The bird fights its way out of the egg. The egg is the world. Who would be born must first destroy a world.

(Demian, The Story of Emir Sinclair's Youth)

The distance between Woojin's dorm and the dance studio seems to stretch forever. Woojin runs in a trance, different thoughts spiralling into him like snow flakes piling on a deserted road in the middle of winter; messy, unorganized, and too much.

"What the is going on?" His mind kept asking. Ever since that fateful Saturday morning, Woojin's control of his life and everything around him seems to be utterly lost to the chaos that is Park Jihoon.

Woojin swiftly turns into the next corner on his path. The entrance to their dance studio building comes into view. He runs faster to the entrance and goes straight to the stairs. He's a kinesthetic kind of guy, so he prefers running up on stairs; physical training seeming to calm his nerves more than focusing on his thoughts.

In a couple of minutes, Woojin's already standing in front of the door of their studio in the 4th floor, panting heavily and heart beating loudly. He knocks twice and opens the door.

He sees Daniel sitting on the floor, back against the mirror. He looks like someone who has lost total faith in humanity, with his sunken eyes, pale face, and dark aura. Woojin locks the door behind him for good measure.

'Hey." Woojin greets warily, unsure as ever on how to handle the situation. "It's me, Woojin." He slowly walks closer to him.

Upon dropping the name, Daniel looks up to him fast, eyes eagerly searching for something Woojin can't figure out. Woojin stops on his tracks. He raises his hands in front of him. "Calm down, man."

Daniel stands up. "Do you know Park Jihoon?" He asks. Woojin notes the sadness in his voice.

Woojin nods. The other looks at him with an expression of mix shock and disappointment. He starts pacing left and right while biting his nails. Woojin panics because he knows what those movements mean; Daniel is about to have a panic attack.

Woojin moves closer and puts his hands on Daniel's shoulders. He shakes him lightly. "Look at me." He says, trying to catch his senior's eyes. "Look at me!"

This puts Daniel out of his daze. He looks at Woojin with a distinct horror in his eyes. "You didn't make a deal with him, right? Oh, god, please tell me you didn't."

"What do you mean?" Woojin asks.

Daniel looks at him for a while, still trying to search for something, then he sighs. "It doesn't matter. You wouldn't be able to remember it even if you did." He breaks free from Woojin's hold and slumps on the floor again. He looks like he's about to cry.

Woojin sits on the floor with him. "Is... is this about you kissing Jihoon?"

Daniel suddenly moves away, alarmed. "How did you know that?"

Woojin smiles awkwardly, trying to pass the mood off as normal. "I saw you last Saturday."

The other's mouth opens a bit. "But.. but how? Did you make a deal with him?"

Woojin sighs. "Again, what deal are you talking about? I know Jihoon and I've had some pretty creepy encounters with him but I do not remember signing any deal or something."

"People who aren't connected to him the same way I am, aren't supposed to know and see what you've seen. It doesn't work that way."

Woojin's worry over Daniel was replaced with annoyance. Well, atleast his senior isn't as panicky as before. "Can you please explain everything?"

Daniel stays silent for a while. Woojin's about to say something when he speaks. "That kiss isn't romantic. It's meant as a sign that the deal has been repaid."

"What deal?"

He locks eyes with Woojin. "Jihoon isn't human, Woojin. He's a demon. I don't really remember how I knew about this fact, but I made a deal with him a few months ago. That deal is to make Seungwoo mine."

It's supposed to be a great shock, as what Daniel is saying is a lot to take in. However, learning that Jihoon is a demon didn't shock Woojin. Deep down, he knows there was something else. Something inhuman inside Jihoon.

"It's stupid, I know." Daniel continues. "But at that moment, it seemed plausible, you know? Like, nothing will really happen at all when I wished for it in front of him. But he said it will, as long as I make it an official deal with him."

"Jihoon didn't ask for anything in return?" Woojin asks.

Daniel nods. "He did, actually. He told me to give up a member's admission to the dance team in exchange. It was when we're just starting to practice for the dance festival, so I didn't think it would be a big deal." He sighs, sadness back in his voice.

Woojin raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I gave up Myungho's admission."

This indeed shocks Woojin. "Myungho? Why him?"

"I honestly do not know why I chose him. What I do know is that a voice inside my head told me to pick him. So I did. Now, Jihoon got to take the payment for my wish."

Woojin looks away, trying to process the information in his head. "So, Myungho isn't part of the team anymore?"

"That's what I thought at first." Daniel stands up. His tone is suddenly angry. "But that er Jihoon... he did something worse. Myungho's in the hospital. Yesterday, he crashed the car he was driving."

Woojin stands up too. "What?! But Myungho hates driving! Why would he suddenly be driving?"

"Because I told him so." A voice behind them announces. Both boys turned around.

"Jihoon?" Woojin exclaims. "How did you get in here?"

"Oh, please." Jihoon rolls his eyes. "You already know too much about me, I'm sure. You think a locked door would stop me?"

"Why did you do that to Myungho?!" Daniel yells at him. Jihoon is unfazed.

"You gave up his admission, remember?"

"I didn't know him getting into an accident is what you meant by that!"

Jihoon laughs, his sweet voice sickening to Daniel's ears. "That's your fault."

Woojin is unable to react. He's just standing there, absorbing everything.

Daniel drops his defenses. He knows it's just pointless. "Would you... would you please turn everything back?"

Jihoon shoots daggers into him with his intense stare. "The deal has been sealed and repaid. If you want to turn everything back, then kill yourself. If you do, I'll consider saving Myungho's life."

Woojin does react to this. He runs to Jihoon and pushes him back, hard. "What the did you say?"

Jihoon just laughs again. "It's done. You can't change anything now."

This pisses Woojin even more. "How toxic can you be?"

"I told you I'd explain when the time is right." Jihoon says. "It wouldn't be too far from now, anyway."

Woojin is about to seriously punch him, when Jihoon speaks. "Why don't you check on Donghyun? He seems to be a bit off."

Woojin stops on his tracks. His heart beats fast on his chest. "What did you do to him?"

Jihoon shrugs. "Nothing. I just received his wish."

Within seconds, Woojin is reaching for the door knob. "Goddamn it, Donghyun. Please be okay." He muttered.

"Wouldn't you want to know what he exhanged his wish for?" Jihoon asks him, but Woojin is too far gone with his concern for Donghyun to actually care about what he's saying. "Go yourself." He replies instead, then he runs off.

Jihoon smiles.

"It's you."