In the first week after Baëkhyun’s return, Minji couldn’t have been happier since her flat no longer was empty and lonely. She grew used to his presence very quickly, and after a few days had passed, they were returning to old habits. Making dinner together and watching movies until she fell asleep snuggled up to him on the sofa became normal. It wasn’t unusual for her to wake up in her bed the next morning, and he most of the time joined her, so the first thing she would see when she came to was his smug grin. While he still sometimes complained about Mochi’s presence, he seemed to tolerate the cat demon and only rarely got a little irritated when it stole her attention.

Baëkhyun had accompanied her to work today and kept her company while she had visited a press conference that she later wrote a news article about. When they returned home in the evening, they ate dinner together and ended up sitting on the sofa. A random show was on tv, but neither of them paid much attention to it.

Baëkhyun had been very fussy over her injuries from the fight with Chängho in the past days, insisting that she change the bandage and put ointment on them every day.

“Minji, you’re not getting away this time,” he grumbled since he knew that she’d forgotten the day before. He’d already fetched everything needed to treat her injuries and was waiting impatiently for her to remove her sweater. She knew that he wouldn’t shut up about it until she’d let him take care of the issue, so she didn’t complain. Besides, she secretly found it endearing how concerned he was for her wellbeing.

“Yeah, okay, I get it,” she replied and slipped her sweater over her head, letting it fall on her lap. It was a little cold like this since she was only wearing a bra underneath, so she hoped he would hurry up. He used scissors to cut the bandage open and removed it carefully, taking a look at the healing wounds beneath. She’d been hurt badly in the fight against Chängho and healed much too slowly in his opinion, reminding him constantly of how delicate humans were.

“Does it still hurt?” he asked while he spread the ointment over the cuts and scrapes.

She kept her eyes on the tv, feeling his cool fingers brush over her skin. “No, it’s much better now than it was before,” she replied. It was strange to her that she had to clarify this. Before they had broken the bond, he’d always known when something had been wrong, but now they didn’t have this kind of connection anymore. It saddened her and made her want the bond back.

However, while she truly wanted to spend her life with him, she was well aware that he’d have a significant weakness if he was bonded to her. If she died, he would die too, and she did not want to burden him with this risk. As long as he didn’t bring the bond up, she wouldn’t either as not to pressure him. She wasn’t that selfish, and she would respect his decision to get rid of it.

He finished wrapping her wounds and secured the end of the bandage so it wouldn’t open. While he packed away the leftover bandage and ointment, she slipped her pink sweater over her body and leaned her back against the sofa. Baëkhyun sat down next to her, returning his attention to the tv screen.

She, on the other hand, kept watching him. The living room was relatively dark, but his white and slightly messy hair stood out regardless, as did his glinting silver chain. He was mesmerizingly handsome, and since he didn’t age, that certainly wouldn’t change anytime soon. His ice-blue eyes caught the flickering light of the tv, glimmering softly.

Minji sighed to herself, getting lost in thoughts. Over the past days, she had continuously been thinking about something important that she had yet to do… She shouldn’t delay it any longer since she didn’t know what the future would bring. Only a few days ago, when he’d been so close to dying, she had regretted not going through with it earlier. She needed to act now, but the thought alone made her nervous.

How should she tell a demon that she was in love with him? Minji felt helpless about this, wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to just blurt it out. Baëkhyun was rather bold when it came to certain things, but she on the other hand was more on the shy side. Her cheeks flushed as she imagined confessing to him. How would he react to that? Would he laugh it off? ? Did he even… love her back? Maybe his heart was still caught up on Minā... It was obvious that she meant a lot to him even after all these years. She must have been a gorgeous and kind woman, and Minji wouldn’t be surprised if she was dull and boring in comparison.

She frowned. The longer she thought about it, the more insecure she became. She hadn’t confessed to anyone in a long time since she had avoided relationships after the disaster with Dongmin. This wasn’t exactly something she had experience with. However, if she didn’t go through with it now, she would only regret it later. She had to make sure he knew how she felt… Taking a deep breath, she made up her mind and pushed her doubts far away.

Her hopeful brown eyes came to rest on Baëkhyun and she reached out her hand to him, parting her lips to speak, but no words would come out of . What should she say? What should she do? Panicking, she retracted her hand and bit her lip.

“Is something wrong?” his velvety voice asked, making her flinch. He’d caught her unprepared, so she didn’t know what to say. Blue eyes looked her over suspiciously, moving from her folded hands to her face and taking in her flabbergasted expression.

“Minji?” he asked, sounding a tad worried.

“N-Nothing is wrong,” she laughed awkwardly. “I… uh… just wanted to ask if you… want something to drink? Because I was… about to head to the kitchen.” To prove her point, she got up. His eyes followed her every move, revealing his rising suspicion.

“I’m not thirsty,” he replied and stared after her as she walked to the kitchen. “Is that really what you wanted to tell me, though?”

She froze and her shoulders tensed when she heard him get up from the sofa to follow her. Swallowing, she turned around to come face to face with him, raising her chin to meet his eyes. They narrowed as he gazed at her searchingly. It was as if he could see right through her even though she hadn’t said anything yet. Her heart palpitated nervously in her chest, a red hue spreading over her cheeks.

“No, that’s not quite it,” she whispered, deciding to go through with it now while hoping that it wouldn’t make things awkward between them. If he didn’t return her feelings, that was bound to happen…

“Baëkhyun, I… I need to tell you something important,” she began and kept her gaze locked with his. Her fingers restlessly curled around the edges of her sleeves.

“I’m getting impatient, sugar,” he said huskily, leaning closer and flustering her more. She drew in a deep breath, his proximity making her head spin. Suddenly, it was much harder to concentrate.

Wetting her lips, she braced herself. “I’m sorry, it’s just that I don’t know how to say this,” she answered. “And I… I’m worried about what your answer will be…”

He sighed, twirling a lock of her long black hair around his finger. “You look nervous. Relax, there is nothing to be worried about.”

Maybe it was the softness of his voice or the warmth that sparked in his eyes. Maybe she had some sort of epiphany, but right at that moment, she found the words she needed to say.

“Baëkhyun, I’m in love with you,” she confessed without prior warning. Her hopeful eyes took in his reaction, widening a bit when his expression went from impatient to disbelieving. For a few long and tedious seconds, he didn’t say anything and just stared at her. He was frozen like an ice sculpture, making her fear of rejection grow. It had been so long since she’d been genuinely in love with someone. Perhaps she shouldn’t have said anything after all…?

“E-Even if you don’t return my feelings, I want you to know that you are very dear to me,” she added shyly.

She kept looking into his gorgeous eyes, and the moment he got over his surprise, something in them changed. They darkened a fraction, b with want and longing. Lust dyed his blue eyes ruby red within seconds. She had always been fascinated by the enthralling play of colors of his iris, its vibrancy taking her breath away.

Baëkhyun didn’t give her a verbal answer, but let his actions speak for themselves. He claimed her lips and kissed her roughly, cupping her cheeks with his hands. She gripped the front of his black hoodie for support when they stumbled backward without breaking their heated kiss. Minji almost lost her balance until he pressed her against the wall. She drew in a breath when he briefly stopped attacking her lips, moving a tad lower to the neckline of her sweater where his hot breath ghosted over her skin. Quivering, her fingers clenched around the soft material of his hoodie.

“I want you,” he purred and kissed her neck sensually. “I want you.” He went on to her jawline where he planted a few lingering kisses. “I want you.” He found her lips, , and nipping at them as he usually liked to do, but today, his actions were mixed with urgency and hastiness. He kissed her until she couldn’t think straight anymore, the desire within her consuming her like a storm. She melted into his touches, letting him lead the kiss.

He pressed her hands against the wall, his fingers interlacing with hers. A low chuckle reached her ears when she couldn’t hold in a moan, kissing him back fervently. She had missed him so much—she was clinging to him like he was her lifeline and let him complete her. The hole in her heart wasn’t there anymore; it had been mended, the wound healed.

She met his burning ruby eyes that seemed to glow, getting hypnotized by the intensity of his gaze. Without warning, he shoved his thigh in between her legs, pinning her to the wall with his body. Her chest pressed up against his, allowing her to feel every breath he took. He deepened the kiss, and she tasted his raw desire on her tongue, reading greed in his eyes.

Minji had weak knees by the time he was satisfied and let her take a few breaths. Letting go of her hands, he cupped her reddened cheeks and leaned his forehead against hers, taking in her half-lidded eyes, her swollen lips.

“Please be mine,” he murmured huskily, the seductive tint in his voice making her swallow. Her eyes grew wide in realization and suddenly, the loud pounding of her heart was all she heard.

“W-What?” she managed to stutter, believing that she was dreaming.

“Minji,” he said seriously, “I want to make a new bond with you.”

Her heart skipped a beat before its thumps became faster, nervous. This had to be a dream. It was all she wished for, all she had been thinking about for weeks and it was too good to be true. She would have never expected him to bring it up himself.

“It was a mistake to break the bond and I regret it,” he murmured, leaning in so their noses were almost touching, his breath fanning over the sensitive skin of her lips. She became hyperaware of his finger pads caressing her cheeks tenderly, felt his toned stomach on hers as she was trapped between him and the wall.

“Why?”