Minji stood at the Han River, listening to the sound of the water as it softly lapped against the river bank. Her eyes were closed while she concentrated on the noises around her, the car engines, the people talking, and the birds chirping. She had wished to be alone after her argument with Baëkhyun and left the apartment, relieved he hadn’t followed her. The demon was truly evil down to the core. There was no good in him. Cursing her bad luck, she opened her eyes to the bright blue sky over Seoul. She wanted her old life back, where she hadn’t been stuck with a demon.

Hearing the obnoxious ringtone of her smartphone for what felt like the one-hundredth time, she finally found the strength to pick up. “Hello?” she mumbled.

“Hi Minji, how are you?” Chaeyoung chirped, obviously in a good mood.

“Well, I could be better. What’s up?” Minji answered with less enthusiasm.

“Listen, I know Jisoo was a bit over the top last Friday, and I was scared you were mad at us when you didn’t reply to our texts all Saturday,” she said. “I have a little surprise for you to make up for it; want to meet up with me later?”

“Don’t worry, Chae. I’m not mad at you; I just had a lot to think about,” Minji replied. “What kind of surprise are we talking about?”

“I might have planned a double date for us,” she giggled but stopped when she didn’t receive an answer. “Come on, Minji! I can tell you got on your mind, and even if you don’t want to share it with me, I could at least distract you for a while. Please join me?”

“Fine, I will. You’re lucky I’m already outside anyways,” Minji said, casting her eyes toward the sky.

“We planned to meet in two hours at my favorite restaurant. You know where it is. Until then!” Chae said, ending the call.

Minji frowned, putting her phone back in her purse. Maybe this wasn’t a bad idea. She desperately needed a distraction… and since Baëkhyun wasn’t around to thwart her plans, she could allow herself to have fun. Everything would be fine if he didn’t see her with her friends.

Passing the time until three o’clock was easy. Minji lingered at the Han River, enjoying the beautiful weather, and later made her way to the restaurant. She arrived just in time. Chaeyoung was waiting outside, chatting with two young men. As Minji approached, they noticed her, and she was greeted with friendly smiles. Minji’s lips instinctively curved up as she introduced herself to them.

“Hi there, I’m Minji, Chaeyoung’s friend.”

“This is my boyfriend Hongbin, and that’s your date, Jaehyun,” Chaeyoung said, and Minji’s eyes moved to her date in curiosity. He was tall, had dark brown hair, and a handsome face. She was surprised someone like him was still single, but she didn’t dwell on the thought for long, his charming smile stealing her attention.

“Nice to meet you, Minji,” he said, putting an arm around her back as they walked inside, trailing after Chaeyoung and Hongbin. She was surprised by his forwardness but didn’t mind his gentle touch, smiling at him.

“Likewise,” she replied. “Are you Hongbin’s friend?”

“Yes, but I’ve only known him for a few weeks. My new job required me to move to Seoul,” Jaehyun explained.

“I see, so you’re new to town.”

“I’m still getting used to living here. Seoul is huge, and I might have gotten lost once or twice…” he chuckled.

“I could show you around if you want to?” she suggested shyly, her smile brightening when he nodded.

They took their seats at a table close to the restaurant's windows. It was next to the Han River, allowing a beautiful view of the waters and the nearby green areas. The group soon ordered their food and while they waited for it to arrive, they chatted animatedly about their hobbies and interests. Minji found herself having fun. She enjoyed spending time with Chaeyoung, Hongbin, and Jaehyun, and she couldn’t help but notice how different they were from a particular demon… He was like a looming thundercloud compared to them. Minji took a nip of her drink, occasionally glancing outside while she ate the dish she ordered. The food was delicious, which was why Chaeyoung liked coming here often.

“May I ask how old you are?” Jaehyun said, turning to Minji with a curious glint in his eyes.

“Oh, I’m 24,” she said, seeing his smile widen.

“Really? You look younger than that. Could have fooled me,” he laughed, prompting her to giggle. “What line of work are you in?”

“Want to guess?” she asked, lifting an eyebrow.

“Uh… I don’t know… maybe an artist? A photographer?”

“Not quite,” she replied, prompting him to tilt his head. He stayed silent for a while as he pondered over it, so she decided to tell him. “I’m a journalist for a newspaper agency,” she explained, rousing his interest.

“Wow, that sounds amazing.”

She smiled, finding his excitement kind of cute. He seemed smitten with her despite only having met her a few hours ago, and the feeling was mutual. It had been a while since she last met a man she had felt drawn to from the start. A spark had been ignited in her heart, waiting to grow into a flame.

“You two are acting as if we aren’t even here,” Hongbin suddenly piped in, laughing amusedly while Chaeyoung grinned at Minji.

“You’re so focused on each other. It’s cute,” she said, causing Minji to blush.

“Well…”

“It’s because she’s interesting and sweet,” Jaehyun replied, making Minji blush even harder.

The rest of the dinner went well, with all four of them having fun and joking about each other from time to time. Minji completely forgot about her impending doom, and whenever she shared a glance with Jaehyun, her heart would beat faster.

After dinner, they left the restaurant, and unfortunately, Minji felt quite tired because her demonic roommate had woken her up too early. She would need a good night’s rest to make up for it, or else she would be a zombie tomorrow morning at work. Hongbin and Chaeyoung left to go home, but Jaehyun opted to keep Minji company for a while longer, which she didn’t mind. They walked down a path close to the river as the sun was sinking.

“Minji, I know this might be a bit sudden, but… I enjoyed spending time with you, and I would love to meet you again. Do you want to exchange phone numbers?” Jaehyun asked hopefully, and she nodded without thinking.

“Sure!” She gave him her number, and he sent her a quick text so that she had his as well. Smiling, she put the phone away and walked next to him. Soon, he reached for her hand, taking it in a gentle hold, all the while glancing at her. The glimmering city lights were mirrored on the river's surface, a beautiful backdrop for their first date. Minji enjoyed the dazzling view and spent another hour with Jaehyun before she decided it was time to go home.

“I’ll take you home,” he said, but she declined, knowing it might result in his death if he got anywhere near her apartment…

“No, don’t worry about it. Maybe next time,” she said evasively, and he eventually gave up trying to talk her into it.

“I hope to see you again soon, Minji,” he replied, his eyes reflecting the city's beautiful lights. Minji was mesmerized by them and couldn’t take her gaze away. Her heart beat faster when he leaned towards her until their faces were only centimeters apart. When their lips touched, Minji fell into a trance, her senses focusing only on the man in front of her. The kiss left her breathless and disappointed when it ended too soon. Reluctantly, she forced herself to say goodbye to him and left to go home.

When she walked through the front door and closed it behind her, she leaned against it, about to collapse. She was exhausted, and it was all the stupid demon’s fault! She never dealt well with sleep deprivation; it never failed to bring her to her knees.

Hearing someone’s footsteps, she raised her head and spotted Baëkhyun with his hands in his pockets. His white braid rested on his shoulders as usual, and he still wore that weird silver chain over his nose. He studied her, eyes moving from her legs up to her face. His brow creased, and a cautious look appeared in his eyes.

“What’s wrong with you?” he commented.

She laughed without humor. “Don’t ask! If you hadn’t woken me so early, I would be overflowing with energy,” she hissed.

He tilted his head and glanced at her as if attempting to read her thoughts. “Strange,” he mumbled, gazing at the shadows under her eyes.

“Stupid demon,” she growled as she walked past him, entering her bedroom to go straight to bed.

She felt much better the following day, mostly because she slept for ten hours without interruptions. Baëkhyun didn’t wake her this time—a fact that she found rather surprising. He hadn’t cared yesterday; why did he care now?

Shrugging to herself, she decided not to overthink the demon’s weird behavior and trudged to the bathroom to shower. When she was done, she put her long black hair up in a ponytail, left the bathroom, and walked into the kitchen. Unable to hold in a yawn, she hid behind her hand. Baëkhyun already awaited her, and he had a surprise in store. He didn’t wear his usual clothes, but a much more casual-looking outfit no different than what humans would wear. A simple pair of jeans and a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up. The chain on his face was gone. He crossed his arms and watched her like a hawk while she prepared breakfast. Minji ignored his heavy stare, but it was hard since his blue eyes never failed to unnerve her.

“I’ll accompany you today,” he said with a finality that made clear he wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“What do you mean? You can’t just tag along; that’ll just keep me away from work,” Minji said, inwardly fearing for the lives of all the humans they would come across.

“Am I that much of a distraction to you?” he smirked seductively, biting his lower lip in a way that made Minji blush.

“W-What the—no! Don’t get too full of yourself, demon,” she complained, finishing her breakfast so that she could leave. At the very last possible moment, she remembered to cover up the mark on her wrist—it