Soft hands wrapped around his wrists, thin legs lightly his own, body shaking with anticipation, an angel closed his eyes and let himself be taken away by the sensuality of the instant. He let his love warm his heart slowly, carried away by the music yet so deep into it that it almost did not reach his ears. He had spent days dreaming of this instant, he had been taken away from these gentle hands for too long. The craving was too strong and finally, he was flying away from them. He smiled as he wrapped the strong arms around his belly, searching for the warmth he had missed so much. He could feel the soft breeze against his cheek, the delicate breathing making his heart miss a beat as memories kept coming back. Where did love lead ? What did love mean ? This was the only love he knew, and this love would never let him down. Almost mischievously, the angel unwrapped himself from the soft body, ready to fall yet a protective hand gripped his ankle, refusing to let him hurt himself. He was safe. He knew that he would never fall, that he could trust. Slowly, time started following its course again and his feet touched the ground, then his knees, and the gentle hands left his body.

The monster opened its eyes as the music faded away to let the silence reign over the tent. Only his breathing could be heard, almost deafening so empty was the circus. No matter how wonderful his love was, it had not been enough to make them come back. They had left him alone, they had ignored his silent cries for help, and they had avoided the monster pleading for a second chance.  So it was like this, after all ? Was he cursed ? His precious ropes of silk were supposed to comfort him, to make him feel the warmth of his love, but what was left was only the memory of the silk against his skin. Dancing in the sky had done nothing for him this time, absolutely nothing.

He was startled slightly when he felt water on his hand. Oh. He had not realized he was crying. So a monster could cry of scaring people away ? Was it not his job ? Should he not be used to it ? 

He had no right to be sad. It was his fault, his fault… Was it not ?

“Are you alright, little one ?”

The blinding sunlight attacked his eyes, used to the artificial sun inside the tent, and he flinched. It immediately disappeared and footsteps could be heard. He thought he was dreaming until he felt a light hand touch his shoulder. He jumped and the hand immediately left his bare skin. The monster turned to face the newcomer and was surprised to see a businessman crouching next to him, a gentle smile on his lips. Smiling in turn, he respectfully bowed his head before remembering the question and nodding quickly, drying his tears. 

“I-I’m fine, thank you, sir. I’m just a bit lonely here.”
“Are you alone ? I thought everyone had left already.”

The boy pouted and looked at the floor, refusing to state the obvious. He sighed. The older man stood up, dusting the dust and sand from his expensive costume before looking around him with a small smile. The circus was old and it was miracle that it was still standing without the money to take care of it. The owner had done a great job but now was the time to write a new story for this place. 

“When are you leaving ?” he asked casually, not showing any interest for the answer.
“L-leaving ? I’m not leaving, I live here. I want to work and I want to try hard so the circus can work again also !”

That was unexpected. The man looked at the teenager in front of him, whose red eyes showed both determination and uncertainty for his dubious hope. He looked at him from head to toe. His simple choice of words for a male like him showed an obvious lack of education, his attachment for the circus was cute yet stupid and he did not seem to notice the danger coming from the unknown person he was. His particular features made him both unique and terrifying for those who were not used to it. The adult fought back a smirk. 

Oh, this would be fun.

“That’s really courageous of you. I’m sorry for your circus,” the man apologized, looking sympathetic, “I’m the one who bought a land and my advisors didn’t tell me about it until after the deal was sealed. If I had known, maybe… What’s your name, little one ?” 
“Y-Yeonmin, mister.”
“Yeonmin,” the man repeated, smiling, “Listen, Yeonmin. I can’t officially do anything for you, it’s my job, you know. But maybe if you could repay the debts of the circus, then the deal could be reconsidered.”

The circus boy’s eyes lit up and he looked at him excitedly. The adult could not contain his smirk.

“Let’s make a dare ! I will give you 6 months to create a new show and if at the end of these months, you have a full pleased audience, then I’ll pay your debts, cancel the deal and help you rebuild your circus. I’ll provide you with money during the six months to buy props and everything you need for you, your performers and the animals you still have left.” 

A laugh almost found its way out when Yeonmin knelt down, seemingly overjoyed.

“Thank you so much, mister !” he then paused, he cocked his head to the side, suddenly realizing something, “But w-what will happen if you win ?”
“Ah, but you’ll do your best to win, right ? So let’s not think about that too much, should we ?”

He nodded eagerly and hundreds of thanks came out of his mouth. This was the perfect opportunity for him ! This man was like a miracle, but he was tied by his work, so his only way to help was with a dare ! Yeonmin felt tears of joy run down his cheeks. He finally had a way to make things right, to save his home, to give joy to others. All his hard work had finally paid off ! The man told him he would come tomorrow to settle things down and give him the money and addresses to get the needed supplies, before saying goodbye. 

As the echoes of ‘thank you’ were slowly disappearing, the businessman allowed a huge smirk to appear on his face. He had found the perfect victim for his new game. This innocent little man would understand that he should not trust those who come close to him. He would destroy his world and crush his dreams until there is nothing left but an obedient little puppy. 

After all, Shin Sungrok never loses a dare.

author notes

Finally here it is ! I'm finally back on track, university is over in one month, so yeah ! My co-author and I will start planning for this story together from now on, so please keep the applications coming, tell your friends, have some fun ! The deadline is still not before a long time, I'm waiting to have more applications to set it. This teaser, as you guessed, was how the dare started, and Yeonmin's first meeting with devil Sungrok. It gives you a bit more insight into Yeonmin's personality (though not much yet !). Ah, also, because I made him work with aerial silk doesn't mean you can't choose it as your act, on the contrary ! I truly apologize for the lack of quality, it's the first work I'm doing after a very long break, so it'll take me a couple of chapters to go back to how I used to write - it is also not proofread for the moment, I've been making you wait for too long, so we'll check it a bit later. Anyway, I hope you liked it, if you have any questions, feel free to ask ! 
Bye bye, have a nice week everyone ~ !

“ i don't want to think that the path is blocked ”