Chapter 37

Chaerin went back to a crime scene, inspecting it. A weirdly looking symbol was painted on the floor of the room and candles that were lit earlier when they arrived. She was interested in this cult ritual that her senior investigator disregarded. She couldn’t blame him tho- who the hell would believe about supernatural being in their line of work? Well, she would. Why?

*

Chaerin knew from the very start that she wasn’t a normal human to begin with. Her dad always told her that her mom suddenly appeared to her one day during his mission in Scotland- slept with him and then disappeared, only to return and give her to her father after nine months. After that, her mom never showed up again, or so her father says. An honorable mother, really. Thus, she was raised by his father, who was a member of ROK Special Forces. She didn’t really mind that she didn’t have a mother in the picture like her father worried about.

At the age of 7 she noticed she was different when they went on a field trip and she could read runes displayed in a museum. She noticed it when the tour guide was saying a whole different thing about the block of rock compared to what was written on it. She tried to correct the tour guide and was just treated as an attention seeker.

At the age of 12, she started seeing things, like little people hiding in the library, restaurants, and other places she went to. Although they weren’t hostile towards her, they also didn’t interact with her. They just bow downed to her and smiled as if they were holding her in high regard. When she told this to her father, her father turned pale and told her to never engage with them and pretend not to see them. She didn’t understand but still did as her father told.

Sixteen, the first time she ever met her mom after her dad died in his line of work. Her mom was a pretty foreigner but surprisingly spoke their language very well. When her mom asked her to come home with her, she refused straight away but her mom insisted she would take care of her financially since she ‘can’t stay long’ with her in South Korea. Chaerin didn’t think much of it since she never thought of her as an exemplary mother in the first place and just agreed.

All of those experiences were really not common for a normal person but what drove her to think that she wasn’t normal was when she turned 21.

*

She just graduated from Police Academy and was on her way home when she heard some groaning sounds of a girl in the alley near her place. She took her taser accompanied by her flash light and cautiously went into the alley, her taser gun by her right hand and the flashlight on her left. She shined where the groans were coming from and saw a comfort lady lying by the garbage cans. She ran to her and checked for vital signs- she was breathing; cold- but breathing. The lady’s face was flushed red, making Chaerin think if she was just drunk.

“Miss?” she tried to wake her by shaking her shoulders. “Miss, can you hear me?” she just groaned in response. So, Chaerin checked her for an ID. When she saw her national ID the name, face and all other information were blurred. ‘What the- ‘she thought and check for other IDs but everything was the same thing too. She sighed and looked for her phone and check who was on her speed dial by calling. An old lady answered the call. “Hello? Who is this?”

‘Who is this? Isn’t she supposed to ask if why the owner was calling this late?’ but Chaerin shrugged her thoughts and said, “Hello ma’am, I found this phone and was wondering if you know the owner.” She said testing the waters if she really knows the owner. There was a brief pause and Chaerin could tell the old lady in the other line was trying to check the phone caller's name. “It says here it’s my daughter’s, but I don’t have any daughter.” Chaerin’s brow raised. Just then the phone was snatched from her. She turns around and suddenly sees a girl who looks a lot younger than her.

“Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. You shouldn’t have done that, doll.” She tuts and then lets the phone fall off of her hand and crushes it with her feet. “Disturbing my feeding like that… “she says then suddenly she was in front of Chaerin. Chaerin gasped and gulped; her mind went blank- she was distractingly; no- disturbingly beautiful.

The girl took a whiff of her and then said, “You don’t smell like human.” The girl was bewildered by Chaerin but she her lips before continuing, “Nonetheless I think you’d taste good.” She was about to touch Chaerin’s face when suddenly a fast-sparkling light flew past Chaerin intending to hit the girl’s face but missing a bit, earning the girl a cut on her cheek.

“Get your filthy hands of the princess, er.” A man who was awfully familiar to Chaerin said. It was her neighbor Choi Seung Hyun.

“Fancy seeing you here, I thought your owner sent you on a mission?” Then the girl’s lips formed an O and said, “Oh, she is the mission?!”

That was then when she first met her; the woman she loved with all her life. The delinquent princess of the vampire realm, Sandara. That was also the first time she found out what she really was, a half-ling fairy; an illegitimate child of the Queen Fey of Scotland.

*

 Chaerin at 23

Chaerin looked around the victim’s belonging once more- rummaging the closet and study table, it seemed like this girl wasn’t really part of a cult but was just a fanatic that wanted to dab on black magic. “How unlucky, you could’ve just stuck with idols.” She tuts and then the pentagram started glowing and then a dark flowing light-like gate appeared from the ground and a man was evidently drunk crawling up.

“Ey. Sorry, I was late, dear client. Your demon has arrived!” He hiccupped and laughed. “We were having a party.” A man wearing a flashy suit and tie with cocky energy emerged from no- more like crawling up from the gate. “So, what do you want, human?” he arrogantly said before drinking in his flask again.

Chaerin shook her head in disappointment before crossing her arms on her chest. “I can’t believe that poor girl died just to summon an incompetent fool.” She said and began walking away from the scene, her interest dissipates as she was disappointed by the ritual’s results.

The demon suddenly sobered up; he eyes glinting dangerously. “You’re a funny little human, eh?” he said.

Chaerin turned to him and dismissively said, “You can go back to your party, the girl who summoned you died from blood loss.” She said and closed the door not looking back and walked on her way back to the police station.

As she was walking on her way to the police station, the demon appeared next to her again. “You’re an amusing human- no, you don’t smell human… Let me guess? A halfling?” Chaerin just rolled her eyes and ignored him and could feel him snicker. “What an amusing half-ling. That’s it! I made up my mind. I’ll grant you a wish instead of the girl who summoned me! Come on~! Tell me, darling. What does you heart desire?” He says as he stops her in her tracks and try to hypnotize her into telling. Him what does she wish for.

Chaerin smirked at him amused by how foolish he seemed. “That won’t work on me. You want to see what real charm speaking is? Tell me, fool. What’s your name.”

The demon stopped and walked backwards flustered by her. Demons weren’t supposed to say their demonic name to someone. Saying their demonic name means surrendering their being to the person. But as if he has no control of his own lips, they open and utter; “My name is Mammon. Born as Kwon Jiyoung.” His hands immediately flew to his mouth and Chaerin laughed. “! ! !” he says as he slaps his mouth and enraged with how she easily had him give his demonic name.

That was when it all started. That’s how her easy quiet life turned into a turmoil. Meeting those two made her life turn upside down- both in good and bad ways.

*

Chaerin at 29:

Chaerin was getting sick of her setting with Dara. She was growing old despite the blood she has been feeding her every 18 months where eclipse happen and they were free to meet.  She wasn’t happy with the relationship anymore where they had to hide and had to wait for chances to see each other. Sure besides the eclipse they would see each other in secret but other than that they couldn’t be together without worries far too long.

A girl loving a girl wasn’t accepted by human society, and her race doesn’t want to accept that their princess’ mate was a human. Sure, she was a halfling, but they still viewed her as a human. The xenophobia in the Vampire Court was immense. She was getting sick and tired of how hard is it to make their love work but she loved her too much that the thought of not being with Dara hurts so much.

She wants her to pick her over her race. As selfish as it seems, it was her deepest desire and this was what Jiyoung used on her.

*

Jiyoung was having fun hanging around the mortal world spreading pandemonium here and there to humans and bugging the halfling she met 6 years ago. Chaerin was her name. He wanted to have her. At first, he wasn’t sure if it was pure interest, infatuation or obsession with how free he feels and real he feels when they share banters.

He only found out that he was falling in love with her 2 years after he met her when she saw her kissing a vampire, she was all too familiar with. He was in denial about the jealousy he was feeling when she would see her with Dara so, to make sure of what he was felt for her he opened up with his closest friend who resides at the Vampire Court. His friend told him with somewhat sorrowful eyes; he confirmed it for him that he was indeed falling in love with the human. After that the friend vanished. (He had to search for her for so long before he found her again- but that was another story.)

So, when Jiyoung saw a chance to separate her and Dara he jumped on it. When he found out that the King and Queen were against Dara marrying Chaerin; Jiyoung volunteered to marry Dara with the mindset; ‘If I can’t have Chaerin neither can you.’

He knew this drove a wedge between the two, hearing the news of her mate being betrothed to someone else broke Chaerin.

“I can give you a happy life, a happy marriage and a child Chaerin.” Jiyoung tells her as Chaerin cries holding a bottle of wine. They were sitting at the rooftop of the police station where she works.

“I only want those with her.”

Those word shot him like they were a thousand of arrows flying straight to his chest.

“Then I can make all of that happen. A life and child with your mate. In one condition.”

Chaerin looked at him skeptically.

“Lie to her.”

Chaerin blinks at him, “tell her you found someone new. Tell her you don’t love her and tell her this isn’t what you really want anymore.” He says as he holds her hand gazing into her eyes. There wasn’t a spell at work. No deceiving and evil plans, just pure greed. Greed of wanting her all to himself.

“Are you crazy?! If I do that it will kill her! Why would I even do that in the first place! I love her!” she shouts at him standing up and yanking her hand out of his.

“It’s just to test her if she truly deserves you and a family that you’re going to build together! If she loves you enough, she’ll leave her world and stay with you and your child!” For Jiyoung, this was the ultimatum. If Dara leaves the court for her, he’d give her up. That’s how much she has fallen for her. Half of him wants her to fail miserably and half of him wants Chaerin to be happy even if it wasn’t with him.

Chaerin just sobs. Quietly and then uncontrollably.

Maybe it was the alcohol, her being emotionally unstable at the moment or maybe it was desperation? Yes, the desperation to attain what she desires most. That’s why she agreed to him. Little did they know that in the end none of them will get what they really desire for.

Jiyoung did as he promised. He made a child using the mixed blood of Chaerin and Dara while he used his life magic to make a body for the child with the help of his friend whom he had searched for help. He was going to give her to Chaerin after he thinks Dara has passed his test. But what Jiyoung didn’t expect was a prophecy being made out of nowhere…

Chaerin died, Jiyoung got the family but lost her, and Dara was left broken when she made a decision a little too late. No one won and no one was happy how things ended the way they are now…

 Her, Him and Her. None of them had a happy ending they wanted...