It was a tiring path back home, his heart was uneasy and his eyes were always damp. He didn’t understand what had happened, they were fine, he chanted, but it was too damn painful to ignore. Though, he did smile when Hyuna had welcomed him back, with a beautiful motherly smile on her pale face as she guided him to the dinner table. “Hungry?” Changhyun nodded, though it was hard, he didn’t want to hurt anybody anymore. They’ve suffered enough and one decent dinner was harmless.

“How’s Chunji?” the boy asked as he poked his noodles, with his eyes still red from worries. “He’s alright, actually he’s already out. You know, Byung’s matter” Hyunseung answered calmly as the demon tilted his wine glass back and forth, smirking at its fine and sweet color.  “Hyung… I want to ask you something…”

“Go ahead.” The wine glass clicked silently as it landed on the ruby lined table, while Hyuenseung diverted his red eyes to the younger. “White, pulsing tattoo… on someone’s back. A demon most probably” Changhyun stuttered as he tried to recall the patterns, the characteristic while keeping his calm, he can never let the demon find out who.

“Yeah…” letting himself pull one breath in, he continued, “What type of demon?”. Hyunseung smirked, the demon, however, knew exactly who that question was intended for; in fact he had even expected it. “Gumiho’s. Human form demons like gumihos has white tattoo and they shine. It’s their tails, their powers pulsing along their veins”

“When seen up close, it’s quite fascinating actually.”

“But… he’s a mortal. Like me” the younger gasped as his fingers trembled, eyes fixed on the floor while he tried his best to solve the pieces of puzzles. “No, he’s a half-blood” the fork finally had dropped to the ground, banging on it loudly as the boy stood up abruptly, bracing himself. “Yes, that is true. And there is something I need to tell you too. We made an agreement…”

“No… he’s just a boy. A strong hearted mortal”

“Changhyun, can you hear me?”

⇔

“Grandma… I’m ready” his eyes were deep with pain, blue and hollow. But his knuckles were shaking and his heart had never raced so fast before, it was the end. Finally he had accepted his destiny, a life he’d trade his soul for, to never approach and yet, there he was, ending his own wish. Tears were stubborn enough to stay within his eyelids and sweats were relentlessly surfing out his pale skin as he held his composure together.

It was time.

“It’ll be fine Jonghyun. I’ll make you invincible, just like your brother and like me…”

“You’ll be strong”

Though his face spelled no emotions, fear was blocking his throat and he was choking on agony itself, as his breath trembled. Her monstrous, lean, pale fingers ran over the younger’s warm, smooth skin as her face lit up with amusement. Changjo hitched at the slight touch, knowing that was the last sense he would experience as a human. Looking outside the witch’s house, his tears fell painfully as he bit his lips and stared at his wailing mother. Held back by a number of other gumihos and as she cried, he too started to sob.

“Eomma… I’m sorry. Hyung… Aboji… this is for the best”

“Angel, you may get you dead boyfriend ready for the ritual. Bear in mind, this is the last time we would see each other, my grandson too. Understand?” the nefarious looking woman sneered as she peeked at Byunghun, who was lying lifeless on top of the table. “The charm is here and I already memorized the spell, we can start.”

“Fantastic” her vile little giggle resonated deep inside Chunji’s skin as he stared pitifully at Changjo. He whispered his name and as the boy look, he smiled gently. A heartfelt smile that had meant a thousand words and Changjo understood.

“Thank you…”

The room lit up so bright that it was blinding to the eyes, everything was white and while Changjo endure the emptiness, he smiled as his fingers went to his earlobes, slightly pinching the winged shape earring. “It’ll be alright”

⇔

“WHAT DID YOU DO? TELL ME YOU DEMON!! WHERE IS THE BOY?!!!!!!” Changhyun screamed as he clawed into Hyunseung’s collar, forcefully bringing the demon closer to his raging face. But then after a few seconds of silence, tears glimmered within his round, desperate eyes. “pl…ple..please. He’s everything I have… hyung”

“I can't tell you b..but it’ll be alright because Changjo would still be alive.. just..” the demon stuttered, even at such a weak force, his heart shook so bad when he saw the heartbreak in Changhyun. “One life short…” the boy chocked as he knelt on the floor, tears just overflowing and his breath all over the place while sobs laced his broken voice. He trembled and even with Hyuna holding him, the boy broke free from her comfort and he held his breath so that he could at least endure the torture.

“Why… why would you? He was everything, finally, I was free. And you took him away… he loved me, I adored him and I ing need him, hyung!” the boy wailed and howled as he rocked his body slowly, overwhelmed with the pain.  “He was my guardian…. Choi Jong Hyun is my angel and yet…”

“You had to take him away. I should’ve left, like what he said, this house, this family is cursed… I was dying and I still had hoped that everything was about to get better and now, congratulations.”

“You finally killed me”

“Ricky-ya… No.” Hyuna wept as she tried to reason with the boy, but then at the sight of the younger’s broken, resentful eyes, she froze. It was true. Changhyun was no more. Not without Changjo.

Though his limbs had drained of strength, the boy crawled up and started to run. He ran everywhere while he cried, he looked everywhere, called every person and yet after two hours. He was alone in the middle of the road, eyes red and skin pale from the cold, spring air that as if had pitied him and like a friend had frozen the ground for him to run on. He breathes and breathes, but the pain never stopped and as the nearing lights and the sound of the horn crept closer, he sighed. He wanted an end.

“Yoo Changhyun!!!!!” his dilated eyes snapped across the road as he saw Changjo waving at him, so with one last effort he took one step closer to the edge and thankfully the truck had stopped early enough from running him over. Abundance of curses flowed down the driver’s lips, but the boy just kept walking on, with one person in sight. A broken smile showered his crestfallen face as he mumbled alone, “Changjoya… there you are..”
 

But as his tears fell more and his sight improved, he fell to the ground, chanting on a word.

“Eobsoh…”

⇔

It was 10PM when he had stormed out of the mansion, and when he fell the hours passed him by, coldly and without mercy. At first, there was a concerned crowd but as he kept sobbing, not flinching, the numbers had died down and in the end everyone was walking passes him and his endless agony. People had stopped caring too and he was alone, beside the road wailing for one man that he knew had disappeared.

A small puddle of tears stained his capris and his puffed, almost worn eyes were as red as his knuckles. Yet there he was, still calling on Changjo.

“nh… Jonghyun…. i.. know.. this is useless but I w….whmm…ngh…ha..I was so wrong. Come back you idiot….c…haa…come back!”

“Yoo Changhyun?”