Chaerin feels this warm, gentle, yet still crackling and sparkling electricity shooting up her arm to her heart. And in response, her heart starts going berserk and jumping everywhere and trying to break out of her rib cage and she just prays that Dara can't hear it.

       She instantly knows that this feeling isn't supernatural. It's just pure love and even though Chaerin has no experience with this kind of thing, she's damn sure it's true.

       She expects Dara to react in the same way with the thumping heart and the crazy heavenly feeling and the crackling electricity but to her surprise, Dara draws away the instant they touch.

       "Oh my–" Dara gasps, pulling away. "ing !" she exclaims, obviously in pain. She's shaking her hand vigorously, squinting her eyes and scrunching her nose.

       "What? What happened?" Chaerin, not feeling any pain herself, asks urgently. She looks at Dara worriedly, leaning toward her in question.

       "God, it felt like I just stuck my hand in a bonfire! What was that?!" she asks, now blowing on the tips of her fingers and her palm like they're on fire. Chaerin's eyes widen in confusion.

       "What?" She's totally lost. Dara's wings start flapping a little, as if working together with to blow on the tips of her fingers and cool them off. One of the feathers lightly grazes Chaerin's nape and the entire wing jerks sharply.

       "Goddammit what the hell!" Dara shouts in pain, her wing now frantically flapping around. Chaerin realizes that she can't touch Dara so she backs away off the bed and to the door to be safe. Dara gradually calms down, eyeing Chaerin warily before collapsing back on the bed, tired.

       "What was that?" Dara asks, yelling to the ceiling. Her wing twitches but just barely, like it's on the verge of being destroyed. Confused and nervous, Chaerin opens the bedroom door and peeks out into the living room.

       "B-Bom? Can you get in here?" she says with a shaky voice. Bom, sensing something wrong, immediately jumps off the couch and rushes into Dara's room. She sits down at Dara's bed, looking shocked and worried. She takes her sweater sleeve and wipes Dara's sweat.

       "What the hell were you guys doing?" Bom asks, angry out of worry. Dara takes a deep breath and gulps when Chaerin shrugs, completely and utterly lost to the situation.

       "I have no idea. It just burns when any part of me touches any part of her," Dara says, sitting up and looking at Chaerin intently. Bom whips her head back and forth from Dara to Chaerin.

       "What is that supposed to mean?" she says as if expecting an answer. Dara sighs, exasperated.

       "It's definitely not a Light and Dark thing. I made contact with a few Lights back in the Philippines but it never felt like I was on fire," she says with furrowed eyebrows. Chaerin's heart twinges with pain. Apparently she's somehow just a horribly and unfairly specific Light Angel that can't touch Dara.

       "Chaerin? Did you do anything?" Bom asks. Chaerin lifts her hands up in surrender, shaking her head. Frustrated, Bom sighs and looks around the room. Suddenly she stands up.

       "Here lemme touch your hand," she suggests firmly. Chaerin doesn't have time to answer before Bom darts forward and grabs onto her hand, squeezing it tight. Dara takes a sharp intake of breath, probably expecting that Bom will feel the same agonizing pain she felt. But instead, Bom's face looks blank as she feels nothing.

       She lets go, even more confused than before. Chaerin and Dara exchange worried, frustrated, sad glances with each other.

       The electricity in Chaerin's heart has faded away into hollowness.

       "Well what were you guys doing in the room anyways? Nothing , right?" Bom asks seriously after all three of them settle at the kitchen table, Dara and Chaerin sitting across the table and Bom on Chaerin's right, just for good measure. Chaerin coughs violently at Bom's words, blushing, while Dara scoffs loudly with embarrassment.

       "Hul, what is that supposed to mean!" she says, hitting Bom half-heartedly on the arm. Bom raises an eyebrow.

       "You guys are obviously together now, are questions that outrageous anymore?" Chaerin gasps, surprised that Bom found out. Dara, on the other hand, sits, not amused. As if pausing her conversation with Bom, she turns to Chaerin.

       "Bommie has a creepy knack for figuring things out. Nothing Siren-related. It's weird but I'm used to it now," she explains. Bom puffs her chest out in defense.

       "Hey, don't forget that my 'creepy knack for figuring things out' led you to meet such an awesome best friend and roommate!" she protests loudly. Dara nods as if reluctant to admit it. Chaerin feels a weak urge to smile because she can see the playful side of the roommates making another slight appearance.

       "Why?" Chaerin asks, tilting her head. Bom clears smugly.

       "WELL, I was–" Dara covers Bom's mouth, cutting her off.

       "You know Bommie, no doubt she's gonna twist the story and make her seem superior." Chaerin giggles knowingly, nodding. Bom pouts but Dara pays no attention to her.

       "You know the whole thing with the bullying and Dad and stuff," Dara states. Bom looks a little surprised for a second but accepts it quickly and refocuses on Dara.

       "So I was going through a ton of after I moved to Korea too. There are rumors and stereotypes of Dark Angels no matter where you go, I found out. But whereas in the Philippines, I was helpless, Bom was here in Korea. I had to be a pillar of strength in the Philippines for my family but Bom became my own pillar of strength in Korea."

       All playfulness seems to wash off of Bom's face as she hears those words. She smiles tenderly at Dara, who is still looking at Chaerin.

       "I was being bullied a lot at school still, before I started working at the Panda Express. Bom helped me though. Defended me. I first met her after these two wizards bullied me to the point where they almost threw me in front of moving traffic. They said I didn't deserve to live." Dara doesn't seem affected by her own words albeit a slight flash of pain in her gold orbs, but Chaerin balls her hands into fists underneath the table, until her knuckles turn white.

       "Bom showed up out of nowhere because of her 'weird sense' or whatever," Dara says, using air quotes, "and punched each one of them in the face a couple of times with a good amount of force. And then she almost Siren-ed the two poor guys to jump off a cliff but I stopped her."

       "Why did you stop her?" Chaerin interrogates, angry at Dara's generosity. Dara sighs like she was expecting the question.

       "Chae, they may have bullied me but this is death we're talking about. They got punished enough already; Bommie has a fist made of iron."

       "But they–"

       "Anyways, Bom took me to her apartment after that and we just became friends, I guess. She told me that she showed up to save me because, and I quote, 'her gut was telling her those guys were up to something fishy.'" Bom beams proudly, puffing her chest out. Dara raises an eyebrow at her, amused but also affectionate.

       "So yes, I guess you could say that was the reason we met. And I guess you could also say that was the reason I am still alive and was not squashed by a passing truck that day." Dara shrugs after she's finished. "So that's that. Anyways, can we get this figured out? I want to be able to touch my girlfriend without wanting to cut my fingers off in the process."

       At Dara's words, Chaerin forgets her anger and begins to blush like a madman and she starts giggling uncontrollably. Dara smiles lightly, content that she can have that effect on Chaerin.

       "You said I'm your girlfriend," Chaerin squeaks, giddy. Dara laughs, nodding. Bom raises her eyebrow in amusement at the new couple but clears seriously.

       "Chaerin, have you ever touched a Dark Angel before?" Bom asks, getting down to business. Chaerin blinks, shaking her head.

       "Nope. I've only seen one other Dark but I never touched her. First time touching a Dark was just now," she confirms (but she doesn't go into detail about that "other Dark" because it's Hyori and that isn't exactly a pleasant memory).

       They just sit there in silence, thinking. A few minutes that feel like a few hours pass before Dara groans, slumping and putting her forehead on the table.

       "What the hell..." she moans with a muffled voice. Bom sighs too.

       "I have no idea what to tell you guys," Bom says sadly. She rubs Dara's arm gently and at that moment, Chaerin just wishes she was the one comforting Dara instead.

       "Now that I think about it, there's a friend of mine that might know something about this," Chaerin finally pipes up after an hour of all three of them sitting on the couch and watching TV in a depressingly glum mood.

       Dara's eyes light up slightly with the sound of hope. She looks at Chaerin from the right while Bom looks at her from the left. Chaerin wanted to sit next to Dara to feel her Aura, they just had to be extra careful about touching each other's skin, after quickly discovering that skin-to-clothes contact was appropriate. Skin contact is more...genuine in so many ways, but Dara's Aura is enough for Chaerin, at least for the time being.

       "Who?" Bom asks eagerly.

       "A childhood friend of mine. We've known each other since I was around four and she was only one year old. She's a Pixie. Her name is Gong Minji but everyone just calls her Minzy," Chaerin explains, getting excited. The idea of asking Minzy becomes more and more plausible as time passes.

       "And why would this childhood friend know anything about this?" Dara asks, both curiously and skeptically. Chaerin smiles as she thinks about her best friend.

       "Minzy took it upon herself to learn anything and everything about the supernatural world of Creatures. If she doesn't know anything about this, then I guess I never really knew her when we were growing up," Chaerin replies confidently. She feels like she should add "or we're really ed up" but that would probably dampen the spirit a little.

       Dara seems to feel reassured at Chaerin's words so she falls silent, nodding thoughtfully. Chaerin sits up suddenly.

       "How about we go see her tomorrow after work? We're still in touch, I know where she lives," she suggests to Dara. Dara looks surprised at the proposal.

       "W-we? As in me, with you?" she asks, pointing to herself. Chaerin slowly nods, confused.

       "Is there something wrong with that?" Dara shakes her head.

       "I dunno. I'm not good with strangers. This friend stuff is all new to me," she says, trailing off. Bom hits her hard on the back and Dara pretends to choke. Chaerin laughs.

       "Oh come on. Don't make it sound like you're some pathetic loner. Sure, you're a Dark Angel but who the hell cares, you can make friends too. Deal with it!" Bom says forcefully. Her words sound harsh to Chaerin but Dara smiles widely.

       Dara turns to Chaerin and points at Bom. "See, this is one thing Bommie is good at. She makes me feel like I'm just a ed up as everyone else. No more and no less. I'm a Dark Angel but who the hell cares, right?"

       Chaerin smiles lovingly at Dara's take on things. Dara is definitely much more optimistic than she is and she's glad. Bom nods sharply, pumping her fist and looking into the distance.

       "That's the spirit! You're a Dark Angel but who the hell cares!" She throws her arms up to the ceiling and makes a weird face, and then she starts dancing, causing Dara and Chaerin both to collapse in giggles.

       Chaerin wishes Dara and Bom can always make her life this happy but she knows that the current situation has to be dealt with. And she just doesn't know what to expect.

       Dara pops her gum from her perch on the counter, kicking Seungri lightly in the leg and laughing when he slaps her foot away and quickly runs to the back of the restaurant, probably muttering profanity. A couple of feet away, Chaerin paces back and forth, pressing her phone to her ear.

       "Hey, Minzy! What's up?" Dara glances over for a little bit, her bright expression fading slightly before she turns back around, swinging her feet back and forth and popping her gum, peeling her ears to listen to Chaerin's words. Chaerin continues to pace.

       "Hey! I'm good, how's it going?"

       "Um, yeah...not so great, as of now. I actually called because I need help with something?" Chaerin bites her lip, hoping she isn't cutting to the chase a bit too quickly.

       "No problem! Something Creature-related, I'm guessing? You never tried to learn anything about Creatures before." Chaerin hears Minzy chuckle on the line. She chuckles too, but nervously and anxiously because the current situation has had time to weigh on her since last night and it's really taking a toll on her mental performance.

       "Can I bring a friend over and visit you tonight? It's kind of hard to explain over the phone," Chaerin says regretfully. Dara can't stand her curiosity anymore so she hops off the counter and saunters over to where Chaerin is still pacing near the vacant restaurant tables. She settles in a nearby chair, peering at Chaerin and not bothering to hide her nosiness anymore.

       "Sure, I'll be home tonight. See you then, I guess." Chaerin smiles as if Minzy can see that, and then she hangs up and looks at Dara, sighing tiredly.

       "Well, we can go see her after our shift is over today." She plops down in the chair next to Dara, setting her chin on the table and staring at her phone. "I really hope we can get this figured out."

       "No problem, wimp. Everything will turn out fine," Dara murmurs, trying really hard to restrain herself from rubbing Chaerin's arm comfortingly. Instead she settles for putting her hand on Chaerin's back, firmly pressing but carefully avoiding her blonde hair.

       Without looking up from her blank phone screen, Chaerin softly whispers, "I love you." Dara smiles slightly, holding in tears of both unbearable sadness and overwhelming bliss.

       "I love you too."

       As they hear the lock click open, Chaerin and Dara both take a deep breath. The door cracks open a bit and Minzy peeks her head through. Chaerin smiles widely when she sees Minzy's face.

       "Hi Chaerin! Sorry, I don't want to let the cold in. Come on in!" Minzy greets. Chaerin nods and opens the door, letting Dara in before quickly closing the door to keep the cold out. Chaerin takes off her shoes and gestures at Dara to do the same. Dara looks around warily, unaccustomed to being at a stranger's house, before flipping off her Converse and neatly setting them near the door.

       Immediately, a smile lights up both Chaerin's and Minzy's faces and they leap into each other's arms for a tight hug. Minzy's Pixie Aura is bright and sparkly, and nicely familiar to Chaerin. Dara stands nearby, trying to ignore them and instead looking around the room. Everything looks normal enough; it's just a plain apartment. There are some hand weights scattered around and a big mirror that Dara can guess is for dancing.

       Chaerin and Minzy pull apart with wide grins. But then Chaerin turns toward Dara and her expression changes into a slight frown at the remembrance of the reason why they came here in the first place. Minzy sees this and tilts her head.

       "Dara, this is Minzy," Chaerin introduces. "Minzy, this is Dara." Minzy smiles at Dara's timid appearance and holds her hand out for a shake. Dara takes it hesitantly but still gives it a firm shake. Minzy doesn't seem to recognize the Aura.

       "Hi Dara. I'm Minzy. Chaerin said you guys had a problem or something?" Both Minzy and Dara turn to Chaerin for explanation because Dara is too damn traumatized from her past to leak her heart out to someone she met five seconds ago, and Chaerin knows that.

       "So for starters, Dara and I started dating the other day," Chaerin begins. "We had never made physical contact before that, but yesterday we tried to hold hands." Minzy nods, telling her to go on.

       "I just felt electricity from the love and but Dara said it hurt a lot. Like, it really burned. And the same thing happened when her wing accidentally touched my neck." Minzy's eyes widen a little.

       "Wait, so Dara is...an Angel?"

       "Dark Angel," Chaerin answers, sheepishly rubbing her nape because she forgot to explain that part. Minzy's mouth pops open in surprise.

       "Chaerin, you're dating a Dark Angel?" she says with a slightly hushed tone. Chaerin bites her lip and nods. Dara blinks rapidly, scared that this is going to turn out like so many other encounters she's had before. Does Minzy have something against Dark Angels?

       "Does your father know?" Minzy asks. Dara blinks a couple more times because what does Chaerin's father have anything to do with this? She realizes Chaerin has never told her about her family.

       Chaerin seems to think the same thing because she looks back at Dara with apologetic eyes. Then she turns back to Minzy.

       "No, he doesn't know. I don't know when I'll tell him. Or how, for that matter." Chaerin exhales and shrugs, trying to forget her dad for now. She has a big enough problem not being able to touch her own girlfriend, let alone deal with her extremely Dark-phobic father.

       Minzy hears this in her tone so she stays silent, leading them to her small living room, Pixie sparkles being left behind and then quickly disappearing whenever she takes a step. They settle on the couch, Dara and Chaerin on one couch and Minzy on a recliner by herself.

       "So you just want to figure out what happened, right?" Minzy asks for confirmation. Dara and Chaerin nod tensely. Minzy adjusts herself in her seat.

       "Well, Dara, if you could describe the pain. I think I might know what this is but I need to confirm it first because it's kind of a heavy situation," Minzy requests, her lips forming a thin line. Chaerin gulps because that doesn't sound good. That doesn't sound good at all.

       "My right hand touched the back of her hand but it felt like it was burning and disintegrating off of me. It was unbearable. Worse than my Evolution, which happened recently," Dara says, grimacing. Chaerin gasps because the pain must've been excruciating if it was as bad as Dara's Evolution. Minzy's lip twitches and she nods gravely, gesturing for Dara to continue.

       "The heat kind of spread up my arm and faded by the time it reached my elbow. But it lingered by my hand for a while. Same with my wing, which only barely skimmed her neck," Dara finishes. Minzy looks up thoughtfully.

       "Have you ever touched a Light Angel before?" she asks. Dara nods.

       "A couple, yes. When I lived in the Philippines mostly, and a few here in Korea." Minzy bites her lip.

       "And I know for a fact that Chaerin hasn't touched any Dark Angels before," Minzy says, trailing off and tapping her chin with her finger. Dara whips her head around to look at Chaerin and Chaerin shrugs awkwardly.

       "Why?" Dara asks.

       "Um, I think that's better for you to talk about in private," Minzy quickly interrupts. "Be right back, I gotta look at something. You guys can just hang out here." She sits up and leaves to a room that looks like a library.

       "Chaerin, what does Minzy mean? Your father? Why is she so sure you haven't touched a Dark before?" Dara asks quietly, looking at Chaerin intently. Chaerin inhales, not entirely sure how to explain her whole family situation to Dara yet, what with the whole murder of her mother and the sworn curse against Dark Angels that her father had never stated out loud but had implied throughout Chaerin's childhood.

       "I'll explain it to you later. It's sort of complicated," she says, just trying to push the topic off for now. Dara sighs but nods reluctantly, understanding Chaerin's already abundant anxiety about the touching problem.

       They sit in silence for a little bit, a silence that Chaerin can't exactly label as awkward or comfortable, and then Minzy clears , coming out of her library with a deep frown. Chaerin immediately stiffens, not looking forward to what she has to say.

       "Chaerin..." Minzy begins. Dara gulps and Chaerin stops breathing.

       "What?" she asks with a small voice.

       "You...you have a Barrier on you. My guess is that it's from your father," Minzy says seriously. Chaerin furrows her eyebrows.

       "What does that mean?" Dara's eyes narrow in anticipation. Minzy shuffles her feet.

       "It..."

       "What? It what?" Chaerin urges her to continue. Minzy swallows hard, looking Chaerin directly in the eyes.

       "It means your contact with Dark Angels can kill them."