A/N: Annyeong!  Thanks for tuning in!  I’m sorry for the late update, but did you guys enjoy the first one? Wah, I never knew I could write something so fluffy and cheesy~ Kekeke, and now, I present to you… TWYR, chapter 2!

“No.”

One simple word, yet its coldness stabbed mercilessly into her faintly beating heart.

“Waeyo?” The whisper slipped out of her trembling lips.  The air circulating inside her lungs froze, almost as if his eyes were challenging her, daring her to take even a breath.  Fighting back the tears that threatened to emerge from her eyes, Areum swallowed thickly before locking her gaze with his. 

“It’s not safe for you, it’s too dangerous there.”  Yoseob said in a quiet voice.  He watched as Areum lowered her head in eventual defeat, knowing that it was no use arguing against his final decision.  He so badly wanted to take back his words, but he knew it could not be done.  Yoseob cringed inwardly when he saw her face rise up again.

“A-Arasso, oppa.  M-Mianhae,” Areum could only manage a fake half-smile as she wiped away the small trail running down her cheek.  “I-I’m still thankful to h-have oppa by my side on a s-special day like t-this,” her sentences now started to blur.  “Areum-ah-” Yoseob started, hand reaching to brush away the strands of windswept hair hanging in front of her face, but the young woman took a step back.

“I-I’ll be in my room if oppa needs me…”

Yoseob could only stare as he heard her footsteps run up the staircase, followed by a soft bang from the bedroom door.  The man sighed heavily, and let the arm fall limply back to his side.  His eyes fell down to the unwrapped gift sitting primly across the abandoned table. 

Aish, I need some fresh air, Yoseob thought as he grabbed his jacket and bounded towards the patio door.  Upon sliding the frame open, he lashed back his wings and flew off.  Yoseob hovered a good twenty feet off the ground.  The evening wisps pushed against him, causing the leather straps to flap against the exterior of his clothes.  The demon swooped down until he was standing just outside of her bedroom window.                                     

Despite the glass barriers, Yoseob could still hear the sounds of her quiet sobs as he envisioned her to be hiding underneath the sheets.  His fingers curled into an angry fist.  He knew that if he stayed there any longer, he would not be able to control himself nor his feelings.  Taking one last look back at the dark curtained room, Yoseob whirled around and departed. 

Things will quiet down and go back to normal.  They always do, Yoseob’s last thought rang out in his mind.

But it didn’t.  Not this time.

Yoseob came home at dawn to find Areum curled up in the same fetal position from last night, her head still buried within the pillows.  She did not come out when Yoseob called her, even to the point of him knocking on her door, which he never had to do since she would always rush down to him.

The days dragged on to weeks, which the brokenhearted girl continued to lock herself in her room, and Yoseob was going crazy at her state of depression.  Areum didn’t eat, drink, or even get out of bed.  A few times, Yoseob heard the showers running, and he couldn’t help but panic at the duration of the water flow, since every time was roughly three hours.  He could not even break open her door, for he created a lock for her doorknob and window that only she could control the entries in and out.  The additional effect allowed him to detect her presence from the outside.  Overall, this was to protect her from other demons potentially harming her, and right now the plan was backfiring on Yoseob.     

On the down side, this demon could not cook to save his life.  Meals after meals turned out to be inedible, even to his taste.  In the end, Yoseob had to settle for foods created by spells, and occasionally, half-burnt ramyeon.  He longed for Areum’s homemade cooking, but even more so, her returning accompaniment.  The mansion seemed cold and lifeless without the music and laughter from their past times together, and it nearly drove Yoseob to the edge.        

At last he couldn’t take it anymore.  One morning after his daily flight, he descended down to Areum’s balcony door, and peered in. 

His eyes widened.  Something was not right.  The bed sheets were deflated, not occupied with the lumps that he had witnessed previously for the past several days.  His fingers then touched the glass exterior and Yoseob’s breath caught in his throat.  She was not inside her room either.

Yoseob tore through the air and launched his wings sharply to the right, before stomping onto the patio and ripping open the door with incredible strength.  “Areum!” He shouted in front of the grand staircase.  His voice echoed dimly around the deserted mansion, with no sign of any response.  The man flung out his hands and silver light shot out to glide upon the walls, eventually returning to his palms.

That meant no sign of human presence. 

Cursing under his breath, Yoseob ran up the stairs and crashed at Areum’s bedroom door.  Surprisingly, it was unlocked, and he tumbled in.   Just as he feared, she was gone. 

No! This can’t be happening to me, Yoseob thought furiously in his mind as he ransacked Areum’s bed along with her personal belongings.  He was desperate.  Even a clue, anything could help him find out where she was, Yose