"See you tomorrow, brat rat," Chaerin says over her shoulder when the joint closes at ten, chuckling when Seungri replies with a loud, "And you, kitty cat!" She leaves the restaurant, letting the annoying jingle of the door linger in her head (because that's always better than some weird girl).

       As she waits to cross the street, she clenches her jaw because her stupid wings are unusually eager to pop out of her back today. She guesses they're probably anxious. That girl definitely has something to do with it.

       She walks through the slum part of town that doesn't have any street lights; it's just all these dark alleys at night. It's pretty damn creepy but Chaerin's seen creepier so she doesn't really care; she walks through here every day. But when she passes one of the alleys, her nose instinctively scrunches up because she smells one of the most morbid scents possible.

       Sure, Angels have always had a heightened sense of everything, including smell, but this is something that not even a Mortal could ignore. It smells like blood and sweat and salt and some weird supernatural scent Chaerin can't really place. All she knows is she's smelled it before.

       But the smell never seemed so...dark.

       Against her better judgment, Chaerin stops and turns to look down the moonlit alley, flinching and choking on her breath when she sees two glowing yellow eyes staring at her. They're captivating.

       She hypnotically walks closer into the alley, until she's five meters away from those mesmerizing yellows, and suddenly she looks down and sees the rest of this person's body. Chaerin can barely make out a crumpled heap of limbs covered in blood, and...

       Black feathers.

       There are two huge black masses surrounding this person's body, soaked to the bone with blood, and Chaerin has more than enough experience with these to know that they're wings. Countless feathers have fallen off and are scattered around, eerily reflecting the moonlight.

       She takes a cautious step forward, looking back up at the person's face. Her heart stops again because she would never have guessed in a million years.

       It's that girl. Dara.

       Her yellow eyes look so terrified and vulnerable, and her face is covered with sweat, and her eyebrows are furrowed in pain and agony. Blood is patched in her hair and dirt is caked on her cheeks.

       Suddenly Chaerin feels this burning, black glow hit her square on the chest with the wind that she knows isn't a coincidence. Auras don't normally feel like this; the Aura of a Creature is generally calm and natural. But Dara's Aura feels so frantic and aggressive and it scares Chaerin out of her wits, because she knows what it means. This black Aura is unmistakable.

       She doesn't know what the to make out of any of this so she just ignores those heartbreakingly pained eyes and turns around, running for her life until she gets home. She hurls all of her stuff on the couch before sprinting to the shower and trying to wash away everything. She tries to wash off that dark scent and that haunting sight and those horrified yellow eyes and that Aura that brings out the rawest emotional pain Chaerin has felt in a while.

       And as the burning water runs through her hair and across her finally free white wings, Chaerin tries to process everything.

       Nothing really comes out of it except one fact.

       That girl is a Dark Angel.

       "Mommy? Who is that?" Chaerin tugs lightly at the hem of her mother's shirt. Her mother turns toward her and smiles warmly.

       "Chaerin, she's my friend from when I was young. Her name is Auntie Hyuna. Say hi!" Chaerin looks up at the stranger, who smiles sweetly.

       "Hi Auntie Hyuna," she says quietly, waving shyly. She quickly hides behind her mother, burying her face in her mother's soft, white wings. But every once in a while, she peeks her head out and stares at Auntie Hyuna, because she's different. Her wings are black, and it doesn't make sense to little Chaerin.

       Chaerin's mother chuckles lovingly. "She's very shy for a seven-year-old," she tells Hyuna. "Normally, at this age, you'd see them jumping around and latching on to people they don't know."

       Hyuna laughs in reply, shaking her head. "She's adorable." They walk into the kitchen and Chaerin is told to go back to her room, so she does.

       But as she's lying in bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking about when her own wings will be as big and white as her mother's, she hears shattering glass come from the kitchen. Curious, she slowly creaks open her bedroom door and peeks out.

       The vase that Chaerin and her father bought for Mother's Day is on the floor in pieces. Nearby, her mother lies scared on the kitchen tiles, with Hyuna towering over her. Chaerin gasps at Hyuna's flaming yellow eyes.

       Frightened for her mother, Chaerin sprints out of her room and toward the kitchen, but she stops in her tracks when she feels this overwhelming dark Aura coming from Hyuna. It's petrifying and it makes Chaerin feel like she's being engulfed with black and pain and anger.

       She watches, frozen with horror, as her mother writhes on the floor in pain and Hyuna stares down at her with sadistic, menacing eyes and a maniacal grin. Suddenly, her mother's chest jerks up from the floor and Chaerin sees a faint white and yellow glowing sphere rising from her mother's body and slowly merging into Hyuna's hand.

       Her mother lies on the ground, undoubtedly dead. Chaerin looks straight into Hyuna's eyes for a second and the next thing she knows, she's on the floor, unconscious.

       Chaerin hasn't forgotten that Aura. The Aura of a Dark Angel.

       Chaerin can't bear to leave her apartment for the next week because now she knows there's a Dark Angel lurking around that just went through her Evolution and is probably killing people left and right and laughing about it. Even better: I ing work with her.

       Chaerin flips open her laptop and checks her email like she usually does, blasting the noisiest, most obnoxious music she can find so it's harder for her to think about that Creature (that could be waiting for Chaerin to leave her apartment for all she knows). She clicks her tongue when she comes across one email she would rather not see for the rest of her life.

       "ing electric bill," she mutters to herself. She needs money. Before she forgets, she decides to call the manager of the Panda Express.

       "Hello?"

       "Uh, hey, Mr. Kim?"

       "Oh Chaerin! Where've you been? We've been busy without you."

       "Right, about that...I'll be coming back to work tomorrow. Monday." Chaerin fiddles with her jeans nervously as she says it because who knows what that Dark Angel will be up to at the restaurant tomorrow.

       "That's great! What happened last week?"

       "Just...got a little busier than usual." She cringes at her own ty lie. "I need money though, so I'm coming back."

       "Alright, well I'll see you. Let me know if you need your paycheck early, I might be able to make an exception for one of our best workers."

       "Thanks, Mr. Kim." See you."

       "Bye!"

       Chaerin cringes at the uncomfortably enthusiastic guy but brushes it off and forces herself to sleep before the idea of leaving the apartment gets to her head (more than it already has, anyway).

       Everyone is dressed in black, mourning. Chaerin looks up at her father with her innocent, large green eyes of a Light Angel. She pokes him twice in the arm. He opens his own emerald eyes and looks down at her, trying to stifle more tears.

       "Daddy, Auntie Hyuna had black wings and yellow eyes," she states, expecting her father to expand on something, anything. He nods slightly, tightening his jaw.

       "Yes, Chaerin." He pauses, looking down before meeting her eyes again. "Okay, always remember what I'm about to say, for the rest of your life, alright?" He looks at her seriously and she swears his eye color becomes a little darker, like a haunted forest at night instead of a shining, healthy grass-green. Chaerin nods obediently.

       "Auntie Hyuna was a Dark Angel. Dark Angels have ugly black wings like ashes and death, and dirty yellow eyes. They're horrible Creatures and can never be trusted, understand? Your mother trusted Hyuna and in return Hyuna did terrible things to her." He looks at her expectantly once he's finished. "Understand?"

       Chaerin lets all the information sink in before she nods slowly. "Yes, I understand." Her father sighs in relief and pulls her into a hug, kissing her on the crown of her head and letting his lips linger there for a little.

       Chaerin goes the rest of the funeral with thought of black wings and visions of yellow eyes.

       Chaerin manages to survive the walk from her apartment to the Panda Express. When she enters the restaurant, she immediately hears Seungri's loud voice.

       "Lee Chaerin, there you are! How long has it been? A week?! What were you thinking?!" he screams, purposely acting like he's in some Shakespeare play, with the hand motions and everything.

       "Damn, I just skipped work for a couple of days and this is what happens? You're more pathetic than I thought," Chaerin teases in return, trying to hide the fact that she's glancing at every corner of the damn place to make sure no floating yellow eyeballs just pop out of nowhere.

       "Are you kidding? You guys just ditched me! The place gets busy for Christ's sake." He throws his arms up again, and Chaerin would laugh if she wasn't so preoccupied.

       "What do you mean 'you guys'? Who else skipped?" she asks urgently. Seungri scrunches his nose at the tone of her voice but answers anyways.

       "Dara. She ran out on Monday, remember? You saw her." Chaerin nods warily and Seungri continues. "She ran out that day and then she never came back for the entire week. Just like you." Chaerin takes in his words before slowly backing away toward her station in the kitchen.

       "...ooookay then that's weird. I'm going now. Bye." She quickly runs to the privacy of the empty kitchen before leaning on one of the counters and taking a deep breath.

       "You're ing weird, kitty cat!" Seungri yells. Chaerin just ignores him and tries to reassure herself that she's safe. Who the hell cares if she looks like a psychopath? I pretty much am one now.

       "She isn't here. She isn't coming, thank god. Everything is–"

       "Who isn't here?"

       Caught off guard, Chaerin loses her balance on the counter and her knees buckle. She almost falls on the ground but grabs onto the table nearby, steadying herself. She brushes herself off before looking up.

       And she literally almost pukes in sheer terror.

       Dara is standing a couple meters away, her back (where Chaerin knows black wings are hiding) leaning on the wall next to the kitchen door. She's far enough away that Chaerin can't feel her Aura, thank the ing heavens. Her arms are crossed and she has one foot up against the wall. Her head is tilted and she's smirking like she just caught Chaerin spitting into the orange chicken.

       She looks confident and scary, but aside from her smirk, her eyes show betrayal.

       Chaerin chokes on her spit trying to hold in her fear. She turns toward her cooking station and stares hard at the ground.

       "Dara, come out! Customers are coming!" Seungri's voice echoes through to the kitchen. Chaerin has to stop herself from collapsing in tears of relief when she hears Dara scoff and turn on her heel, leaving the kitchen to receive the customers, her worn-out Converse lightly tapping on the floor.

       Chaerin manages to avoid interacting with Dara for her entire evening shift, but she can't help but notice that every time she finds Dara looking at her, Dara looks increasingly amused and increasingly disappointed at the same time.

       When the restaurant finally closes, Seungri quickly changes out of his uniform, whistling obnoxiously as he leaves. The place is empty so Chaerin heaves a huge sigh of relief, patting herself on the back for having survived the day.

       She's cleaning her station diligently when she hears the tapping of Converse on the floor again. She freezes, her grip on the washcloth tightening until her fingertips turn white.

       "Lee Chaerin." Dara sounds stern but Chaerin is too scared to look and see. The kitchen is filled with complete silence, silence that her mind is to hyperactive and frozen at the same time to care about. Suddenly, Dara sighs with frustration.

       "Look at me for 's sake! I'm not gonna rip your face up!" Jumping in fright, Chaerin can't help but oblige because she's more than frightened and she wants to live for a least a couple more years. She slowly turns around, staring at the ground. Her eyes move from her own feet up the floor to Dara's shoes. She tries to look up to her face, but once she does she is suddenly reminded that it's a Dark Angel in front of her, so she snaps her gaze back onto those Converse.

       "The more you avoid me, the more I'm gonna think you're an ," Dara says. "And based on your reaction...I'm guessing that's not something you want." She shrugs afterword, looking at Chaerin intently. Chaerin avoids Dara's eyes like her life depends on it (because , maybe it does).

       Dara takes a step forward and Chaerin instinctively takes a step back, expecting the deep Aura to hit her like a ton of bricks like it did last week and all those years ago. But instead, the Aura hugs her, embraces her, gentle and warm. Dark, yes, but natural and calm. Like an Aura should be.

       Dara takes a deep breath before quietly, almost timidly asking, "Why did you just run away last week in the alley?" There she goes. She asks the million dollar question and Chaerin has no idea what to say. All she knows is he doesn't feel as scared anymore. Dara doesn't sound angry or dark, she sounds curious and...kind of hurt.

       "I ran out of the restaurant because I knew it was starting. My Evolution, I mean. I'm guessing you haven't had yours yet," Dara continues thoughtfully. Chaerin gulps. So she is a Creature. She knows about Evolution. And she knows I'm a Creature.

       Well .

       As if in a trance, Chaerin nods her head to confirm Dara's words. There's too much running through her head as she stares at Dara's feet.

       "You didn't see the blood?" Not knowing what takes over her, Chaerin looks up at Dara's face, trying to focus on the features other than her inevitably freaky eyes. She bites her lips in guilt because yes, she saw the blood. And yes, she saw how horrified and in pain Dara was. And yes, she did nothing and just ran away.

       "Dark Angels have painful Evolutions." As she says it, Dara inwardly winces a bit, probably remembering the pain she went through that night. Chaerin almost falls backward onto her because Dara just confirmed that she was a Dark Angel. In front of her. It never really sank in until now, and she wants to run away but her feet are glued to the ground because she's too busy staring at Dara's face like a lovestruck idiot.

       (But she's definitely not a lovestruck idiot. Or at least she hopes she's not.)

       Because even though she's a Dark Angel, Dara is damn beautiful. Her features scream innocence but also have a hint of fierceness to him. She looks bold, but also kind, but also like she's been through a ton of , and Chaerin thinks that she probably has; Dark Angels don't exactly have the best reputation out of all the Creatures in the world. Especially not Dark Angels that are cashiers at the local Panda Express.

       "Angel Evolutions are already awful in general. I never really understood how awful until last week." Dara chuckles so bitterly that Chaerin almost feels sorry for her. "Seriously. Your wings are already big enough, right? Well they're not satisfied so they ing rip through your back even more and damn, it hurts." Chaerin chews on her lip even more anxiously because she already felt the pain when she first got her wings, she can't even imagine what it must feel like for them to rip further, especially for a Dark Angel.

       Because before Dark Angels were taboo to talk about in the Lee household, Chaerin learned from her mother that they tend to have more power than Light Angels. An Evolution into a full Dark Angel triggers an unusually huge release of energy, and their wings are stronger than Light Angels already. As if on cue, Dara brings it up.

       "Energy can be empowering, but the damn energy coming out of my chest was like a bomb and I thought that I would explode and die and...and..." Chaerin's fear falters when Dara's voice does too. Dara's eyes widen and they look strangled.

       "And...I thought I wouldn't live to visit my siblings and my mom in the Philippines again and I wouldn't live to experience falling in love and I wouldn't live to clear up the reputation of Dark Angels like I've always wanted to and I was just ing scared!" Dara yells, and it's clear that she's crying. Chaerin tries to hold her own tears in. Why the hell am I crying too, I should never feel sympathy for a Dark Angel.

       "And I didn't know what to do and I saw you and I thought you might've had an Aura but I wasn't sure because there was a good chance my head was playing tricks on me because of the pain and the Evolution, and then you came closer and I thought you would help me because we were both Creatures, but you just ing ran away and I almost bled out in the alley that night because I couldn't move, it hurt too much. I had the fright of my life and I almost ing died and you, you just left, for god's sake Chaerin!" She looks at Chaerin with wide, vulnerable, hurt, crying, yellow eyes.

       Chaerin is stunned at the myriad of emotions being displayed on Dara's face. It's red from crying and she looks devastated and betrayed and desperate, and those yellow eyes, even from somewhat far away, are still so horrified and pained and sad. Dara just looks so utterly broken and Chaerin bites her lip as a single tear rolls down her cheek.

       "I...I'm sorry," she stutters in genuine regret, but she's still terrified as hell. Dara's hands both come up to grip her hair as if she has a huge headache. They violently comb through her soft brown hair and she leans her elbows on a nearby counter, burying her head in her hands.

       "Dammit," Chaerin hears her whisper between sniffs and whimpers. "I don't even know why I'm telling you this." And without another word, the Dark Angel stumbles out of the restaurant, vehemently wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

       And Chaerin is left alone in the kitchen to break down to the floor in sobs.