“So, before I get into Kai’s backstory, I should probably tell you how one becomes a demon,” Baekhyun said to the girl.  “It might get a little confusing, so feel free to stop me if you don’t understand something.”

“Why are you telling me all of this?”

Baekhyun shrugged.  “To make things interesting.  Plus, I’ll probably be dead if I go back to where my boss is.”

“I don’t—”

“I was promised one wish if I killed you.  I’ve failed him, so he’ll probably kill me instead.”

“I’m sorry…”

Baekhyun paused.  Did she just…?  He started to chuckle, and when he thought about the human apologizing, he started to laugh.  Soon, his stomach hurt, and if he had tears, they’d probably be running down his face.

“Did I say something wrong?”

“No.  Excuse me for that.  You’re very amusing,” he replied, clearing his throat.

“Oh.”

“Anyway, there are a few ways that you can become a demon,” Baekhyun explained.  “First, you can be born into it.  If both of your parents are demons, then you are automatically a demon.  Next, you can be recruited by the devil himself, which I was.”

Cheon Sa’s eyes widened.  “You were recruited by the devil?”

“Yeah, though my story is for another day.”

“Oh.”

“Third, you can apply to become a demon.  Humans can do so, but there are a few…requirements to be accepted.”

“Humans can apply?”

“Yes.  To become a demon, you have to kill a human of the devil’s choice.  It’s a dangerous process for humans because if they fail, then they die instead.  That’s how Kai became a demon.  Soon after, the devil decided not to allow humans to become demons anymore, as he felt that the process was too dangerous for humans.”

“Jongin killed someone to become a demon?”

“Yeah.”

“He doesn’t look like someone who could kill another person.”

“He didn’t take the whole killing thing too well, so the devil had to erase Kai’s memory.  It was for the good of everyone.”

“Oh.”

“So he probably hasn’t told you anything because he doesn’t remember much about his past.”  Suddenly, Baekhyun felt Kai’s presence at the top of the stairs.  With a small smile, he said, “I think that’s enough story time for today.”

“But—”

“Don’t worry,” he replied.  “We can continue this another day.”  He brushed a small strand of hair out of the human’s face, just to irritate Kai a bit.  The human girl shifted away from his touch, eyes wide.

<:>

Jongin tried to hide his irritation.  Why does that bastard think he can just tell her stories about his life?  When did he get the right to speak with her like that?

When Baekhyun brushed a strand of hair out of the human girl’s face, Jongin clenched his fists and took deep breaths.  What is this feeling?

“I think that it’s called jealousy,” Baekhyun said, suddenly next to him.

Jongin recoiled, surprised.  “How did you—?”

“Hey, don’t ask me.  You’re the one who didn’t notice me climbing the stairs.”

“I could hear you, idiot.”

“Right.  Anyway, I can see why you like that human girl so much.  Cheon Sa, right?”

“Don’t say her name like you’ve known her your whole life.”

“I should say the same about you, Kai,” Baekhyun sneered.  “Your attachment to that human girl has brought everyone into danger.  If you hadn’t stepped in to save her before I killed her, then you and I wouldn’t be—”

“Shut up.”

“Don’t tell me that you’d rather die for her than save your own life?”

“I would.”

“Well…guess what, Kai.  She feels the same way toward you.  I can see it in her soul.”

Jongin scoffed.  “How could a human save me?  They’re so soft and delicate, and they need protection from things like us.”

“You’d be surprised, Kai, at how humans can save us.”

<:>

Suho watched the encounter between Baekhyun and Kai with interest.  Humans…saving us?  What bull.  He sipped his coffee, irritated that someone had switched out the caffeinated version with the decaffeinated version.

“Baek—dammit.  I forgot…you’re not here.”

He looked around the empty office in dismay.  “Where the hell is everyone?”  At that, a new recruit walked out of the coffee room.  Suho stared at the boy in confusion.  “And you are?”

“Kim Jongdae, sir.  It’s an honor to be working here.”

“Oh, it’s very nice to meet you, Chen.  I’ll need another coffee in a few minutes, if you don’t mind,” he said, calling the boy by whatever name first popped into his mind.

“Yes, sir!”

“And…if you don’t mind, I’d like you to go down to the human world in a bit to bring back Baekhyun.”

“Got it!”

“And when you do,” Suho said, smirking, “make sure to tell him that our little deal is still on.”