White, pink hair, feathers illuminated by light. There she stand, her hand gracing the glass window, observing the world below them. She has always observing the world; from up above and here, nothing changes. The view is almost the same – people going on their day. From this far even if you can see almost everything, the vastness make it hard to see the one you’re looking for.

That’s why even if it took almost a century she is happy that now she found her.

 She glances to the bed where, a figure curled to her side with her tiny fangs out, laid.

Cute.

She walks to her, sits beside her; drape her with her white glowing wings and gently kisses her forehead. It’s been a long time since she saw her, the demon that made her fall in love. She traces her face, from eyes down to the length of her jawline, smiling at the sight of those protruding fangs.

She is in Japan right now, about two hours where she and her best friend temporarily took home. The blond angel would for sure lecture her once she comes back to their humble apartment. She’ll take that if it means spending time with the one she has been looking for.

She looks back to her journey, and the bargain she took.

•••

It was few weeks ago, in a lowly apartment in Seoul.

Every now and then they would get to request a vacation, though justifying a request to venture to mortal realms have been hard for the two of them, it was eventually granted. Everytime that request is granted they would use it to find a certain demon, who was vanquished from hell and have live among humanity.

These years it was once again granted and with equivalent currency Minjoo found the two of them an apartment to serve as their headquarters. Many angels use it to understand humanity they on the other hand will use it to find a demon living among humans.

[Coral. Tulips. Cinnamon.]  

Minjoo still remembers her face and her scent. She wanders if the demon still remembers her. She will not blame her though if she doesn’t it almost a century since that time.   She’s hoping she that this time she finds her but she has something to deal with first. She turns around to face her friend.

“How are humans managing to live in these small spaces?” Her angel room mate observes their rented space that truthfully is quite small for the two of them.

Minjoo rolled her eyes, “Hii-chan, we are angels. We aren’t supposed to be materialistic. And beside look there are two beds. There is a kitchen and rent fits our budget.”

“You call this a bed.” Hitomi, a blond angel, leaned on the frame of their supposed bed.

“They call it a bunk bed.” Minjoo sighed and walk towards their kitchen.

Hitomi followed her, “How are we even going to spread our wings?”

The blond then proceeded to switch to her full angel form and with her wings in full width to emphasize how small the space is.

“I understand your concern.” Minjoo took out a bag of chips from their grocery bag. 

Staying in human world and mingling with them as human also required functioning as human in some capacity.

“Do we really need to follow mortal rules?” Hitomi slumps into their couch, back into her more human form. Minjoo followed her and sits on the opposite side.

“We are living with them its better to follow their rules as to not raise much attention.”  Minjoo eyed her roommate. “Especially with your history.” Minjoo offered Hitomi the bag of chips she is eating.

“Well you got a point there.”

“I’m sorry if I drag you here. I just really wanna see her. I know it’s been a long time but I just.” 

Minjoo curled and hug her legs. Hitomi watches her from the opposite side, guilt eating her up. They have a long history, and it’s partly her fault. Her falling in love to one of the people she is assigned to guard.

“Don’t say that, I’m here because I want to help. Beside I want to see that demon too. I have a lot to thank her for.”

The blond angel look away from her friend, the events that happened almost a century ago is still fresh on her mind. How could she forget that, when an angel and a demon, help a human and an angel be together even for just a little time? How a demon selflessly took the blame so they could escape unscathed? They do know the higher ups might have probably known what really happened.

“Do you regret it?” Seeing how Hitomi suddenly become quite, Minjoo can’t help but asks.

“No, how about you?”

“No and I know she doesn’t too.”

Hitomi scoot over her bestfriend and hug her. Every time they get a chance to take a break, that means once or twice every decade, they would go on vacation on Earth just to look for a demon. It’s almost a century now they are still looking.

“Hyewonie, she’s more of an angel than some angel I know. She has the compassion you expect from our kind. ”

Minjoo hummed, “She’s amazing isn’t she.” She shifted her position to face her friend. “And you’re right sometimes she is more of an angel than you.” She chuckled.

Hitomi swatted her hand, “Your just saying that because your whipped.”

“Oh, we are learning modern language now huh.” Minjoo tickled her. 

“This thing is amazing you know.” Hitomi smirks showing Minjoo a thin rectangular object.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a smartphone and I got you one too. If we are living by human rules, we will need this.” Hitomi then proceed to fetch out the smartphone that is for Minjoo.

“Where you get this?”

“Just don’t ask.”

Minjoo eyed her suspiciously, “This is what I mean when I said she’s more of an angel than you.”

Hitomi just chuckled, “Our kinds are too rigid. I just adopted some of demon-kinds pragmatism.”

The next day the two of them are walking, both knowing they need some sort of job, while they are on earth. They have talk about it; Minjoo would look for a part-time job so she can spend the rest of her day searching while Hitomi will look for something more permanent so they can pay their expenses. 

They have about two months to look for her that is the duration of their vacation. The good thing about being an angel, they have easier time than demons in blending in. They blend in pretty easily with only one caveat – their bright hair – their yellow and bright pink hair that contrast to their surrounding. Many angels do have brightly colored hair.

 “I have not really asks you this, how do you know she’s here?” The blond angel asks while she looks up the menu for their lunch.

“I just feel her presence around here. I sometimes see her color.”  

“Her color? You sure of that, I mean we once tried to look for her in Milan, Paris, California, in Argentina and you said the same thing to me. Now we are back where it began, Korea.” Hitomi crossed her arms.

“You know its something distinct for a demon Trust me on this, Hii-chan.”  

Coral is such a distinct color for a demon to be represented, they mostly go by darker color and yet Hyewon has coral.

“What choice do I have? I’ll trust you.”

After eating their lunch, the way mortals do, they split their way to look for the said demon and look for a job. She passes by a library and she swears, not that she actually swears, that the demon she’s looking for is there.

The coral mist and smell of tulips with a hint of cinnamon - for how that combination works she can’t figure out. 

When she reaches the place where she pins down where it was coming. She did not found a demon but she is sure the demon stayed there. She touches her necklace, its tulips pendant; she pursed her lips and whispered. Please. Wait for me, wherever you are right now.

She went back to their apartment a lot earlier than Hitomi does. She laid down the couch and closes her eyes and her dream drifted her back to the time where she and Hitomi are guardian angels. A job they proudly held. The time when the blond angel panic after accidentally revealing herself to the person she is guarding. The days where certain demon would show up occasionally, cackle at their good deeds while they cringe at her handing her punishments.

You see angels have assigned person, not a one to one situation but mostly they have a main person they follow. While demons have an assigned area they would round to. That’s where the three of them met. The people the two angels are guarding are friends and happen to live in the area the demon is assigned to.

The demon calmed the panicking angel, who she recognizes has been too far gone and have broken the holy rules of not falling in love to the one you are guarding. Minjoo learned that she is quite a reasonable demon-folk.

She will be honest; she has prejudice about demons back then. It changes when she met her.  Always in black and red yet a presence announce by a coral mist, a color unusual for her kind because it’s a light shade.

Hyewon would accompany them in their duty – while performing hers. Demon-folks are more free spirited, a bit more chaos loving compare to them. They are not bad as how they are portrayed to be. They, like them are only fulfilling their duties.

You could say that that demon is almost angelic, her smile is captivating and those tiny protruding fangs make her heart race. If her friend Hitomi is losing braincells by falling in love to the one she is appointed to guard, there she is losing her footing because of a demon.

They played their part as side character to Hitomi’s love story. They both agreed to it. They helped the blond angel for years, to be together with that human, Chaewon is her name. Hitomi’s own free-spirited streaks help that decision, and well yeah maybe the heart really is hard to tame.

They cover for her and watch her go on their little dates, those little dates becoming their very own dates too and watching them bathes in the flames of love, she too was falling.  As days go by, she longed for her presence whenever they get separated.

As days go by and flame get hotter, they too know where they stand. It is an unspoken thing between them that they won’t confirm with words – but they did with action. Hyewon gave a necklace with tulip pendant and she gave her one with rose. They promise to see each other as much as they can when they are in the realms of human.  

Odds are not on their side, love is a far stronger force than they could have imagined. They should have known about it already, if an angel willingly broke the rule to be with human – then that same angel can probably do a lot more than that.

To save that human, Hitomi broke a lot of more rules, and so do they. Friends they all are – stupid you can say but they betted on that. If Hitomi and Chaewon could be together, maybe they too can be together.

The idea of it clouded their judgment. To save her from damnation, the demon claimed fault to the things they did. They know the higher ups might’ve already known what really happened, but as with things are, Hyewon reasoned it will be easier to blame a demon for disturbing the flow of things than admitting that angels can get their judgment clouded. You see their realms are far from perfect.

Standing at the aftermath of the incident, Hitomi bid a goodbye to her love, a quite one that can barely be heard – but their heart understood. The same way between them, a goodbye from her to the demon, who only smiled and assured them those things, will be fine, and that they – the angels will be fine.  

Before they could part ways, Minjoo hold the demon hands, brought it to her lips kisses it. She told her the only thing she could say - Wait for me.  

Pathetic, she told herself how she could not even tell her the word that human use to convey their love. She promised, if they are given a next time she would say those words.

That was the last thing they heard of her was that she was vanished to live among mortals, exiled from her home.

They on the other hand are strip of their guardian duty and were sent to do office and processing works, menial jobs.  It has less pay, lesser prestige and most importantly away from mortals most of the time. Vacations are also hard to come by, but when they do they can use to spend it to go around mortal realm to learn how they live.  

It’s good that the higher ups are not really much all seeing and if they are that it seems they got away with it. She guesses that maybe as long as the natural flow is not disturbed they are free to walk around.

Minjoo was woken up when something cold touches her face. In their human form they get to feel these things. Hitomi look at her grinning, this mischievous angel, really.

“Here. It’s strawberry flavor.” Hitomi give her the popsicles.

 “You really like anything strawberry, huh?”

“uh-uh.” Hitomi nodded. “I also found a job, who knows being interested in baking will get me a job here.” She chuckled. 

“Oh, nice? What job?”

“Minjoo–yah. Obviously as a baker, I got accepted in this café who urgently needed a baker.”

“If I have not known you’re an angel, I for sure would think you’re a demon.”

“Well then, I’m glad that I’m an angel because you have a thing for demons.” Hitomi smirk and Minjoo threw the plastic wrapper of her popsicle straight to Hitomi’s face.

“You’re too serious, I’m just joking and oh – I think your right she’s here. Before I left the café I think I saw some coral mist and smelled some cinnamon and I’m sure those cinnamon is not from the cake. It’s different.”

Minjoo’s eyes widen upon hearing the news, this brought forth a smile to Hitomi’s lips. She then proceeded to tease the pink haired angel.  

“How bout you, what’d you found?”

“I think she stayed in a library earlier.”

“Then that really confirms she’s here. I’ll try to investigate more.”

The following days are spent with Hitomi attending to her baker duties while Minjoo got a part time job at a fast food chain. From time to time Minjoo would feel the presence of the said demon around, she would see the coral mist but could not see the demon herself, only traces of her.

As for Hitomi, she would regularly feel the presence of the said demon in the café she is working, she is sure its not one of the staff and most probably a customer but since she is in the kitchen she could not confirm – she could only report it to Minjoo.

In one of her days as baker she made a cake inspired by her best friend. A white, pink – layered raspberry cake, designed with some rose petal. A pretty cake that has became a hit.

One of the few occasions she got out of the kitchen, she met someone that gave off faint traces of scent they associated to that certain demon. That person, she is a Japanese novelist living in Korea that goes by the name Miyawaki Sakura. Hitomi took note of this detail.

“Minjoo-yah, Minmin, I think I found someone who might have known her. I’m not very sure because she is definitely human, but she give of a feeling like she been around her.” Hitomi called to her friend who is currently washing the dishes.

“A human? With Hyewon?” Minjoo stop washing the dishes and proceeded to the couch to listen to Hitomi.

“I think so. I investigated her a bit.” Hitomi scrolled on her phone. “I found her Instagram.”

Minjoo tilted her head; she does not understand what an Instagram is. Hitomi chuckled at her reaction.

“You should use your phone more, Minmin.” Hitomi said while still scrolling on her phone looking for something. “I followed her account.” She then showed her phone screen to Minjoo. There flashes to her the image of a Japanese woman, though she could not initially get what Hitomi is saying.

“This one picture.” Hitomi then tap on a picture of the said woman and in the background another woman wearing leather jacket was caught by the camera.

Coral.

Minjoo finally understood what Hitomi meant about the woman giving a vibe that she is around the demon they are looking for –tears flowed down her cheeks.

 “Minmin?”

“D-don’t worry Hii-chan I’m just happy.”

Hitomi is relieved to hear that. They are both relieved that their search after all this year is finally bearing fruit. At first they are not sure what the human’s, Sakura, relationship to Hyewon is. The human technology though is brilliant and using that they found that those two are friend, Hyewon adapted well to the human world. They also found from Sakura, in her twitter account, another technology that the two angels’ are trying to understand, that Hyewon has an upcoming flight to Japan. 

So with the money they saved, they book her a flight. All logistics was handled by Hitomi, they betted on a date and time, hoping to see the demon in the airport. They can’t understand why the demon would ride airplanes when she can simply fly over or teleport to the place, maybe the demon has her reason.

The day before the flight, Minjoo decided to visit Hitomi on her work. There is still sometime before the later’s break so she temporarily waited at the staff lounge at the back of the café.

Tulips and Cinnamon.

Minjoo was suddenly filled by that faint smell. She is here – somewhere close but she does not know where exactly. Minjoo wanted to check but she does not want to cause trouble to her friend let alone cause a scene. She clenches her fist.

She’s here.

She could very well check. The demon she is looking for all this time might have been eating inside the café, for some reason she got scared.

“Minjoo?”  Hitomi entered the staff lounge.

“Hii-chan, you don’t look well.” Minjoo observe.

“I’m just tired. I bake extra cakes for a delivery this morning to get some extra money. You know this body does not regenerate as fast as our other form. ”  

“I’m sorry.”

“Minjoo-yah. How many times should I tell you? Don’t say sorry allright, I’m the one who should say that. I’m just repaying.” Hitomi faintly smiled. “And I think you should check the café, I feel she’s there I saw a coral mist passing by when I went to see Manager Eunbi.”

“No.”

“Minjoo.”

“No. I’ll stay for now. You need rest. I’ll stay with you.”

“Really… you… you’re really stubborn at the wrong time.”

Minjoo decided to offer her help in the café, while Hitomi do an extra shift. Hitomi paid for the ticket by gutting her saving, the one she save for the apartment rent of the month and now needed to do extra work to get it back.

The manager and Nako, a cute staff that has become fond of Hitomi, is worried about the blond girl. Hitomi, even with the short time she is there, has become an integral part of the café. How could not she when her aesthetically and delicious cakes is so much a hit to the customers.

The manager sent Hitomi home a lot earlier than she suppose to. Minjoo made sure to pay attention to her friend well being while they walk home together.

“Minmin, I’m ok now.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Hitomi shake her head at her friend stubbornness, “I can’t believe you let that chance slip away.”

“You need me and I don’t think I’m ready to see her.”

“Really after all this time?” Hitomi chuckled.

Coral, flashes by their eyes.

The scent of tulips and cinnamon waffled through their nose.

“Minjoo.” Hitomi held her friend arm tightly. “Go.”

Minjoo is hesitant.

They look around and when they are sure no one can see them they changes to their angel form. They are standing in front of a big apartment building. They flew there and look around. Minjoo leading the way, she is so close to reaching it, when she heard a thud.

She saw her best friend, back in her human form struggling. She flew fast to her and carried her back to their apartment.

“Why?” Hitomi asks.

“Your well being is more important.”

“You don’t understand Minjoo, I’m the cause of everything. You and Hyewon both of you have sacrificed a lot for me. Don’t do it again. Please find your happiness. Atleast find it for me.” Hitomi sobbed, the guilt of the last 100years coming to the surface.

Minjoo hugged her.

“Minjoo, promised me you will go to the airport tomorrow. It’s your chance.”

Minjoo nodded. “Promise you’ll rest and recover today and no more overworking. Change back to your angel form, it will help you.”

Hitomi smiled and nodded back, joking to her that she should have said goodbye to the café staff today.

Though that was not much of a joke, tomorrow she’ll give them her recipe, give some memento to the girl she befriended, what’s her name again? Nako. She’ll write something tomorrow - maybe.  

Her mission, she is almost at the end of it. She wonders if at the end of it – if she ever will see her again. The cute nose and sharp eyes of the one person she love– she smiled and drifted off to sleep.

Minjoo was unsure, if she should leave her best friend alone, but she promised and she can’t break promises specially one made to a fellow angel. Hitomi assured her that she has fully recovered and that she can go head to the airport, lest the demon she was looking for disappear.

Minjoo roam around the airport as angel, away from the eyes of human. Somehow today she’s more at peace; maybe it’s the feeling when you finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel.

The sweet smell of tulips with a hint of cinnamon waffled through her nose; the coral mist filled her vision. There she saw her getting out of a car and then standing looking at the entrance. Her search has ended.

She gently landed beside her, letting some of the feathers of her wings to fall down.

Her doe eyes look at her in shock at first and then teary next.

“Minjoo.”

She smirk, she finally found her. She can’t help but try to touch her face. She is looking for her, for a long time and now she is here.

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

•••

“Minjoo?” Her ears perked, the demon beside her has woken up. “Sorry, I have gotten use to human time.”

She wants to say its ok but all Minjoo manage is a smile; she is all at this moment captivated by the one beside her.

Hyewon cup her faces, her hand trembles, like she is still making sure that the angel is really there, really with her now.

“I will not be leaving you anymore, Hye.”

“It’s a promise.” 

Those fangs are really cute.

The demon pulled her close for an embrace. For someone who is brave and compose – whenever they are together it’s the demon that get shy but she is always been the one to initiate a hug. She put her arm around the demons shoulder, pulled her closer.

Even if she said those words, I promise. There is no sure thing that they can really fulfill it. Hitomi said she has a plan – but she has no clue of what it is. Their love is still something forbidden.

She would say those words now, the words she failed to say before.

The demon pulled out of their embrace and cups her face once again, letting their forehead touch. “I don’t know what will happen in the future but I do know that I have always loved you. It did not matter how many years have pass, you’re still the one I love. There no use reasoning to my heart, because all it want is you. I love you my angel, I love you Minjoo.”

She beat her up there, Minjoo smiled and trace over the face of the demon she falls in love. “I love you too.” She kisses her forehead, “I’ve been looking for you. I’m sorry if I made you wait for so long. I’m here now – I’ll do whatever it takes to be with you. “

If being with her means getting kick out of heaven so be it.

The demon pulled her closer to her, the smell of sweet tulips and that hint of cinnamon filling her nose.

The demon tilted her head, “joo?”

Minjoo simply nodded and their lips clash. Sweet. She smiled.  

Sins are what again? Is loving someone with your whole heart a sin?  

At this point, does she care? She won’t let her go again.

If it’s a sin she would gladly accept the punishment.

•••

Minjoo along side Hyewon happily walk to their lowly apartment. The demon could not wait and see their other friend whose own recklessness lead to their meeting. Minjoo could not wait to tell the blond cheeky angel her story.

She opened their apartment door, and just like how Hitomi commented that the space is small so does Hyewon.

They walk inside the small apartment and it is filled with strong smell of strawberry, the scent that is overwhelmingly Hitomi. On the middle of their small table is a vase filled with peach colored daisies. Those are Hitomi’s flower and peach is her color.

Beside it is Hitomi’s phone. This confuses Minjoo, Hitomi always brings her phone with her. She figure at this hour the girl should still be at work and it will give her and Hyewon enough time to prepare something for their little get together.  

She lifted up the phone and there she notices the letter tuck underneath the vase and a small box beside it.

To The Purest Angel Minjoo,

First I want to say, thank you. I am glad that you are my friend and don’t worry even if we have been together for centuries, rest assured that I still love you the same. I will not replace you with anyone else from any realms.

Thank you for tolerating my recklessness, my cheekiness; I have not been an upstanding angel at all. Too wild I guess. I wonder if being a demon-folk would better suit my personality.

Thank you for all the sacrifices you made for me. Now you deserve your own happiness.

I feel guilty all this time, when Hyewon took the blame for all that I did and you suffered from it.

I let my emotion cloud my judgment, if you ask me though if I regret it. I’ll proudly say “No”, and I know you know why.  

Thank you for letting me and Chaewon have our time. You know it’s been a hundred years, I still remember her. That’s something – I wonder if that’s what they call eternal love. I want to see her again, quite an impossible dream, right?

My friend, ever wonder why they allowed us to roam and be along side mortals for our vacation despite our punishment. We are to never touch foot here – that is our punishment, isn’t it?

Time to tell you the truth, I made a bargain.

I… is to perish in exchange of you and Hyewon’s freedom. My essence will be use for the two of you to be set free. If I can prove that after all this time the two of you still love each other, the exchange will commence.

I’m probably not here anymore e when you read this.

I did give Nako-san and Manager Eunbi the recipe for the new cakes but failed to give these trinkets that I made. I hope the blessing will protect them and may they find a new and better chef than this reckless angel.  

Could you tell Hyewon this that I – the reckless angel named Hitomi- will now entrust her best friend to her.

Hyewon please take care of Minjoo, for me.

I’m afraid this letter had gone long.

Can I make a final request, can you find me a white lily. I want a white lily to be with my peach daisies. I don’t know if it will look good, but you know lilies are her favorite flower, it was her flower.  So even with that last thing, that at least in that way we are together.

I’m sorry Minjoo, I could not say goodbye to you.

Minjoo, Hyewon – you two are free now to live among mortals.

I wish for your happiness.

Hitomi, the angel – the one and only strawberry scented peach daisies.

It's a happy ending... but i did cried [sorry for that bit]. Please comment what you think of this story. Thank you Hyejoo fam - from Kangbi fam.

Dont be afraid to comment. I appreciate them.