"Wait! You don't have the clearance to – " he was obviously flustered, taking a step after you and grabbing your arm roughly. You winced as he pulled you back, that grip definitely going to leave marks tomorrow. You yanked your arm away and continued walking, glancing down at the girl and giving her a quick smile to alleviate her concern.

"Let's go." You headed directly for the swirling blue portal behind the series of desks you worked up.

"Your damn human! Just send the girl to her ring!"

"Like hell I will," you mumbled in response, well aware of the irony of the statement. You went around the counter and headed straight to the portal; by now, others were watching you. The demon was still yelling after you, flustered.

"And that's Lord Hongbin to you!"

You gave the little girl's hand a reassuring squeeze and stepped into the portal, pulling her with you.
 

* * *

"Um, are you okay?"

You were on your hands and knees on the other side of the portal, trying to settle your stomach. For a human to just waltz through a demon portal unattended was a bad idea; that energy was just too potent for you, no matter how many times you did it. Usually Hongbin came to bring you to work and often he sent you home as well. No such luck, today.

"Yeah," you said as you stumbled back to your feet. "I'm fine." It was mostly true. The girl was a spirit, now, so for her the portal was the same as walking through a doorway. She nodded, then looked unsure. You couldn't blame her. You were bringing her into the bowels of hell, after all.

Not that it looked it. It appeared to you as a simple, whitewashed hallway and stairwell leading up to the tower were Hongbin resided. You were pretty sure that it was glamoured to look more inviting; while hell wasn't as bad as you expected, it certainly wasn't this clean-cut either. At least, not from the quick tour you had led yourself on the first day you were here. Hongbin hadn't been particularly pleased to hear that you were wandering around. You stumbled into one of the later rings of hell, apparently, and the view was somewhat less than pleasant. You mostly stuck to your desk ever since.

You began to climb the mountain of stairs that would lead you to Hongbin, hoping your stomach would hurry up and calm itself. You had no idea how many flights you had to go, but considering the demons could just fly up the center space between the stairs it hardly seems fair. Usually you just waited for Hongbin to come to you.

But this was an emergency; the girl didn't deserve to be here and you were damn well going to make sure she didn't stay.

You were going ridiculously slow by the time you reach to the top of the tower, panting, but the girl said nothing. You straightened and pushed back a few flyaway hairs before smiling at her and continuing down the last short hallway. God you hated this trip.

"Excuse me, but w-where we going?"

"Oh," you said, a bit surprised. Of course she'd want to know. "To see someone who's very important here who can help get you home."

"Ah," she smiled brightly. "OK." Satisfied ,she continued after you as you reach your way to the final door. It was magnificent, double doors of the dark, reddish would that might have been mahogany with intricate designs leaving around the outside. You didn't even pause for second before you grabbed one of the handles and pulled open. It was time to speak to the Destroyer of Demons, the Lord of Demons, the King of all Hell, Lee Hongbin.

"Taekwoon where's my tie?!"

The yell echoed from a large closet on the left as Taekwoon, the demon king's assistant, entered from the right. The sitting area in front of you was a complete mess, clothes scattered everywhere. A piece of fabric flew out of the door from the room Hongbin was in, and upon closer inspection it appeared to be a sock.

Taekwoon looked you up and down with one eyebrow raised, the only changes otherwise stoic expression. At the moment, he looked positively human, his demon appearance hidden.

"Around your neck, most likely," he responded, voice more soft and gentle than one would expect, though the jab remained sharp. "And you appear to have a visitor. Or two." He added, noticing the girl by your side. You thought you saw him blush a bit when he spied her.

Hongbin poked his head out of the room, tie indeed sloppily around his neck. You couldn't help but stifle a laugh at his appearance; on top of his comic tie, the soft brown hair was still mimicking the shape of his pillow. The little horns the longer locks were supposed to hide were peeking out, and you were pretty sure his shirt was on backwards.

"Oh!" He exclaimed with excitement when he saw you, a smile bring out his prominent dimples. "It's you!" Taekwoon didn't give him any more time, just pushed him out of your sight and into the room. From what you tell of the mumbled exchange that followed, Taekwoon stripped him and redressed him – hopefully, now, to look more presentable. A second later Hongbin stumbled back out with Taekwoon on his tail, suddenly looking like a million bucks. Hair fixed, tie straightened, different shirt – if there was any demon magic that impressed you, that was it.

"Do you have a minute?" You finally asked, and the frantic atmosphere eased as Hongbin settled down.

"Of course. What's going on?" He looked at the little girl curiously, and she looked back, equally confused about finding a handsome man and not a scary demon. Hongbin smiled and waved at her, the picture of innocence, and she hesitantly waved back.