“Haneul, are you sure you want to go out again so soon?” Sandeul fretted as Haneul tied her hair loosely into a ponytail and threw a light cardigan over her head. It had been three days since she was attacked by the bookstore and subsequently rescued by Jinyoung, and ever since then, her best friend had been positively obsessive about her safety thanks to a story concocted by Jinyoung to explain the various bruises she had come home with. They were still healing, yellow-brown spots around her neck where the demon had tried to strangle the life out of her, and that did little to alleviate Sandeul’s concern. He continued to flit around her as she walked calmly down the stairs with a handful of money. “I know Jinyoung chased that guy off, but he could still be out there, you know? At least wait until I can go with you!” he persisted as she opened the front door. She gave him a slight smile.

“Sandeul, I promise, I’ll be fine. Jinyoung gave him such a beating that I doubt he’ll come near me ever again,” she attempted to appease her worried friend. He actually killed him, so I know he won’t come near me again. Too bad I can’t explain that to Sandeul, she thought with a small sigh. Sandeul frowned at her from beyond the ajar front door, moping. “I’ll call you if I need help,” she added; with a heavy sigh, he reluctantly nodded in relent. Glad that she finally had the frantic boy somewhat convinced, she patted him lightly on the head before exiting the house and continuing merrily down the sidewalk.

The leaves, glowing red and gold only a few short days ago, had fallen to the ground in great flurries and now coated the yards and sidewalks of the neighborhood. The skinny, bare branches of the various trees looked starkly lifeless in contrast to the bright autumn sky, clear blue with only wisps of clouds in sight. The temperature was dropping steadily as time went on, making the air refreshing and crisply cool. Although the threat of another demon paying her a visit lingered in the back of Haneul’s mind, the wonderful weather improved her mood drastically. She could not help but enjoy the brief walk to the bookstore.

When she entered, the storeowner greeted her cheerfully- as did his cat, Kimchi. Meowing loudly, she ran up to Haneul and entwined herself around her legs. She was purring so loudly that Haneul could feel it against her legs, and she delightedly pet the cat for a few minutes before venturing to the fantasy section of the bookstore. Kimchi followed close behind, her feline eyes glancing around for any sign of mysterious strangers looking to cause Haneul harm. Thankfully, no such presence appeared, and Haneul was allowed to peruse the selection of books in relative peace. Her fingers danced over the leather-bound book spines, while her eyes searched the titles for anything that caught her eyes. She pulled out a few and investigated the contents, acquiring a small collection of volumes that she wished to purchase. As she began making her way back to the counter to pay, she paused mid-step when her eye caught a small children’s book display. She walked over, a lump forming in as she gently picked up the book on display.

“Aye, you have good taste,” chimed the old man from behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to find the old-timer stocking the shelves with merchandise. “That there is almost fifty years old. A collection of classic folk tales and rhymes. I read it to my grandchildren,” he chuckled. Haneul glanced back at the richly illustrated front cover of the book, smiling wistfully.

“Yes, my mother used to read these to me,” she murmured. “Unfortunately, we had to sell a lot of the books I had, including this one,” To fuel my stepfather’s drinking habits, she thought bitterly. She could not help a sad expression forming on her face, and the attentive old man immediately picked up on it. He pushed his glasses up his nose and hopped off the stool he was standing on to hobble on over to the counter.

“Well, I’ll cut you a deal,” he smiled softly at her. “You can have that one for a special price,” he nodded, as if satisfied with himself, as Haneul approached the counter and set her stack of books down. “All you have to do is keep a smile on that face of yours. You’re so young; you shouldn’t be that sad,” he grinned as he rang up her other purchases.

“Oh, no! This must be worth so much money; I can’t possibly take it for free!” Haneul argued and shook her head emphatically.

“I didn’t say it was free. It costs a smile,” he persisted with a smirk, and Haneul sighed lightly, smiling weakly as she realized she would not win the argument with the kind old book-seller. As he handed her the bag, he winked at her. “Now, next time you come in here, you better remember to smile, or I will make you pay for it.” Haneul laughed in response, thanking him profusely and giving Kimchi a scratch behind the ears before she exited. She hugged the parcel of books close to her chest, shooting Sandeul a quick text that she would not be going home for several hours. She wanted to read the fairy-tale collection in a special place. Briskly, she walked over the sidewalk, accompanied only by her shadow and the occasional leaves blown by the wind.

It took Haneul nearly thirty minutes to reach the park outside the elementary school, and by the time she arrived, she was quite winded. Panting, she unlatched the gate and walked over the sandy ground to the lone tree at the corner of the playground. She settled herself among its roots, placing the paper bag securely in a nook and removing the fairy-tale collection. Aesop’s Fables, she smiled slightly. It was a collection of old folk tales originating far to the east, and had been translated in many languages and was a best-seller around the world. She flipped open the front page, absorbing the gorgeous illustrations before continuing on to the table of contents. She recognized many of the tales, most of which her mother had read to her to put her to sleep many nights of her childhood. Her eyes landed on her once-favorite, a short quip titled “The Fox and the Crow.” She turned to its assigned page, where a paragraph was situated in an illustrated box. On the opposite page was drawn a crow seated on a magnificent tree, where a rich red fox lurked below.

A fox once saw a crow with a piece of cheese land on the branch of a tree. Desiring the cheese, the fox approached the base of the tree and called, “Good day, Miss Crow! How well you are looking today- how glossy your feathers, how bright your eyes. I feel sure that your voice must surpass those of other birds, but let me hear from you one song so that I may greet you as the Queen of All Birds.” Flattered, the crow proudly lifted her head to give her best caw, but in doing so, the cheese fell from her open mouth to the ground below. Snapping it up, the fox said, “That is all I wanted, so I will give you a piece of advice for the future. Never trust flatterers!” Haneul read. She frowned slightly, reading the passage once more before leaning back her head to stare through the spindly tree branches up at the clear blue sky.

“Never trust flatterers,” she echoed as a vision of the black-winged demon flashed into her mind. He was a curious sort, and she had been on the fence recently as to his true motives. Could he really only be flattering me to get my soul? She thought sadly, placing a hand on her chest where her heart beat. Somewhere deep inside her, her soul flared brightly, a target for demons and angels alike in the recent weeks. Baro’s honeyed words came to mind, and she grew sadder and sadder the more she considered the possibility. Haneul knew she was nothing special, and that it was highly unlikely that the demon boy had developed any feelings for her in the short time they had been acquainted. On the other hand, Haneul had grown quite attached to him in the short period of time simply because he had become a ray of light in her otherwise dark existence. Is it really… All for that? She thought miserably as she slowly closed the book.

“What’s that look for? Is that book sad or somethin’?” called a familiar voice, and with a gasp Haneul glanced up to see the demon she had just been thinking about. He stood a few feet away, chewing on gum while he rested his hands loosely in his pockets. A dark beanie covered his messy hair, and his black wings were folded neatly behind his back, glowing purple in the sun’s rays. “I mean, jeez, you look like a dog just died or somethin’,” he teased with a smirk as he approached her with a small smile. She regarded him hesitantly, and he paused, picking up on her sudden reluctance. “What is it?” he asked as he cocked his head to the side slightly.

“Oh! Nothing, I was just thinking,” she answered hastily. I can’t just come straight out and ask him. He wouldn’t give me a straight answer if he was lying, and if he was telling the truth, I wouldn’t be able to tell! She thought. He frowned slightly but did not push the issue further, only closed the distance between them to plop down on a protruding root, crossing his legs and plucking the book out of her hands. “Hey! That’s mine!” she cried.

“Chill, I just wanna look,” he snorted and held it above her head as she reached for the book. He flipped it open, thumbing through the pages with an unreadable expression. “Fables, huh? Aren’t those the ones with like lessons and stuff in ‘em? ‘Slow and steady wins the race,’ and all that junk?” he inquired, dropping the book back in her waiting hands.

“Yes. My mom used to read them to me when I was little,” she huffed as she clutched the book protectively to her chest. Suddenly, the real reason why she had purchased the book hit home, and she forgot all about the foreboding fairy tale to glance down glumly at the worn leather-bound volume. “… It's been weeks, but I still can’t believe that she’s gone,” she murmured. Baro looked down at her silently for a moment before edging closer to her and awkwardly putting an arm around her shoulder. Ignoring the nagging fairy tale in her mind, she leaned against him, desperate for comfort even if it came from the confusing demon boy.

“Yeah. At least she’s in a better place now. You know, up there,” he consoled clumsily while motioning towards the blue expanse above. “I’m sure your stepdad is burning in the pits of Hell, if that makes you feel any better. Trust me, it ain’t pleasant.” At his inelegant attempt to cheer her up, Haneul giggled slightly and leaned her head against his shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized suddenly.

“Uh, for what?” he asked in shock.

“I doubted you for a moment,” she admitted. Despite the poignancy of the fable and the memory of their first encounter, Haneul simply could not believe that Baro had any desire anymore to steal her soul away from her. Though they had not known each other for long, she felt as if they had both come far in their time together. “A little part of me considered that you were only sticking around because you still want my soul… That you’ve been saying all these things to trick me. I guess I’ve always had the suspicion in the back of my mind, and now’s the first time that I’m finally facing it.” Baro listened quietly at her confession, his eyebrows knitted together. When she was finished and she looked up at him expectantly for an answer, he sighed heavily and shrugged.

“I mean, I can’t blame you,” he considered slowly, rubbing the back of his neck. “That is what I tried to do when we first met, and kind of the reason I stuck around for a little while,” he confessed. Hastily, he continued, “I swear, though, I don’t want it any more. Number one, you’re too tough of a cookie to give it to me,” he smirked down at her, and Haneul punched him lightly in the shoulder. “Second, I just…” he trailed off as he searched for words. “I like being around you. I can’t do that if you don’t have a soul, you know?” he smiled sheepishly. “You make me forget all the bad things for a little while.”

“Bad things?” Haneul echoed with a tone of surprise. What kind of bad things does a demon have to worry about?

“Well, you know, we always have the angels on our backs trying to smite us and everything,” he chuckled and leaned back against the tree. “That gets stressful sometimes. Then we have other demons to compete with trying to get in our turf, and that’s a mess, let me tell you,” he sighed. “All of that isn’t really that bad compared to the constant reminder that I’ve been damned to Hell for all eternity,” he finished with a weak smile, but Haneul could see the pain in his expression despite his attempts to seem light-hearted. From the look on his face, she knew that it was not an issue she should push further; at least, not yet. She sighed lightly and snuggled against him as a cold breeze swept across the playground.

“Life ,” she concluded eloquently.

“Yeah, it does sometimes. The parts of life with you in it aren’t that bad,” he smirked down at her. His words sent a fluttering feeling through her stomach, and she dared not look up at him lest she reveal the fact that she was blushing intensely. Even if he was a fox, attempting to entice her to give up her soul to him, she didn’t mind being the crow if it meant spending her remaining days with him. I really am hopelessly head-over-heels for this guy, she realized with a wry smile. “Oh, Haneul,” he began suddenly, his tone growing serious.

“What?” she asked, finally daring to glance up at him despite a hint of pinkness still remaining in her cheeks.

“I’m sorry I didn’t come the other day. I got caught up,” he frowned deeply, reaching out to gently run a finger across the bruises on her neck. Despite the fact that it was the lightest of touches, pain still flared across the sensitive skin, and she recoiled with a sharp hiss of pain. With an apologetic look on his face, he continued, “Maybe it’s better I hadn’t come… If I would’ve seen someone grab you like that, it would have been bad,” he growled. Despite the gravity of his dark words, she felt warmth run through her body; seeing him so protective of her was gratifying and further alleviated her reservations of him.

“It’s okay. Jinyoung saved me,” she smiled warmly up at him. “Which is good in itself, because I don’t mistrust him anymore, either. If he had wanted my soul, he had the perfect opportunity to take it. He really cares about you a lot.”

“Yeah, he’s my best friend,” he mused, as if briefly reminiscing some of the times they had shared. “He’s the only one I trust to have my back when times get tough.” I hope he trusts me like that someday, she thought with a hint of a smile, pressing against him. He glanced down at her warmly, then gently took the book out of her hands and flipped it open once more. “Hmm, these stories aren’t that bad. Short and to the point,” he smirked as he read a few of them, skimming through the pages. “You really like to read, don’t you?”

“Yeah. It was meant as an escape when my stepfather was around, but now I can finally do it purely for my own enjoyment. Plus, I’ve been dreadfully bored,” she sighed heavily. His eyebrow snuck up to his forehead, and then he grinned down at her, snapping the book closed.

“Bored, huh? I guess I haven’t been coming around often enough,” he purred as he ran a finger along her jawline. She wriggled in protest, squeaking.

“Hey, stop that! It tickles!” she protested giddily. Baro held her firmly with his arm around her shoulders, preventing her from squirming too far away. He laughed happily at her reaction; he was thoroughly amused, it seemed.

“You are too cute sometimes. I can’t help but tease you when you react like that,” he snickered. When she finally quieted, he gazed down at her with a look that sent her heart beating frantically. “Well, if you’re bored, maybe I’ll come pay you some visits… You know, sneak into your window at night when Sandeul’s asleep,” he whispered in her ear. She cried out and shoved him away, simultaneously appalled and aroused. He began laughing again, holding his stomach and rolling around in the dirt. “Look how red your face is!” he teased. She slapped her palms to her cheeks and was mortified to feel a burning heat.

“It’s your fault for saying such things!” she complained.

“It’s your fault for thinking dirty. I didn’t say what I would do to you once I got in,” he grinned stupidly. Haneul’s cheeks went even redder, and as a result he suffered another fit of laughter.

“Stop teasing me!” she whined loudly, pouting as he continued to laugh for another few minutes. When his fit of giggles finally ended, he sat up and brushed dirt off of his arms.

“Fine, fine, I’ll stop for today,” he relented with an amused smirk. Before they could say anything more, Haneul’s phone began to buzz with a string of text messages. Haneul pulled the device out to check and was not surprised to find that it was Sandeul blowing up her phone with frantic messages concerning her welfare. Not missing a beat, Baro hopped to his feet and held a hand out for her to take. “It’s the worry-wart, isn’t it? Man, and I was thinking maybe I could get a kiss out of you this time,” he joked. When Haneul glared up at him, he added, “Last one, sorry. Anyway, I’ll walk you home.” Haneul didn’t even bother to argue; she just returned her phone to her pocket and took his hand. He pulled her effortlessly to her feet, but she gasped when he refused to relinquish his grip, instead tightening his fingers around her own.

“Baro…” she murmured, but he ignored her, shoving his hand in his other pocket and pulling her over the park’s sandy ground. She plodded along beside him, painfully aware of the feeling of his skin against her own. His hands feel rough… she thought. She imagined that they had become hardened from much battle with the angels, roughened by the hilt of the weapon he had concealed on his person. It wasn’t unpleasant, though, and she tightened her grip slightly on his hand, enjoying the moment while it lasted.

They said nothing the entire walk to Sandeul’s home, but Haneul felt as if an infinite number of words had passed between them nonetheless. She felt like she was in her own fairy tale, striding toward an unknown destiny where Baro awaited her at the end. 

DISCLAIMER: I do not own “The Fox and The Crow,” nor any other of Aesop’s Fables. I merely adapted it for the purpose of this story, but all rights are reserved to the original author and publishers.