“I’m his better half,” Baekhyun answered. “Everything he isn’t.”

He vocalized what Minji had been thinking since she had first seen him. Baekhyun was very different from Baëkhyun—in a good way. He wasn’t scary or intimidating; he didn’t yell at or insult her and looked human; more human than the demon could ever be. The longer she gazed at him, the more she wished he was the one she had been bonded to.

“You’re looking for someone, aren’t you?”

“How did you know?”

“You just called someone’s name, so I figured,” he remarked. A strand of his blond hair fell over his eyes, making him look adorable.

“Do you have any idea where my friends could be? They must have arrived a while ago,” she asked hopefully.

“I don’t; I’m sorry, but I can help you search for your friends if you want. You shouldn’t be here alone. It’s dangerous,” he answered and furrowed his brow in concern.

“Thank you, Baekhyun. This place is less scary with someone like you around,” Minji smiled, and he mirrored her expression, his chocolate eyes twinkling invitingly.

“I’m happy to be of help,” he said and held out his hand for her to take. She didn’t hesitate and put her hand in his palm, feeling his soft skin on hers. His hand encased Minji’s, never once breaking eye contact. He was handsome, and she easily got lost in his gentle gaze, making her feel comfortable and safe. The longer she looked at him, the more her nervous heartbeat calmed until it returned to a regular pace.

“Let’s go and look for your friends together.”

She squeezed his hand. “Yes,” she whispered, warmth blooming in her heart. Again, his smile was bright, lighting up his entire face. Seeing Baëkhyun’s face b with such warmth and gentleness was peculiar. It just didn’t fit together, and something about it weirded her out, but she didn’t dwell on the thought for too long.

“Please follow me,” Baekhyun said, grinning like a happy puppy as he led her out of the room to the hallway. He still held her hand, and she wondered where he would take her. The area they now reached wasn’t as rundown as the rest of the building. There hardly was any dust, no cobwebs, no decay. Countless picture frames decorated the walls left and right of her, the people depicted in the photos smiling at her.

Only minutes later, they entered another hauntingly beautiful room with expensive and old furniture. A canopy bed stood opposite the window façade, and next to it, Minji spotted a wooden wardrobe with flowers carved on its surface. She was blown away by the beauty of this room but didn’t understand why it looked so inviting compared to the rest of the house. It seemed like someone had been living here all this time.

“Baekhyun?” she asked, prompting him to turn around to look at her.

“Yes? You look confused,” he chuckled. “Don’t you like this place?”

“It’s beautiful,” she replied. “But my friends aren’t here either.”

“We’ll have to continue our search,” he smiled. “We’ll find them soon, trust me.” She gazed into his chocolate eyes and was mesmerized by their inviting warmth, unable to look away.

Suddenly, raw pain flashed through her arm and half of her torso, causing her to stumble towards his chest. He embraced her, watching her with worry in his eyes. “What’s wrong? Minji?”

She gasped, unable to bear the burning hot agony gnawing at her body. This wasn’t her pain, it was his. Minji’s eyes widened in fear, and she turned around but couldn’t find a trace of who she was looking for. Of course not; he wasn’t here. They had been separated. Minji had never felt the demon’s pain before and knew it took a lot to hurt him. Her heart became heavy with concern, and her chest constricted as she worried about what was happening to Baëkhyun right at this moment. Was he in danger? Where could he be? The pain in her body faded gradually, but a dull ache remained, telling her he was anything but safe. Looking up in Baekhyun’s eyes, she felt bad that she had forgotten the demon so easily. What had she been thinking, following a stranger through a haunted mansion?

“I need to go. Baëkhyun’s in trouble,” she said, but he stopped her.

“Would you leave me for that demon?” he frowned deeply. “He’s so mean to you all the time. Why would you be worried about him?”

She didn’t have an answer to that question, shrugging her shoulders. “Baëkhyun isn’t all bad… he really isn’t.”

“You’re lying to yourself! Let me stay with you in his stead—I can make you happy.”

She looked up at him, and his embrace became a little tighter. Biting her lip, she sent him a conflicted glance. “Baekhyun, I don’t know if I…”

“Hush. I’ll get rid of him for you, then you will be free. You just need to trust me,” he said and smiled cheerfully. She parted her lips, losing herself in his chocolate eyes, but a persistent voice in her mind told her she couldn’t do this. She wasn’t the kind of person who betrayed others and would not turn her back on the demon. Baëkhyun and Minji needed to work as a team. Otherwise, they would never get rid of the bond.

“Why are you hesitating? I’m the only one who can make him disappear from your life. I can take his place,” Baekhyun continued, brushing a black strand of hair behind her ear with a gentle touch. “He is nothing but a burden to you. Don’t you wish for him to vanish?”

His words triggered a strong sense of desperation, reminding her of everything she had lost after being chained to the demon. Most of all, she wished to lead a normal life, to be happy, and not worry about supernatural creatures. She swallowed, tears burning in her eyes. His embrace was warm and comforting; it would be so easy to just say yes.

“I would never wish for someone to vanish, even if that someone is a demon. I told you Baëkhyun isn’t all bad,” Minji said honestly and met his gaze head-on, her face showing a serious frown. “There has to be another way.”

“But Minji! He’s dangerous! How many times did he threaten to kill you? You can’t just forget about that!”

“I… I know,” she breathed conflictedly, remembering the cruel things Baëkhyun had told her in the past.

“Do you know what happened to the last person who summoned me?” Baëkhyun asked, smirking evilly at her before he moved his thumb horizontally over his neck. “I killed him, dragging it out to make it as painful as possible. And that’s exactly what is going to happen to you. As soon as I’m rid of the bond, I will drag you to hell myself.”

She took a shaky breath and tried to forget, but those words had been burned into her memory. It was hard to stay calm as she recalled Baëkhyun’s smoldering glare, his enraged voice. In a twisted and ed up way, all this reminded her of her ex, and he wasn’t someone she liked to think about. Dongmin had threatened her all the time, and a part of her confidence had been lost because of him, leaving her more insecure than before.

She had begun to trust Baëkhyun during the past days and weeks, letting her guard down around him, but now she had to ask herself if this had been a mistake. Wasn’t he too similar to Dongmin? Wasn’t he just as mean and rude to her, putting her down whenever he could? Minji felt torn apart as memories of their arguments flickered through her mind. Baëkhyun had often said mean things to her. He was prideful and arrogant, easy to anger, and rather violent. What he’d done to the vampire not long ago still made her shiver—she hated violence, and he never hesitated to use it.

However, there had been moments when Baëkhyun had been kind to her, even if it hadn’t happened often. She remembered his attempts to cheer her up and how he had prepared her favorite dish for her. That had been unexpectedly nice of him. If she thought about it, he had never physically harmed her, and lately, his remarks towards her were more teasing than insulting. She had been wrong when comparing him to Dongmin… they were not the same. Not at all.  

“Minji?” Baekhyun’s soft voice distracted her from her thoughts and caused her to glance at his face. He was still frowning in worry, holding on to her hands. Silky strands of blond hair framed his cheeks, looking a little messier than before, but in a cute way. “Have you made your decision?” he asked.

She widened her eyes, but her words got stuck in . What was she supposed to tell him? He seemed nice and kinder than the demon but was a complete stranger. First impressions didn’t say all that much about the true character of a person… Agony hit her so unexpectedly that she nearly lost her balance. Gritting her teeth, she clutched her shoulder. It felt like it was bitten by something. Gasping, she was overwhelmed by the pain. What was happening to Baëkhyun? He had to be in terrible danger, possibly attacked by a vicious demon. She had to do something to help him!

Without warning, the door was thrown open, banging against the wall. Her head snapped around, her eyes meeting Baëkhyun’s. She was shocked when she saw him. His clothes were torn, half his sleeve was missing, and he was bleeding badly. It was a wonder he was still able to stand. Since the pain in her limbs was dulling, she assumed his demonic power allowed him to heal faster than a human. Blood splatters covered part of his face; he had even lost his silver chain. Baëkhyun’s scarlet eyes darkened when they took in the scene before him. Clutching his side with one hand, he entered the room, his shoulders heaving.

“Minji, get away from him now,” he snarled.

“Don’t order her around,” Baekhyun said. “Learn your place, lowly demon!”

The light around Baëkhyun’s body bent and flickered as he got angrier. It was a terrifying sight, prompting Minji to take a step back. She didn’t see Baekhyun’s sly smirk at her apparent fear, too focused on Baëkhyun to notice anything else. Baekhyun hugged her tightly and shot the demon a challenging look, riling him up even more. Something sinister glinted in his brown eyes, but he put a sugary smile on his face when Minji looked at him.

“See, you shouldn’t be with someone like him, Minji,” he said in a tone as soft as velvet, capturing her attention. She met his gaze and felt his breath on her lips.

“Damn it, get away from him!” Baëkhyun shouted furiously but didn’t dare attack his reflection since chances were high he would hurt her by accident. Judging by the cunning smirk on the other man’s face, he was aware of this.

“Minji, you can’t trust…” Baëkhyun started but was suddenly interrupted by a horrifying snarl coming from behind him. A demon looking like a dog appeared at the door, but it was merely a skeleton without skin and flesh, and it set its sights on Baëkhyun. He hadn’t recovered from the last demon attack and barely managed to evade before the dog's sharp teeth tore into his arm. Cursing, he willed a flash of light to strike the monster, but it wasn’t defeated so soon. It jumped at him again and bit his arm. He screamed, agony searing Minji’s body. It felt terrible, and she could only imagine how much worse it was for him since he had to deal with blood loss and exhaustion too.

Minji couldn’t stand back and watch. Ripping herself away from Baekhyun’s embrace, she grabbed the first thing she could see—a wooden chair—and ran at the two demons while the pain threatened to make her legs give in. She swung the chair at the skeleton and heard a crack when it collided. The monster growled furiously as it was slammed away from Baëkhyun, hurled against the wall. He immediately followed up with another light attack, this time separating the skull from its body, rendering