Chapter 2

It was like a phase in someone’s life where you finally get to understand how the roles of humans work. Understand how life and death, hatred and love actually work. For the past few days I was trapped in my own havoc, trying to link every fragment of my lives together. It was then I understood the hypothesis of the current life I’m in now. I wasn’t meant to live like this. None of this spewing hatred for life was never suppose to occur. This was the first time I had ever put so much thought and thinking before, the life in school was atrocious.

Although this book revealed the presumptions of this current life, but it never once left my mind that death was still the only I wanted. Though never at a point in my life had I ever reached such a high peak of curiosity about life, a part of me wanted to see that demon again and allow him to hear out my interest. But at the same time I don’t want to ever see him again, my mentality had always been death and I know for sure he will never offer me death.

For the past few days I called in work telling them I wasn’t feeling well, it was strange of me to do something like this, but remained in my apartment waiting for something or someone to appear. I was having inner conflicts of why I chose to do this, I’m still unsure at the moment.

“It’s because I’m your destined soul mate, tied on the other end of the Red Thread of Fate. I’m the only one who can help you live,”

Destined soul mate? Tied together? It was a faint memory, but I recall one of the girls in my class during high school talk about the myth of the Red Thread. I thought it was absurd, how can God just tied two people together and make them intended lovers? But thinking back maybe this thread might really exist, since the demon said so.

If that’s the case does that mean I’ll eventually fall in love with that demon? I know for sure my life journey wasn’t supposed to be like this, that demon was by no means meant to be tied to me. He was just a life supply, life that I borrowed.

“Have you been waiting for me?” I heard that smug laughter as I watch him appear beside me on the sofa. They say that dreams come true, but whoever knew that nightmares come true too.

“I see you’ve been a good girl and did your homework I’d assigned,” he chuckled satisfied, picking up the book from the table, “How did you find it?” That smile on his lips seems to really bother me, not it a good or bad way. He just seems really persistent and a part of me feels quite insecure. 

“It was okay,” I replied softly, somehow at this moment I wished I had never waited or even thought of waiting for him. Maybe going to work was a better idea.

“Okay? I found it really interesting,”

I didn’t comment, he seems slightly annoyed from the aura surrounding him as he was sitting beside me. Guess this demon doesn’t like being ignored. He was starting to get uncomfortable as he sat up and gazed down at me, I could feel his eyes on me while I lowered my head. “Have you decided yet?” he asked pacing himself around the room to keep himself occupied, when he spotted a clock he started playing with the hands again. He’s quite weird.

“I-” I paused for a moment, within my mind it was yelling ‘Death! Death!’ but I found myself unable to say it. Was it because half of me chose to live? That’s definitely not it. “I need more time,” I finally answered, he turned around and looked at me oddly.

“I left you in peace for this long and that’s the answer I get?” he didn’t sound angry, his voice seems to be confused, “Is there something on your mind?”

“What makes you think that?”

“A lot of things,”

I wasn’t sure if it was best if I told him or not, but from his sincere expression I found myself lured into his comforting treatment. “Tell me what my answer is. You claim to know all my answers,” it took awhile to come out from my mouth, honestly I have no idea what the final decision would be. Maybe he knows.

I heard him chuckle pompously, “Then it’ll be too easy wouldn’t it? You know HyoMi, not every time you have trouble deciding someone is going to be there and tell you.”

“Then you’ll just have to give me time,”

“Time isn’t quite the answer,” he smirked holding up my clock with its hands twisted out of position, my eyes enlarged as I watched him broke off the hour and minute hands, “Although in your case given something timeless will be your savior.”

“You did not just break my clock,” this time I was the annoyed one, not only does he play with every clock he sees and spin the hands out of place, he just snapped the hands off like it didn’t cost anything!

“Were you even listening to me?” he questioned looking slightly confused as to why I didn't comment to anything related to what he had explained.

“I was before you snapped the hands off my clock!” I yelled in frustration, “You are going to fix that!”

“Fine,” he pouted like a kid, “Get me some sticky tape.”

“Sticky tape? Aren’t you a demon with supernatural powers? Just wave your hands and it’ll be fixed,”

“I’m the Demon of Lust, seducing the clock will not allow its hands to grown back,” there was a hint of mockery in his tone, maybe I should stop thinking that he’s some kind of superhero, “Now can you go get the tape?”

I rolled my eyes and went to fetch it, strangely I even wonder why he’s the one attached to me through that red thread. Not only does he want to convince me to live, now I realise his powers are only used to seduce people. I shouldn’t go near him or else he’ll seduce me too.

Handing him the tape I sat down on a seat furthest from him as I watched him tried taping the hands back on, noticing as he turned his view over to me I immediately pretended to play with my nails. “If you don’t want me to seduce you then stop avoiding me,” he chuckled smugly continuing to fix the clock, “I’m here to convince you not seduce you.”

I remained silent watching as finished off fixing the clock, placing it back to its original place he took a seat right beside me. “To make it up to you, I’ll answer any question you’re concern about,” he smiled as I looked up over at him in surprise.

“Why did everyone else die in that fire?”

“Your book was accidentally burnt, well most of it. But those people died because they were part of your future, since your future was destroyed they had to die too. If the remaining of your book wasn’t saved from the fire, more people would have died,”

“If that didn’t happen you wouldn’t be tied to me like you are right now,”

“Yeah, you wouldn’t even know I existed,”

“Err… Maybe I ask for your name again?” stupid question I know, but I’ve been referring to him as ‘demon’, the last time he introduced himself I felt as though my soul had floated away.

I watched his eyebrows furrowed together as though he was prepared to scold me for not remembering his name, “You weren’t listening when I explained who I was that time?”

“Well… You freaked the daylights out of me. The only thing that caught my attention was ‘demon’ and ‘death’,”

He scoffed absurdly, “My name is Death or you can call me BaekHyun so you won’t scare the daylights out of other people.”

I nodded clearly hearing it this time, “I’ll only allow one more question, you’re stupid questions are driving me nuts,” he stated yawning in boredom as I glared at him with a frown.

“How do I find you when I need help?”

“I’m going to be staying here, just a call or something and I’ll come,”

“Stay here?”

“Yeah. Moving in, if that makes it easier for you understand,” he acted as though I was some special kid or something. Of course I know what that means! The real question is why?!

“WHAT?! Who allowed you?!”

“Me of course. I know you’re freaking out but this is the only way to help us stay alive. I’ll be like your immortality pill. When your death desires are too high I’ll cool it down, if we stick together we can get through this,”

“I WANT TO DIE RIGHT NOW!!!”

“So where do I sleep?”

“NOWHERE!”

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I felt my lungs were being choked and congested with the smoke, there was no opening to escape. Suddenly feeling like someone was forcefully using their hand to block my nose and mouth, almost like trying to kill me. I didn't know why but I fought back, trying to release myself. Managing to pull myself away, I found myself within a foggy and well lit area. The warm sunlight casting over me made it feel safe.

“Im HyoMi,” a strange male voice called me, it seems really overpowering almost like a god was calling me, but I couldn’t see anyone around, “Do the right thing. It’s best if you die.”

“The right thing is to die?”I subconsciously asked the strange voice.

“Punishment is needed to be bestowed on those who caused it,”

It didn't make any sense to me. What does he mean?