White, fluttering feathers and dancing rays of light, these are things that caught her peripheral vision.

The scent of roses and vanilla waffling through her nose that is trying to bring back memories from depths that she has long buried. The bright pink color that would occasionally pass by her eyes, these are things that are familiar but are long gone and forgotten.

She pinned her index finger on the glass, trying to decide what cake she would take, and there it is white & pink with roses. Fancy. She is more fan of taste than of aesthetic but that one surely caught her attention. It’s new and pretty, that’s what she ordered alongside a cup of americano.

She sat in the corner seat and did one of her favorite thing to do, what you ask? It’s nothing other than mindlessly looking at people walking on the sidewalk just outside the café. It’s been almost a century since she has come to live alongside mortals, and she has learned to enjoy simple things like this.

On the corner of her eyes, she caught one of the café staff, with her apron on, taking off her chef’s cap. It’s someone she has not seen before, she figures it’s a new pastry chef, her hair is bright yellow but something about her reminds her of something. Something alongside, the white, the pink, the fluttering feathers, things she want’s to forget and have probably forgotten. 

“Miss Hyewon.”

A voice called her back to Earth from her trance, she blink several times as she takes into form her surrounding. It was a tiny girl, straight out of fiction book cute kid, who served her order. 

[Wait For Me]

Then there’s it is again, the light, the fluttering feathers, the pink white wisp and smell of roses and vanilla, and that faint voice. The smell she could attribute to the cake she ordered, but that pink-white mist she keep seeing for weeks now is definitely something else.

“Thank you, Nako-chan.” She smiled to her; she is pretty much a regular so she knows who’s who except that new chef. She figured it’s someone new, yet there is something about that one that made her think not human, the same feeling she get over that smell of roses and vanilla.

Something telling her someone she may perhaps forgot is around.

No. Hyewon. That’s impossible; you have your hopes up several times before. At this point the odds are not with you.

She sat in contrast of the cafe, where as the café is pastel, she is here in one piece black dress, with her black hair, burying her head on her palm trying to dismiss the thought.

White, pink, feathers, light – she covered for a moment taking in things that want to surface back but can’t.

She took her attention to the aesthetically pleasing slice of cake; maybe it was the cause of it after all its pink, white and has rose petals over it. Tasting it does not give her the same feeling but it does give her something else. Something that people can call happiness. Compliments to patisserie chef – this is one delicious cake. So in a flash of a pan, her worry vanishes and changes to giggling joy.  

What was life in hell again? Because right now despite her choice of dark clothing her sheer joy in eating the cake makes her seem so much at home in the café. It’s one of the reasons why the staffs like her so much.

To answer the question, she does not remember much of hell. It’s stuffy that’s one thing she can remember, days of being actual “demon” is pretty much just watching humanity do their own thing and get blamed for it. They basically are just responsible for handling punishment and yes admittedly many of them get joy on such. Occasionally they would go up and play, handling some practical punishment.

She hates it that they aren’t really allowed to meddle much and just like their angel counterparts are only allowed few degrees of inconsequential shenanigans. Anyway she is also camp humanity does enough for itself, so even back then and now she just do her practical punishment. You know just small amounts of revenge here and there, nothing that will cause death, just casual tripping. Angel’s do frown upon those; it’s the same how she roll’s her eyes whenever angel’s do their small good favors.

She is about to open the door of her apartment, when she saw it again, white, fluttering feathers, the pink mist, the smell of roses and vanilla.  She quickly run to where she thought it was from but found nothing.

Stop hoping Hyewon. Stop. You could not even remember. 

And yes that’s true. She could not remember why it has that effect on her. For all things having effect on her, a demon, a former one, wait she is still a demon just residing permanently alongside mortals, it’s things that can be equated to angels, that has an effect on her. Thing is she really can’t remember much.

She slump on her couch, covering her eyes with her hand, she somehow feel exhausted.

“Aren’t you going to pack up?” Her room mate asks.

She glances to her, “Oh, so demon’s get tired too. I thought you guys are immortals.”

Her room mate sat on the chair beside the couch, throwing a pillow to her direction. Yes, her room mate very much known that she is in fact a demon.

Certain someone told her she is a bad liar, so when her room mate found out some of her non-human traits, she just straight up told her, thinking the later won’t believe such thing. Well hell, her room mate believe her, and heavens she seemed blessed, if that’s even possible for a demon like her, her room mate did not freak out.

“Just something on my mind, Kkura.” For a demon, she really can’t lie much.

“Oh what?”

“I keep seeing it again, and a lot more times today than before.”

“You sure you are not hallucinating or something?” The short haired woman, Sakura, continue munching on her bread greatly amuse at the suffering of her demon friend. Hyewon glared back to her.

“Calm down, I’m just joking. You sure that’s not an angel following you? I mean white, feather, flower scent, screams angel to me. I figured if a demon is here.” Sakura pointed to her, “an angel would be to.”

“and why would they follow me?” Hyewon fix her position to face Sakura.

“I don’t know, feels like you know why but don’t want to admit.” Sakura shrugged.

“How so?”

“How many years have you been alive? You might’ve encountered them. Who knows they might have a grudge against you or…” Sakura think about it for awhile. “You might have an affair with one of them.”

Hyewon cringes at those words and threw a pillow to Sakura’s face, “Don’t make it sound so scandalous, and I can’t remember any.”

“You can’t? Why does your face says otherwise?” Sakura stood up and leans forward to Hyewon.

“Ahahaha, the almighty demon Kang Hyewon had an affair with an angel. Is that the reason you got kick out of hell?” Sakura cackled back to her seat, greatly enjoying watching the squirming demon in front of her.

“Geez, Kkura. Want me to throw you out!” At this point, Hyewon thinks human are scarier than demons.

“You can’t!” Sakura smirk. “If that’s really what happened that is a story worth of a book.” 

“Oh wow, planning on using my life story again.”

“You’re an interesting source and beside no one can say they literally sold their self to devil other than me.” Sakura chuckled.

“I can’t remember buying a Japanese Novelist soul.” The demon rolled her eyes.

 “So... it’s true?” Sakura giggled.

“What’s true?” Hyewon groaned.

“Your affair with an angel.”  

“Sakura, shut up! I don’t remember anything like that.”

“Yeah, because your old.” At this point Hyewon, sent electric bolt beside the Japanese.

“Geez, Kang-chan. I’m just joking. Anyways should not you be packing? You have flight tomorrow right? Japan?”

Hyewon sighed defeated, she retreated to her room. What a life, a demon getting bossed around by a mere mortal. Don’t misunderstand her, she love having Sakura around. She is her game buddy and her knowing she is a demon and not freaking out put her at ease. She can be at her more natural form, with her fangs out and tiny horns.  

Honestly she’s lying and because she is such a bad liar her Japanese room mate easily caught wind of that. She’s lying about not having history with angels, and if you could call falling in love to one an affair so be it. She did have something close to that. Sacrifice the out of herself, got exiled out of the demon world and now living for how many years with mortals. Too bad she can’t remember how that angel looks.

She grabs her pendant, tracing its details. Rose – it’s been with her for a long time, since that time… Every time she touches it she would hear that angelic voice.

[Wait for me.]

Too bad she can’t stay that long in one place, it’s dangerous. But she’s been waiting, always waiting and still hoping. Do angels break promises?  

Would she remember her? That alone would be fantastic.

White, pink hair, feathers, light. That was what she dreams of about that night.

Its morning and here she standing in front of an airport. Yes an airport? What’s a demon who can fly and teleport doing in such a place. Nothing really, it’s less hassle than getting caught with no passport in another country and needing to spend energy zapping them out.  She can say that, but truthfully she come to enjoy it, these things that mortals use to fly. She was about to walk towards the entrance and there it is again.

The smell of rose and vanilla waffling through her nose – strong that it makes her hope that the one she’s been waiting for is there beside her.

White.

She glances to her side.

Pink hair.

Her eyes widened.

Falling feathers illuminated by light.

Her jaw drop.

It’s been a long time – almost a century. She had waited for a long time. Since the time she left hell, live and enjoyed the life with mortals.

She had given up, hoping. It was not meant to be at all – she was merely in love with an angel. Yes for a long time, a century, holding on to a promise. They are on the opposite end – a forbidden love, written on nothing but flames, whispered to nothing but air. That is all that is to it.

 She lifts up her hand wanting to touch the face she almost forgotten, will she burn? She asks herself. Time have stop for her that moment.  

There stands beside her, an angel of unmatched beauty. Bright, pink hair, in white, bringing the scent she’s so familiar with, roses and vanilla.  

Everything comes flashing by and once again the demon was reminded of the flames. She was once captivated by the unassumingly rebellious angel.

"Minjoo."

The angel smirks to her and gently touches her face.

Warm.

Is she burning? No. But her heart surely does.

“It’s been a long time. I’ve been looking for you.”

“and I have been waiting for you…. for a long time.” She almost wanted to cry – so she does really have an emotion and in her chest lies not a void but a true beating heart.

“I’m sorry.” The angel whispered, grabs her hand and held it tightly almost like holding it so she won’t disappear. The angel then lifts her hand and kisses the back of it. “I won’t leave you anymore.”

“Joo, promise?”

“Promise.”

Hyewon nod and smiled. She’s satisfied for now. They have a lot of things to catch up to. But what she learned by living with mortals is sometimes – letting such moments last just a little longer can make it special.

The angel tightens her hold.

“We have a lot to catch up to, do you mind if I join you in your flight?”

Hyewon shakes her head and smiled, “I don’t mind.”

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Notes: I'll try to write 2nd one soon. It will be on Minjoo's side.