VIII. LIAR

When the bell over the door let out a cheery ring, Taehyun emerged from the back of the bakery with a hair flip and a swing in his hips. The baker knew he was fabulous – perhaps just a tiny bit more fabulous than his baked goods – and loved to play the part for his customers. It was something of an inside joke at the NamCat Bakery that the only thing hotter than the ovens was the baker himself. But the sight of who was waiting for him was enough to drive all thoughts of his persona from his head.

“Seunghyun!” Taehyun took off his apron and hung it up on its trusty hook. He then slid right over the counter before all but running to catch the man in a tight hug. “It’s so good to see you!”

There was a moment before Seunghyun wrapped an arm around Taehyun’s shoulders, returning the hug. “I heard about the salt threat,” he murmured. “Sorry my brother .”

“Yah!” Mino reached over to slug Seunghyun’s shoulder. “You are such a jerk. See if I come all the way downtown just to get pastries with you again,” he pretended to huff.

Releasing Taehyun, the older Choi turned to give his brother a bit of a smirk. “You’re just jealous because I’m prettier than you.” Then, true to form, he stuck his tongue out at Mino.

“Do you see what I have to put up with?” Mino whined. “Clearly, because I am such a martyr for putting up with Seunghyun, I should get really amazing pastries that aren’t covered in salt. It’s practically a community service.”

A wide smile turned Taehyun’s lips as the siblings continued to quietly bicker. “You two feel up to taste testing something for me?” That immediately got their attention. Both brothers turned to face him with matching eager expressions; if they had been puppies their ears would have been up and their tails wagging. “I thought you might. Why don’t you two sit down while I get it from the back? It’ll be a couple of minutes at least. You’re just lucky I was going to test them myself.”

Mino and Seunghyun exchanged a look before sitting down at the elder’s favorite corner table. “What do you think it is?” Mino murmured.

“I have no idea. But,” he hesitated, “I think I smell burning sugar.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

Seunghyun shrugged. “You never know with Taehyun. Sometimes his experiments are amazing and sometimes they’re really terrible. It depends on the day.”

“Huh.” Mino nodded a little. “Good to know.” His gaze drifted back towards the kitchen, as though he were hoping for a glimpse of the baker.

His brother narrowed his eyes, watching Mino thoughtfully. “You like him, don’t you?”

Mino’s gaze snapped back to him. “What?”

“You like him, don’t you?” Seunghyun repeated. “I can tell by the way you look at him – the way you watch for him.”

The younger Choi sighed heavily. “I do like him,” he admitted. “A lot. But I don’t think I’ll ever be able to tell him that.”

Seunghyun frowned. “Why not? Would he not return your feelings? Is he straight?”

Mino shook his head. “It’s not that. He has shown interest. It’s just… he’s dating someone else right now. If I were to tell him how I felt, I worry it might lead to him breaking up with whoever he’s dating, just out of curiosity or infatuation. That wouldn’t be right. If I get with someone, I want it to be for the right reasons.”

Reaching across the table, Seunghyun gave his brother’s hand a squeeze. “You are a much better person than I am. I’d be selfish enough to try to steal him away from whoever he was dating.”

Laughing, Mino shook his head. “But you’re Choi Seunghyun. You’d be able to win him away and keep him. I’ve not got your charisma. I’m just a goofy artist, not a suave antiques dealer.”

“Anyone would be lucky to have you, Mino. Don’t sell yourself short.” Seunghyun shrugged. “Besides, he is just dating someone. Dating doesn’t mean married.”

The artist laughed easily. “True. Who knows, maybe my luck will change.” He shrugged, even as Taehyun let out a slow breath from where he stood eavesdropping in the kitchen. Just then, the bell above the door rang again as two more men entered the bakery.

“Coming,” Taehyun called. He sauntered out of the kitchen carrying his latest experiments on a tray. “Oh, hey guys. Just give me a second.” He flashed the new pair a warm smile before moving over to Seunghyun and Mino’s table. “Alright, so here we’ve got a bananas foster crème brulee and a chocolate raspberry crème brulee. Let me know what you two think. I’m considering adding them as a special order item.”

Seunghyun happily picked up his spoon. “I have a good feeling about this one, NamTae. They look amazing.”

“Yeah, thank you,” Mino said, smiling crookedly at the baker.

Taehyun laughed. “Well, hopefully they taste as good as they look. Enjoy.” He then drifted over to the two other men. The shorter of the pair caught Taehyun in a tight hug. “Yah, let me go, buffoon.” The baker lightly shoved the man, who Mino recognized from the open mic night as the singer with the guitar.

"That's not yours," the third man drawled, plucking Taehyun from the singer's arms. Mino’s breath caught, though, when the stranger - who was taller than even Taehyun - not only caught Taehyun for a hug but a kiss as well. Turning quickly around, he cracked through the top of the crème brulee with his spoon and focused on taking the first bite. Seunghyun just frowned to himself before following suit.

A few moments later, a set of shadows covered their table. The Choi brothers looked up to find a rather nervous Taehyun and his two companions standing there. “My friends wanted to meet you both, since I talk about you two so often,” he quickly explained. “I hope you don’t mind.”

Seunghyun and Mino immediately surged to their feet and bowed a little. “Of course we don’t mind,” Seunghyun murmured. “I’m Choi Seunghyun, and this is my brother Choi Mino.”

“It’s so great to meet you both!” The taller man, the one who had kissed Taehyun, said brightly before bowing. “I’m Lee Seunghoon.” His arm settled easily around Taehyun’s waist.

“And I’m Kang Seungyoon.” The singer smiled widely at them before his gaze caught on Mino's face. “Hey, weren’t you here on Saturday when I sang? I remember you lurking around here,” he said to Mino.

The brunette nodded, resettling his snapback on his head. “Yeah. I try to make most of the open mic nights. They’re good inspiration.”

“Are you a musician?” Seunghoon asked immediately. It was the first spark of interest the man had shown; he had been far too distracted by the brunette in his arms to really pay attention to the Choi brothers.

“No. Just an artist. Sometimes listening to music helps me draw.” He shrugged shyly. “Especially if it is something I’ve never heard before.”

“That is so awesome,” Seungyoon said, shaking his head. “If you ever need new music to listen to, I’m always looking for an audience.” He winked cheekily at Mino.

“You know, you three are going to confuse me,” Taehyun cut in – trying to save Mino from embarrassment. He was not particularly suave, but Mino still shot him a grateful little smile. “Seunghoon, Seungyoon, and Seunghyun. It’s like Seung-cubed.”

Seunghyun chuckled a little. “I’d say call us by our last names, but that might get confusing.” Not to mention heartbreaking, considering Seungyoon’s last name was the same as Daesung’s.

“You all just need nicknames,” Mino drawled. “Taehyun, that’s your new job. You come up with nicknames, and I will support you.” Reaching down, he snuck another bite of the crème brulee.

“They taste that good, huh?” Taehyun nodded to the treats, a smile tugging his lips.

“I may need ten of them when my birthday comes,” Mino said easily. “They’re about the best thing I’ve ever eaten. Though, the chocolate one is better. Mainly because chocolate is always better.”

As the five continued to talk, Daesung looked over at Jiyong with an upraised eyebrow. “Well, Seunghyun is out of the house. And you were right that Mino likes Taehyun.”

“Taehyun likes him back, too,” Jiyong stubbornly pointed out.

Daesung laughed a little. “I know, Jiyong. But Seunghyun’s right: He’s just dating someone else. If it’s meant to be, Taehyun will become available.”

Jiyong scoffed. “You trust fate a little too much, baby angel. It’s no wonder it took you so long to get Seunghyun to say he loved you.” Reaching over, Daesung cuffed Jiyong’s shoulder, making the older angel stumble a little. “What was that for?!”

“You were being rude,” Daesung said serenely.

The older angel rolled his eyes. “I’ll try to keep my shining personality in check,” he drawled. “So what’s the next move? Since you won’t let me just get Mino and Taehyun together like they should be.”

Daesung frowned a little. “I’m surprised we haven’t seen a push back from the demons yet. It’s actually making me nervous that it has been so quiet. I think –“

A flash of light announced the arrival of a rather harried looking Jaejoong. Almost immediately, Jiyong scowled at the more powerful angel. “What do you want, Jaejoong?”

“Daesung,” he panted, “there you are. It’s Ji-Hyo and Junsu. Your demon has been messing around with them.” Demons had the most ironic sense of timing.

The trainee exchanged a look with his mentor before they disappeared in a flash. When they arrived at Junsu’s apartment, the first thing Daesung noticed was that it was messy. Junsu was a very meticulous person – he was very much like Daesung in that way – so to see the place practically in ruins was unfathomable. And then he heard the yelling. His jaw practically scraped the floor he was so surprised by the distinct sound of Ji-Hyo cursing. “What happened? I thought you were watching them!” he snapped at Jaejoong.

Jaejoong marched back to the bedroom, where Taeyang sat smirking on the bed, watching the argument like a prize fight. “This one convinced Ji-Hyo that Junsu was cheating on her. He must’ve been quietly working on it while I was with one or the other.”

Taeyang cheekily waved at them. “Hey, baby angel. I’ve been expecting you.” He gave the bed beside him an inviting pat. “Wanna come watch? I promise I’ll make it worth your while.”

Daesung’s jaw twitched. “Youngbae,” he growled, his voice containing a dangerous enough note to it that Jiyong actually grabbed onto his arm. “Don’t you dare. Don’t you dare.”

“Already have, baby angel. And there’s nothing you can do about it.” He winked at the collection of angels even as Ji-Hyo grabbed her suitcase and stormed towards the door.

The youngest angel just about swore, but he instead focused on taking a slow breath. “Jiyong, you follow Ji-Hyo. When she’s stopped cursing, see if you can find out what he did to make her think Junsu cheated. Jaejoong, you should probably go with him. She’s going to be the harder one to crack, and you know her.”

“Dae,” Jiyong murmured. “What do you think you are going to do?”

A cold expression settled itself on Daesung’s features as his lips drew into a thin, firm line. “Youngbae and I are going to have a discussion.”

The demon wriggled his eyebrows. “Oh my. Should I start stretching now?”

Daesung calmly removed Jiyong’s hand from his arm. “I’ll be fine. And he’ll survive – don’t worry about that.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about,” Jiyong muttered. But, he decided to trust the baby angel. After all, Daesung had been doing fairly well in defending Seunghyun’s soul. The battle was a lot more even than it had been before, and the blond’s predictions had thus far proved sound. So, Jiyong quietly turned and followed after the tempestuous woman.

Jaejoong hesitated. “I am so sorry I did not notice sooner, Daesung. I’ll do everything I can to help with Ji-Hyo.” And then he too was gone.

Junsu sat, staring blankly at the still open door, as tears raced down his cheeks. He had been as blindsided as Daesung by Ji-Hyo’s accusations, and it did not even register to him that she had really walked out. That she was gone. His hands began to tremble as tears threatened to spill down his cheeks. Going to his side, Daesung placed a hand on his shoulder. “Let her calm down,” he ordered. “Then we can reason with her. She loves you, even if she’s absolutely crazy.” The fact Daesung was so cross probably did not help comfort Junsu as much as it otherwise would, but the man at least did not curl into the fetal position. Instead, Junsu just sat there – crying. Daesung rolled his eyes. He would deal with Junsu once he had gotten rid of a certain thorn in his side.

Daesung turned his attention back to the demon. “Do you actually enjoy being like this?” His eyes narrowed, disappearing into two tiny slits of ire.

“Enjoy?” Taeyang seemed to honestly consider the question. “I enjoy being free to go where I please. I enjoy not being tormented by fire and brimstone. I enjoy not wishing I could simply stop existing because the suffering is too much. So, yeah, I guess I do enjoy being like this.” He shrugged. “In Hell it’s either do unto others or suffer yourself, baby angel. I made the obvious choice.”

“The obvious choice?” Daesung snapped. “Tearing apart my sister’s life and ruining her relationship with the love of her life is the obvious choice?”

Taeyang slid off the bed. “Yeah, it was. Because you weren’t letting me close to Seunghyun, I had to do what I could to break him. And we both know how sensitive a subject cheating is for Seunghyun.”

“I think I just lied to Jiyong,” the young angel murmured. “I probably am going to destroy you.” But even as the words fell from his mouth, Daesung knew they were not true. Even if Taeyang managed to permanently separate Ji-Hyo and Junsu, Daesung was not the type of person to completely obliterate another. But, that did not mean he had to stand aside while the demon destroyed everyone he loved. “You know, it’s funny. The Youngbae I saw in Jiyong’s memories would have rather suffered than hurt others. He would’ve thought it better than having others go through what he did when he lost the love of his life. What changed?”

The demon hesitated. “I think I preferred you when you were going to tear me limb from limb,” he said, his voice quiet.

“I think that Youngbae is still in there. You know why?” Daesung advanced on the man. “Because you don’t play as dirty as you could. You push, sure, but only just enough to make it seem like things are going to break apart. But you’re heart isn’t in it – I don’t think it ever was.” His hands curled around Youngbae’s forearm, and he drew the demon close. “Sin does not make the man, Youngbae. All of those years of kindness and love still have meaning.”

Youngbae scoffed. “Tell that to Heaven, Daesung. They forgot me the moment I killed a man.”

“No they didn’t,” the blond murmured. “You forgot yourself.”

“You can’t stop what’s inevitable,” Youngbae said, his gaze fixed on the distant wall. “Seungri will have Seunghyun’s soul, no matter if I help him or not. Stop trying to convince me to give up; it’s pointless.”

Daesung considered him for a long moment, causing the demon to fidget in his grip. “I’m not going to give up,” he said firmly. “On Seunghyun… or on you.” He then released the demon – remaining close enough that Youngbae could feel the heat of his light on his skin.

“Then you’re more of a fool than I thought you were.” With that, the demon disappeared.

That evening – while out with Taehyun, Mino, and the Seung-Seung unit for drinks – Seunghyun went to the bar to get a refill on his wine. He smiled slightly at the bartender as he leaned against the worn, dark wood of the bar. Even with all of the awkwardness between Mino and Taehyun, the day had been relatively good. It was nice to spend time actually talking to people; he was starting to remember what living was like. He imagined Daesung would be proud of him for acting like an actual human being. And it helped that Mino was absolutely ridiculous – he could make the stones in the walls laugh. Taking his now full glass of wine in one hand, Seunghyun turned to head back to his table only to run into someone. He looked down, and a gasp slid past his lips. The glass slid from his numb fingers – crashing onto the floor in a shower of glass and ruby liquid. He did not even bat an eyelash.

“Seunghyun. Imagine seeing you here.”

The brunette took a steadying breath as he gazed down into the small, delicately curved eyes of the man he hated more than any other. 

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I'm so sorry. This marks the point where all the things are going to start hitting the fan. Hopefully this chapter wasn't too boring - it moved some necessary pieces into place. And now we start on the downward slope towards the end. I'd recommend buying tissues.

I really wanted to say thank you to each of you who commented last chapter. Your kind words honestly just gave me life. I had been in a bit of a slump, and I was worried that no one really cared about this story. Because of each of you, though, I know better now. So thank you, from the bottom of my ToDae loving heart. <3 

By way of random question, would any of you be interested in hearing the playlist I listen to while writing this piece? It's quite exciting...and a bit random.