The angel- Gongchan- smiled at her for a few more moments before returning to the task at hand. His head whipped back around to glare angrily into Baro’s disinterested eyes. Said demon was picking at his sharp teeth, looking highly annoyed that he had been pinned to the wall by an angered angel while he had been having a moment with Haneul.

“Look, man, can we not today? I’m not in the mood,” Baro whined, squirming under Gongchan’s iron grip. As Haneul edged around the pair, anxiously watching the confrontation, her eyes fell on the solid muscles of the less-than-intimidating angel’s arms. He could really hurt Baro, she thought nervously. Despite the fact that the demon was a massive thorn in her side, she didn’t hate him enough to wish any pain on him. The two supernatural humanoids continued to stare intensely at each other, neither moving, and Haneul focused on the strange boy’s clothes.

He wore a pair of light gray skinny jeans, with a matching T-shirt, but what made him look unusal was the long white coat that he wore over them. The hem swung about his knees, but the sleeves were removed, cut stylistically at the point of his shoulder. He completed the look with a pair of dark grey loafers. It was an interesting combination indeed, considering that Haneul had always imagined angels in elegant robes carrying harps and possessing glowing halos. I suppose he has to fit in with humans, she thought. When Gongchan suddenly moved, she reached out to place a hand on his arm.

“E-Excuse me… Can you let him go, please?” she squeaked timidly. Gongchan ignored her plea, shrugging off her hand and throwing back the side of his long, white coat to reveal a gilded scabbard hanging from his waist. The ornate hilt of a sword peeked out from above it, a shining silver embedded with pearls. The scabbard was off-white, a shade darker than the holy being’s jacket. “Wait, you don’t mean to kill him, do you?” she exclaimed. The angel simply nodded grimly.

“Awe, are you worried about me, Haneul?” Baro grinned at her, seemingly unfazed by the obvious threat. “Don’t worry. He’s been trying to kill me for years, and he won’t succeed today!” he cried. Suddenly, Baro drew his legs to his chest and planted his feet on Gongchan’s own, powerfully extending his legs to shove Gongchan away with enough force to cause him to stumble. Baro dropped onto his feet, rubbing his neck where the angel had previously clamped his arm. Gongchan scowled in response to the blow, drawing his sword and pointing it threateningly at Baro.

“Your time is up, demon,” he growled. Hastily, Haneul threw herself between the quarreling boys, her arms held out.

“Please! If someone catches you fighting- in the girl’s bathroom, no less- you’ll get into really big trouble! I understand humans can’t see you, but how would I be able to explain the bathroom being trashed? Can’t you save this for later?” she exclaimed desperately. Although she didn’t want the pair to fight at all, asking them to postpone the brawl to a more appropriate time seemed to be the only way to appease their tempers. Gongchan and Baro both looked uncomfortable, glancing at the entrance to the bathroom anxiously, before the angel sighed and slowly returned his sword to the scabbard. Haneul released a sigh of relief, glad that the episode was over for the time being.

“What are you even doing here, Gongchan?” Baro sniffed as he crossed his arms and leaned back against the tile wall. “It’s not like you to come search me out.”

“Obviously, I’m here because of her,” the angel replied haughtily, pointing at Haneul.

“Why is she so important?” the demon yawned in response. The girl felt a little hurt at the comment, and placed a hand on her chest to look at him with shock. “What?” he asked dumbly. She turned her back to him, even more angered that he had not realized his own rudeness.

“That’s none of your business,” the angel responded, then finally turned to address Haneul. “Are you alright? He didn’t do anything… Untoward, did he?” the handsome angel asked sincerely, his once furious eyes filled with concern. Haneul swooned, blushing at the sudden attention. She thought of just a few minutes earlier, when the demon had pinned her to the sink when he had been overcome with lust.

“No, he just follows me around,” she replied honestly, no trace of a lie in her voice. The angel seemed reassured, and out of her peripheral vision Haneul caught Baro making a motion of throwing up. Gongchan snorted, displeased with the demon’s uncivilized behavior.

“You laugh now, Baro, but I will get you. I’ve enrolled here as a student, and there will be sometime when you’re alone…” He warned.

“You did what?” Baro and Haneul exclaimed simultaneously. “Dude! I haven’t even done that! Wait- why haven’t I done that?” he thought with a slight frown. The girl groaned inwardly, irritated at the prospect of the demon becoming a student at her school and having even more opportunity to pester her. Baro winked at her, then sneered at the angel. “Whatever, dude. I’m gonna bounce,” he yawned, and his black wings disappeared as he coated himself in the peculiar enchantment. To Haneul, he now looked indistinguishably human. He shoved past Gongchan, knocking into the other boy’s shoulder as he walked past with his hands in his pullover pockets. “See you later, Haneul,” he called, blowing a kiss at her before ducking out of the bathroom. Haneul pursed her lips, still processing the insane encounter and Baro’s excessive flirtatiousness.

The instant the demon left, the weight of her reality fell back upon her shoulders, and she remembered why she had even come to the bathroom in the first place. She glanced into one of the bathroom mirrors, staring at the tear stains still on her cheeks.

“Haneul?” Gongchan interrupted politely. She jumped slightly and turned to face him, an embarrassed smile on her face. “I would appreciate it if you gave me a tour of the school,” he continued. Haneul blinked in surprise, not expecting the angel to ask her such a thing, but she nodded and took one last effort to clean off her face before exiting the bathroom.

She peeked up at one of the clocks hanging along the bricked walls of the school building to find that she had been in the bathroom for over an hour. Her class was long since over, and she returned to the classroom to retrieve her things, apologizing profusely to her professor. She then walked to her next class, where Gongchan eloquently persuaded the teacher that Haneul had been assigned by the principal to show him around, attributing the odd time to Haneul’s academic excellence and Gongchan’s late registry. As she walked alongside him through the hallway, her hands clutching the strap of her bag, she stared curiously at his white wings. Other students took no notice as they walked, so Haneul assumed that they could not see them. They were white, completely opposite of Baro’s, and seemed to glow with a soft, reassuring light. The strange urge to them rose in her chest, but she squashed it as she came to a rest at the front of the school.

“This is the rotunda,” she explained, gesturing to the large room. “The office- which you have seen while registering- is in there,” she gestured to the beginnings of a small office compound behind glass panes and a black wooden door, “but the counselors and administrative staff also have offices there. Most of the errands teachers as you to run will bring you there, like reporting attendance and retrieving paper copies.” She turned to point down the long hallway directly opposite the glass front doors. “These are the lockers. You store your books and other essentials in them, and can switch between books between classes rather than carrying all of them around. It’s traditional to decorate the insides, but not obligatory.”

“It’s been a very long time since I’ve been in school,” Gongchan commented with a hand on his chin as he absorbed the information. “A lot has changed.” She thought better of inquiring, not wanting to be insensitive about asking the circumstances of his death or his reincarnation as an angel. She beckoned for him to follow her as she began walking down the locker-lined hallway, coming to a stop in front of a row of glass panes.

“This is the library,” she continued, gesturing to the large expanse of bookshelves stored in the carpeted room. They surrounded a common area of comfortable chairs and tables, and they could see a few studious individuals making use of their study period. “You can come here for reference materials, study time, or even light reading. There’s quite a large selection, and if you need any help, the librarian will assist you.” She continued along the hallway, and at this point the school bell resounded through the hallway, indicating a change in classes. Students scurried out of the classroom like ants, hurrying on their way to lockers and classes. Several, Haneul noticed, paused to glance at Gongchan, with his odd dress and stunning handsomeness.

“I suppose I will have to get a school uniform,” he remarked, observing the standard dress of dark pants and button-up white shirts. He certainly did not fit in, but many of the girls chattering with longing glances seemed not to care. He’ll replace Sandeul as the school heartthrob at this rate, she thought. They’re already spreading enough rumors about me; perhaps they’ll believe I’m dating him now. Sure enough, the students were staring intently at her as well, whispering in hushed tones. Haneul felt the familiar sting of tears rising to the corner of her eyes, and she tried to avoid having an emotional breakdown. She felt Gongchan reach out to softly tank her hand, and although she barely knew him, she appreciated the comforting gesture. He stuck close to her side to block the view of their clutched hands, so that an onlooker could only notice with close observation.

“Haneul!” called a familiar voice from behind her, and Haneul glanced over her shoulder to find Sandeul pushing his way through the crowd, arm waving high above his head. She felt Gongchan’s hand slip from her own as he approached, panting from the effort. “Hey, there you are! I heard about your, ah, incident in first block. Are you all right?” he fretted, pulling the girl into a hug. She smiled and gently hugged him back, while Gongchan looked on with a slightly complicated expression. Embarrassed, she pulled back and coughed uncomfortably.

“Sandeul, this is Gongchan. He’s a new student, and I’ve been showing him the campus,” she announced. Sandeul looked the boy up and down, grinning slightly.

“Wow, you have some interesting choice in fashion! I like it. Too bad you’ll be stuck in a uniform like the rest of us. I mean, if they had to give us uniforms, couldn’t they give us something less bland?” he sighed, looking miserably down at his clothes. Sandeul enjoyed fashion very much, another quirk that made him ever-so-popular with the ladies. Haneul glanced around as the two boys chatted, noticing that the girls scurrying past were nearly beside themselves with excitement that the two attractive males were interacting with each other. “Anyway, I’ll be late for class, so I had better hurry along!” he smiled, shaking Gongchan’s hand before smiling down at Haneul. “Stay strong, okay?” he chirped and placed a hand on her head before waving to the pair of them and continuing down the hallway. Haneul beckoned for the angel to follow her once more, leading him down the emptying halls, leading him to the gym.

“This is the gym, where we have physical education and where many of the sports teams practice,” she introduced, opening the large doors so he could peer inside. Several students in gym clothes were running laps around the basketball court while a coach with a clipboard was watching with mild disinterest. She glanced back at Gongchan’s sculpted arms. “I think you’ll fit in just fine. Don’t be surprised if the guys try to recruit you for teams,” she smiled, closing the door as the confused angel followed after her. Finally, she led him to the lunchroom, which was currently empty. “This is the lunchroom. Lunch is in about an hour, and so everyone will come here to get lunch.” She turned her back to the door. Gongchan smiled happily at her.

“Thank you for the tour, Haneul,” he beamed.

“So, are you going to start following me around too?” she asked, crossing her arms. “I’m grateful for you getting Baro from out under my skin, but I don’t need a bodyguard. He hasn’t really tried to hurt me, and so I don’t really think he deserves to die,” she frowned. Gongchan sighed heavily, putting an arm around her shoulders as he began guiding her down the hall.

“Demons are very tricky, Haneul. Baro has probably realized that he can’t simply persuade you to give up your soul, so he’s trying to lure you into a false sense of security,” he explained casually. She felt slightly saddened by the remark. In the short time, the demon had almost become endearing, a welcome and amusing relief to the tragedy that her life had become. Of course, the constant attempt to steal her soul was a bit bothersome. “Angels exist partly to slay demons. They consume souls, and those souls do not reach Heaven, but are trapped in oblivion,” he continued.

“That does sound like a frightening prospect,” she frowned. “They can’t help it though, right? I mean, they’re made that way. They have to survive somehow. It’s like blaming a lion for eating antelope.” Gongchan smiled down at her, bemused by the reaction.

“You really are a pure soul, Haneul, to be able to see good even in demons,” he chuckled gently. “Angels are created from the souls of the righteous and kind, and in that same way, demons are born from souls of sinners. Baro is a demon because he sinned in his past life, something so awful that Satan saw him fit to make him one of his devious agents.” Gongchan spit out the words, his voice dripping with contempt. Haneul remained silent. Sure, Baro was flirtatious to a fault, but she could not imagine him as an evil being. Jinyoung, on the other hand… she thought with a deep frown. Gongchan sighed, “Not that you need to worry about all this, Haneul. I understand if it’s beyond your comprehension. The workings of demons and angels is complex, and functions beyond the human world.”

“You just use it as a battleground,” she muttered. Gongchan raised his eyebrows at her. “Regardless, that doesn’t explain why you specifically sought me out. From what I understand, angels and demons only interact by chance. You can’t trace each other’s presences.”

“That’s a keen observation,” Gongchan praised. “No, we cannot.”

“How did you even find us, then?” she inquired with an eyebrow raised.

“I traced your presence. It’s quite easy to do, considering I’m your guardian angel,” he mused, then suddenly stiffened as if he had said something forbidden. Haneul stopped in her tracks, the bombshell sinking in. Guardian angel? She thought incredulously.

“You mean, you knew about my mom and everything? What we went through?” she whispered, whirling around to face him. He looked extremely uncomfortable, holding up his hands in surrender.

“Haneul, it’s complicated, okay? Some things, I’m not allowed to interfere in. I can’t change your life. I just fend off demons, like Baro, and attempts by the Devil to corrupt your soul,” he responded meekly, but that did little to satiate the young girl’s rage.

“You could have done something! You could have given me advice, comfort, anything! Not left me alone to suffer!” she yelled. Gongchan recoiled as her voice rose several pitches, and a few curious students peered out of the classroom doors to see what the commotion was about. As a teacher exited a room to reprimand her, Haneul put her face in her hands and ran off down the hall, right out of the school building and onto the sidewalk. She sat down with a sniff, her eyes freshly moist. She wondered if she would ever run out of tears to shed. No one followed her out of the building to force her to return. She pulled her legs to her chest and rested her chin on her knees, tears sliding down her red cheeks. She heard soft footsteps walking toward her, and she did not look up as Baro gently sat down next to her. “I’m not in the mood,” she mumbled.

“I’m not here for that,” he answered simply, staring out into the street. He remained silent for a moment. “Gongchan told you that I was evil, right?” She nodded. “Do you believe it?” Haneul thought about the question for a good while before shaking her head. This answer seemed to both please and shock the demon.

“He said he was my guardian angel, but he let those things happen to me. He didn’t even have to try and change anything. If he had just come to me, made me feel better, let me know I wasn’t alone… That would have made all the difference. I know I had Sandeul, but sometimes even that wasn’t enough,” she murmured. She wasn’t even sure if the demon cared about her feelings, or if he was truly there to lure her into a false security.

“Yeah, well, you know, chalk that up to the grand plan of the Big Guy,” Baro shrugged. He hesitated for a moment before gently pressing his side against her own. She hadn’t expected the demon to be warm, but he was; a gentle heat radiated from his skin, spreading into her own and filling her with a strange sense of comfort. His black wing extended behind her, gently wrapping around her in some sort of hug. “You know,” he continued softly. “If I was Gongchan, I would have come to you a long time ago. No one deserves to be alone,” he sighed. Haneul leaned her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes.

“To steal my soul?” she laughed weakly. “I probably would have given it,” she admitted. Baro smirked slightly, glancing down at her.

“You’re too interesting for me to just take your soul, Haneul,” He mused. His voice sounded so soft, so genuine, that she truly believed him.