breath, she took in the surroundings enfolded before her, the chaos and shouting that endured in the background fell on deaf ears as her body forced her into shutdown, she closed her eyes.

 

 

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they actually threw Suho in the air, lol.