I sat like a lethargic leopard on the couch in the living room, my legs crossed in front of me and my hair disheveled, without a care in the world. Why a lethargic leopard? Well my pajama paints were said animal’s prints and I was feeling quite lazy today as I scooped another spoonful of cereal into my mouth and chewed down. On this particular chilly morning, I was watching the news. The female reporter currently speaking stood in front of a temple.

“The whereabouts of the Haechi statue remain unknown. There is speculation that it was stolen however nothing has yet to be proven.”

Stolen? More like sprouted legs and walked away on its own, or rather, his own.

“Was it that you are watching, Miss Sora?” The Haechi himself, Moon Jongup, entered the living room. I looked up at him, watching him as he took a seat beside me, leaving a generous amount of space between the two of us so as to be polite. Not at all like a certain spirit I know. A certain Gumiho who in that moment bounded over the back of the couch and hopped into the space between us.   

Just like I had said I would, I fed him tangerines in my room last night whilst Youngjae, Daehyun, and Yongguk watched a movie downstairs. Jongup watched the exchange and whilst I was unsure of it at first, I decided to trust him not to say anything about it to those three. Of course, such an act caused Kim Himchan to be overzealous this early morning.

“Good morning, Sora baby.” He purred as he snuggled into the cushions of the couch, sending a smile my way. I didn’t reply, refusing to answer to that nickname of his. He’s really making me regret ever feeling bad about neglecting him.

“It’s the news, everyone noticed you’re gone.” I answered Jongup’s question, despite the whine right after that Himchan gave me because I didn’t respond to him.

“Is that so?” He questioned as he looked to the television, his eyes reflecting in them the image of the woman continuing to speak about the issue that was the disappearing Haechi.

So yep, that’s that.

I recruited the Haechi named Moon Jongup right then and there, raising my overall magic by ten and decreasing my sanity by twelve.

Okay, all joking aside, you can probably tell I’m leaving something out. A rather embarrassing something that I would rather not admit to ever having said. What would this be? Well that would be the answer to the question Moon Jongup, the Haechi, asked me after meeting him yesterday afternoon.

“I simply want to inquire one thing, Miss Sora. What do you think of them?” The Haechi asked, his eyes not hiding a secret, his lips not hitching upwards in the slightest. He was serious. Completely and utterly serious about his question. This question he asked me as we sat in this coffee shop not far from the temple he walked right out of.

Where to even start in answering his question? Well, I suppose I could start from the biggest pain in my side, “First, there’s the Gumiho,” Jongup’s lips twitched up just a bit as though he knew I would start there, “Kim Himchan. His world seems like it won’t go on if you don’t pay attention to him at regular intervals during the day. Maybe it’s because he’s used to getting what he wants.”

“And, do you give him what he wants?” Jongup suddenly asked, startling me. I mean, that was the last thing I expected and as a result my answer came out as a question rather than a statement.

“Uh, yeah. I do, I guess?” I cleared my throat, suddenly feeling uncomfortable talking about the playboy of a gumiho, “Then there’s the Dokkaebi, Yoo Youngjae. He’s a practical Shakespearean spirit.”

“And, you like that?” Jongup interrupted once more, causing me to stare at him blankly. He apparently realized that his observations were stunning me speechless as he gestured with one of his hands for me to continue, “I apologize, do continue.”

“The Tokebi, Jung Daehyun, likes to eat even if he has to contradict himself to do it. I can count on him and Youngjae not to say something ridiculous every time they speak. Though it’s a shame Daehyun doesn’t speak all too often.” In retrospect, I should have kept that last comment to myself because it came flying back at me like a vengeful boomerang.

“And you want him to talk to you more? To express himself even if he contradicts himself?”

Okay, this Haechi has got to stop with the mindreading. Of course when I said it I didn’t mean it like that. I meant that if he talked more than at the very least that’d give Mr. Demon and the Gumiho less chances to speak. But, when Jongup said it like that, when he so simply surmised all that I said into those two sentences, so ruthlessly laying out my thoughts to the world and thus leaving me feeling barren and exposed, I couldn’t help but feel as though everything he said was right.

I do cater to the Gumiho. I do like, rather perhaps strongly like, the Dokkaebi’s attitude. And I do wish the Tokebi would talk more. All things I knew already. All things I had even said to myself but had never really known until now. I had never really thought all too deeply about that all until now.

Because dammit, this meant that I was growing closer to them.

Even after so few days had passed, I was already developing habits with them and wanting things from them.

Ah, but I wasn’t done. I still had one demon to go.

“Continue.” Jongup said for the second time, ushering me on down this path that I dug my heels into, strongly resisting to travel down further.

“And Bang Yongguk,” I didn’t have to ponder what to say about him, not even for a second, “he’s the devil himself.”

Jongup looked at me long and hard, as though he were analyzing me. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, which made it quite unnerving to say the least. I could only sit there, completely at his mercy due to his ability to somehow see through me and make so obvious my inner thoughts.

After a little while, he finally shifted, his dark eyes gleaming under the sunset. Sounds cheesy right? Like all females, I like a little cheesiness sometimes. And I have to say, no matter how cheesy it sounds, that I could tell Moon Jongup, this Haechi, would most likely be the spirit I grew closest with in the future.

Wait, what am I saying? Quit thinking like that! Being close with any of them? Come on, Sora, get a grip on yourself.

After this, there was only one more spirit left unaccounted for and then I’d be done with them.

Jongup reached into his jacket pocket, pulling from it a pen. A fountain pen. The expensive kind. I couldn’t help but stare at it, wondering how much it must have cost. “I always carry it with me, in case Sangmin ever needs me again.” Sangmin. That’s my grandfather’s name. Jongup looked up from it in his hand, a comforting smile one his face, “It seems as though my thinking was correct.”

End of flashback to the embarrassing events that took place yesterday afternoon before I signed his contract that looked similar to Bang Yongguk’s. Start of the troublesome morning that comes as a given when living with four spirits and a demon.

“No breakfast?” Daehyun grumbled as he plopped down beside me, proceeding to mumble complaints to himself about it. That is, until he spotted the cereal in my lap and then looked up, locking eyes with me. I sighed outwardly and passed it to him, giving up on it. He began to pick up where I left off eating it without a single inhibition holding him back.

“No fair! You always give him what he wants!” Himchan whined from my right, once more shattering my eardrums with his voice, “If you’re going to do that for him then you should at least feed me tangerines like you did last night.”

Really? You really have to say that out loud? You really have to say it so that not only Jongup and Daehyun heard you but Yongguk, who just so happened to enter the living room because of the noise with Youngjae in tow, as well?

“What’s this? So she’s favoring Himchan behind our backs?” Yongguk looked on at me, completely and utterly amused with this new piece of blackmail which had an infinite number of possibilities in when and where it could be used to shut me up.

“Miss Sora is a kind human.”

As much as I appreciate it Jongup, you’re not helping the situation.

“She’s not interested in demons and spirits.” Youngjae was reaching the point in which I could have smacked him without a care if he didn’t stop saying that.

One more. Just one more spirit and I can finally go to my grandfather and figure out what this is all about. Just hang in there Park Sora, you can do it!

Yongguk approached the back of the couch, leaning over as he whispered right near my earlobe that the Gumiho had deafened earlier. “Is she not? Could have fooled me what with her wantonly caring for us so affectionately.”

You can do it, Park Sora.

Just.

One.

More.