The remainder of the week passed in a blur. Minji reported the incident to Yixing, and he forwarded the information she had gathered to the police, not mentioning the vampire. She didn’t know how the victims' relatives reacted to the bad news, but she could imagine they were shattered. Her mood was gloomy for a while, so she attempted to to distract herself with work. She was glad when Yixing gave her various tasks, like interviewing a young CEO who had made a name for herself and writing about a popular street food festival. Baëkhyun tagged along when she visited the festival, and to her surprise, he seemed to enjoy the food he ate. She kept teasing him about it since he’d always emphasized he wouldn’t like it.

On Friday evening, she planned to meet Jangmi and Sehůn, who planned to visit their favorite Chinese restaurant with her and Baëkhyun. Since the demon was developing an interest human food after he had refused to try it for so long, Minji didn’t have to convince him to join them. The young woman stood in front of the bathroom mirror, making an elaborate braid and adding a cute butterfly clip. Since Jangmi had told her the restaurant was on the fancy side, Minji put on a black cocktail dress for the evening. She applied makeup, using lipstick and mascara, as well as subtle silver eye shadow. As she looked in the mirror, Baëkhyun sneaked up on her from behind. He wore a black dress shirt and pants, which didn’t surprise her—the demon preferred dark shades and hardly ever wore other colors.

“I can see you, demon,” she commented with a grin, meeting his eyes in the mirror. He curled his lips and muttered something under his breath.

“What are you doing? I want to leave!” he complained, pulling a face. “You look fine; you don’t need any makeup.”

Minij froze and watched him through the mirror. “Did you… did you just…? Was that a compliment?!” She blushed at his devilish smirk, prompting him to stand right behind her. He reached around her to steal her makeup brush from her hand.

“That’s enough,” he teasingly murmured in her ear, causing her heart to stutter. “We’re leaving now.”

He took her hand and tugged her after him. She was too astonished to fight him and gazed at his broad shoulders. The pink hue on her cheeks was still very easy to see. Minji hastily put on a pair of high heels before Baëkhyun managed to pull her out the door barefooted. He was ridiculously impatient yet didn’t admit he looked forward to dinner. They descended the stairs and left the building together, walking side by side. The sky above them darkened gradually until the stars became visible.

“Hey, demon?”

“What is it, human?”

“Are you friends with Sehůn, or is he just an acquaintance?” she asked curiously.

He sighed. “I guess you could call him a friend. I’ve known him for a few centuries.”

“Wha…? How old are you?!” She stared at him in disbelief.

“Let’s just say I’m rather experienced at certain activities,” he said, sending her a flirtatious wink that easily got her flustered.

“I-I wasn’t asking about that, you ert.”

“Why am I the ert now? You’re the one with the dirty mind here,” he smirked.

Minji pouted. “I’m innocent.”

“Are you?” he drawled, leaning in. “I wonder for how long.”

“Damn it, Baëkhyun! Stop!” she sputtered and quickened her steps to leave him behind. She heard him chuckle, and he caught up effortlessly. Her heels clicked on the asphalt as she descended the steps into the subway station, her eyes grazing a low-class demon that sat half-hidden in a corner. It had four eyes focused on her and Baëkhyun and looked creepy. She subconsciously inched closer to him. Consequently, his lips twitched in amusement, but he didn’t comment on her sudden clinginess.

They arrived at the China restaurant about twenty minutes later. Sehůn and Jangmi were waiting outside for them. The couple wore elegant clothing, and Jangmi even put a little flower in her violet hair.  

“Hi! It’s great to see you!” Jangmi smiled

“Same to you,” Minji answered happily, hugging the young witch. Sehůn smiled at their exchange while Baëkhyun merely raised his eyebrow, muttering something under his breath. They entered the restaurant, and one of the waiters led them to a table outside on the balcony, which provided them a beautiful view of Seoul. Many tables were occupied already, so it was fortunate they had decided to make a reservation.

Minji walked to the handrail encasing the balcony, taking in the tiny sparkling lights everywhere. It was a gorgeous sight, and she marveled at it. Thus, she remained there for a while until she finally tore her eyes away to sit down with the others. They were already awaiting her, Sehůn laughing amusedly.

“It’s amazing here, isn’t it?” he said. “Just wait until you tried the food!”

“I take it you come here often?”

“Yeah, we do, and it’s one hundred percent Sehůn’s fault,” Jangmi giggled and nudged him playfully.

“Hey, don’t act like you didn’t beg to come here again!”

“Sehůn, you’re making me look like a glutton in front of them!”

“But… you are a glutton.”

“That’s literally the last thing you should ever say to your girlfriend,” she complained, but the tiny smirk on her lips revealed that she wasn’t mad at all. They probably teased each other often, judging by their carefree behavior.

The four of them ordered their food, Baëkhyun having trouble deciding what he wanted until he ultimately chose something random.

“So, got any news?” Jangmi asked when the waiter had left.

Minji shook her head. She had already told her about the vampire, and other than that, nothing noteworthy had happened. “Not really… as you can see, we’re still stuck together. No clue how to break the bond,” Minji said with a careful glance in Baëkhyun’s direction.

“It’s only been a few weeks. That doesn’t mean it’s irreversible,” Baëkhyun countered. “We’re going to find a way out of this.”

“I haven’t learned anything either, even though I’ve asked around… it ended with people suspecting I want to break up with Sehůn, which couldn’t be further from the truth,” Jangmi grimaced. “As a witch, I can only tell you one thing. This kind of spell is complicated, so it hypothetically would take a lot of effort to break it. I’m assuming it cannot be done without a sacrifice.”

Minji gulped, seeing her dark expression. “What kind of… sacrifice?” she asked with great reluctance.

“A blood sacrifice,” Jangmi said seriously. “But I’m not sure since this includes the kind of dark magic I would never use.”

“I see no problem with killing someone,” Baëkhyun proclaimed without hesitation. Thankfully, none of the other guests in the restaurant overheard his words—otherwise, the demon might have been in trouble.

“But I do! Don’t even consider it,” Minji retorted.

“Yeah, don’t. You would need to find a witch who uses blood magic first, and they’re cunning, making shady deals that end in disaster,” Jangmi warned.

“You could always accept your situation,” Sehůn chimed in, draping an arm around Jangmi’s shoulders. “It isn’t so bad to be with Minji, or is it, Baëkhyun?”

The light demon sighed and propped his chin up on his hand. “So far, I’ve nearly lost my mind a few times,” Baëkhyun began to rant. “She’s so ing clumsy! One time she fell over the coffee table; another time, she stubbed her toe against the door, and yet another time, she burned her hands on scalding hot tea. I wonder how she managed to survive for 24 years!” He got worked up over it, prompting Sehůn to grin. Minji, on the other hand, shot him a dark look.

“These things happen; it’s no big deal.”

“It is! I’ve drawn the short straw here. Humans feel pain immediately; it’s ridiculous. Demons, however… you could shoot me, and I’d barely notice,” Baëkhyun said, and Minji once again realized she had never felt any physical pain from him before. He was right; he had drawn the short straw indeed.

“I’m sorry, Baëkhyun. I’ll try to have fewer accidents from now on,” she said, offering a crooked but genuine smile.

A faint smirk settled on the demon’s lips. “That doesn’t even make sense.”

“You’re right; the shared pain is a problem,” Sehůn sighed. “Jangmi sometimes cuts herself by accident when she makes food. Imagine how annoying it is to feel the stinging all the time.”

“Hey, next time you’re cooking!”

“I don’t think that would end well,” Sehůn said, laughing nervously.

“You wouldn’t believe it, Minji, but he set the pan on fire once,” Jangmi giggled.

Minji’s mouth dropped open. “Huh? Then you better keep him far away from the stove,” she snickered. “Let him cut vegetables or something.”

“I always knew that you are an idiot, Sehůn,” Baëkhyun mocked, his lips curling into a condescending smirk. Sehůn grimaced.

“Don’t act like you know how to cook!”

“Oh, but he does,” Minji replied. “He made my favorite dish for me, and it was great.”

Jangmi and Sehůn looked downright flabbergasted at this unexpected revelation, their eyes widening to a comical degree. Baëkhyun raised his chin and looked so smug that Minji couldn’t stop herself from smiling at the sight.

“See, there you have it. I’m better than you, Sehůn.” The arrogant demon rubbed it right into his friend’s face, who could only roll his eyes at him.

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