“I can't leave her like this. But if you won't do it...” You paused, thinking. Hongbin seemed to be getting slowly happier as your expression fell; clearly, he wanted you to give it up. “Well Taekwoon is probably a strong enough demon, be would probably do it. He seems to like her, anyhow.”

“Wait!” Hongbin snapped, jumping up from his seat. Apparently, you had picked a delicate spot. “You can't--”

“Then make the pact with me,” you demanded, expression set. Hongbin paused, looked at you, and finally simply sighed and deflated.

“Do you have any idea what that will entail?”

You nodded in agreement, even though you had absolutely no idea besides what he had told you.

“Fine.” He caved, and you internally cheered a little. “Then you need to follow me again.”

You nodded, though your heart hammered a little at what you had just done. Hongbin pushed back his chair and stood before holding a hand out to you, which you took in turn as you stood. He headed back into the living room from earlier. You threw a wistful glance at the library as the lights dimmed to nothing and you left, but turned back forward; you had more important things to do.

Megan and Taekwoon were about where you had left them, sitting on the couch and talking quietly. Taekwoon had her on his lap, an adorable view that was way out of place in a demon's living room.

“Taekwoon.” Hongbin's voice was more serious than you had ever heard before, and Taekwoon obviously picked up on it as well; he gave Hongbin his utmost attention immediately.

“We're going to make a pact that will send Megan back to her parents.” His voice softened with kindness as he said the words, watching the girl jump from her seat happily and squeeze her teddy bear close. Taekwoon nodded, seeming to have expected this outcome. He eyed you up and down and, upon making eye contact, gave you specifically one solid nod.

“R-really?” The girl asked, and Hongbin broke into a smile. “Yes, but thank this lovely woman here, she's making it possible.” He motioned to you and you raised your eyebrows. Lovely woman? If Megan wasn't there, you would have made fun of him.

She pushed past Taekwoon's knees and hugged you around the waist, the action surprising you into a smile. “Thank you,” she said dutifully as she pulled away, and you put a hand gently on her head.

“Of course. When you get back, things might be hard for a little while, but stay strong for me okay?” She nodded enthusiastically and you lowered your hand to your side.

“Stay with Taekwoon for just a little longer,” Hongbin continued, throwing a glance to you before heading to a door on the other side of the room you hadn't noticed before. “We'll be back soon to send you home soon.”

Taekwoon stood sharply, looking to follow. “Don't you need--”

Hongbin shook his head and he lowered himself back into his seat. You didn't understand what was going on, but Hongbin moved on and you didn't have the change to ask him; he threw open the door, stepped into the darkness, and disappeared into it.

“Close the door behind you.”

You did as he asked, waiting for a moment for your eyes to adjust. One by one, candles were being lit in front of you as Hongbin walked past them, his hair being caught in an unseen breeze to flutter around him. He paid no attention to the flames that suddenly appeared in his presence. Those must be handy when he goes to the bathroom at night.

The light shed on a narrow staircase spiraling downward, and you let out an annoyed huff. Another staircase? You were going to have monster legs by the end of this. You followed him downward, though you went significantly slower than Hongbin did; while there was light now, it was minimal and you had to squint to see each steps. Eventually Hongbin realized that you weren't close behind and stopped, turning to find you.

“Here,” he said, holding out a hand to you as he looked up at you, “It's steep, be careful.”

What a gentleman, you thought a bit sarcastically. Here you were, heading further into hell, and a demon king was telling you to be careful on the stairs. What a riot. You took the hand anyway, allowing yourself a moment to notice how warm it was before continuing on, Hongbin now being careful to stick close to your side.

Luckily, this stairwell was shorter than the one that you took earlier with the little girl; you reached the bottom quickly, and Hongbin released your hand. You found yourself in a small circular room, the walls and floors all made of similar gray stones. It was maybe twenty feet around, and Hongbin didn't hesitate to walk right to the center of the room. You noticed for the first time a small pedestal where he was going to, made of stone just like the rest of the room and looking as though it had grown out of the floor. As you took a step closer and the sconces on the wall continued to light around the room, you could see it decorated with sharp vines and flowers with broken petals. For the first time, you actually felt like you were in hell.

Hongbin mumbled quietly, too low for you to hear, and suddenly the pedestal began to glow, climbing around the vines. It lit Hongbin from beneath, showing the contours and lines of his face; his horns were peaking out of his hair again. He looked up to you, strangely serious.

“Are you ready?”