“Tell me your story demon.”

Jiyong rolled his eyes and tended the fire, “What makes you so interested in my history now, Seunghyun?” he leaned back onto his haunches and folded his arms over his chest.

“I must know who I’m traveling with, demon you may be,” Seunghyun cocked his head to the side, “Well? Tell me your story.”

“No,” a frown came over Jiyong’s face as he looked at Seunghyun. He didn’t get why Seunghyun wanted to know anything about him as he seemed dead set on leaving him when his time was up, “I’ll tell you when you come to like me. I won’t share my secrets with an enemy of mine.”

“Then I shall never know,” Seunghyun stood up and brushed his hands on his pants to get rid of the dust. A bored expression on his face as he looked around, “A year seems like a century spending it with you.”

There was a short pause before Jiyong stood up as well and faced Seunghyun, “If you want me to be the demon I am then just say so, I will make every waking moment for you a hell you can never imagine,” he his lips and grabbed Seunghyun’s chin, pulling him closer as their breaths mingled in the air, “It would do me the most pleasure to abandon this charade and show you who I really am. I’ll show you what thousands of years of loneliness have done to me.”

Seunghyun scoffed and pushed Jiyong away from him, “I knew you were just a lowly demon, waiting to cause mayhem and destruction, fear and pain. That’s all you know.”

“I was human once; you best remember that.”

“I wonder what kind of person you were if you were any good at all?”

Jiyong narrowed his eyes, “You people are all the same, you scream righteousness but inside you’re truly heartless unfeeling being’s.”

“If I had a heart you took it away,” Seunghyun frowned, “I’ll know about you soon enough.”

Jiyong looked down at the ground, “I’ll tell you one thing, I know I am selfish, for I know I have taken everything away from you. Although I feel you are judging a book by its cover, not everyone is who you see on the outside.”

“Are you saying that you are more than what you seem?”

“Yes.”

Seunghyun scoffed and turned his nose up in the air, “I wish I cared.”

“I didn’t think so,” Jiyong looked at the sun rising and gathered his things, “We should be on our way, there is a lot of work to do.”

“Such as?” Seunghyun followed after him, thinking the only work they could do would be taking souls. Something that they did every day without falter.

“Work,” he didn’t say anymore as they walked through the woods. The sun followed them as it rose in the sky and neither spoke a word until Seunghyun got bored, tired of the monotony that had befallen them.

“If you’re a demon why is it that we have to walk?”

“I am a demon; you are not.”

Seunghyun groaned and rolled his eyes, “What does that have to do with anything.”

“You have only the powers I grant so to speak.”

“Well, give me some,” Seunghyun shrugged like it was no big deal, he didn’t see the use in walking long distances, though as long as he had been with Jiyong he felt no pain, “Why is it that I don’t feel any pain, and I’m not tired anymore?”

“That’s a stupid question because you’re not human anymore. I’ve said this, haven’t you noticed you haven’t been sleeping? Or were you too preoccupied harassing me that you didn’t notice?”

“Sleep is the last thing on my mind when I’m with you.”

Jiyong raised an eyebrow, wondering if Seunghyun knew how that sounded when it came out of his mouth, “Really?” he chuckled suggestively and nudged Seunghyun, “I didn’t know my presence was so daunting.”

A deep scowl formed on Seunghyun’s face as he walked with Jiyong, “You know damn well that is not what I meant.”

“It would make for friendlier conversation if that was what you meant. Am I ugly or something? Don't you think I would be pleasing? Please tell me, it’s been on my mind for days. I was such a crowd pleaser in my hay day; I just don’t understand it.”

“Are you serious!?” Seunghyun stopped walking and gave Jiyong an incredulous look, “You’ve got to be out of your mind to not get it. I will never find you appealing in that way because you are a foul demon and don’t deserve any appeasing attention. You are the dirt on my shoe; that is what I think of you.”

Jiyong rested his hand on his chest, “That would hurt if I had a heart,” he looked away from Seunghyun and continued walking, “You don’t have to be so cruel,” he said in a soft voice, almost inaudible, “Loneliness can drive a man to craziness. I never deserved this fate, but I take it in stride.”

“How am I supposed to believe you don’t deserve it?”

Jiyong sighed, fiddling with his thumbs as he thought about his fate and the things he had done down the line, “It was such a long time ago, being human, I barely remember,” he stopped talking, not wanting to indulge Seunghyun of his past. He didn’t want to share with someone who didn’t care in the first place.

“Well?” Seunghyun was curious; he had to admit he wanted to know what had happened to the demon, how he lived, what he’d done since.

“Nothing, it doesn’t matter as you’ll be leaving me soon. Well, that’s what you keep saying that is.”

“You can’t just start and not finish.”

“I can, because it’s my story and whether I want to indulge it to you is my prerogative,” Jiyong stopped suddenly and sat, "We have other things to be talking about, sit down.”

Seunghyun sat down reluctantly, grunting as he tried to get situated, “What is it?”

“I have some business that I need to handle. Now that you’re with me it’s going to be a little tricky to explain, but I need you to know some things. When you get there I need you not to say a word; it’s important that you do as I say.”

“Go where, and why can’t I say anything?”

Jiyong nonchalantly spoke, “Hell per se.”

Seunghyun’s eyebrows shot up when he heard that, “Why in the world would I want to come with you to hell? I’ve done no wrong to go there.”

“It’s just a simple visit, please shut up,” Jiyong stood up and looked around, “We’ll do it here, step back.”

Seunghyun stood back, confused as he could be. He watched as Jiyong bent down on the ground and drew in the dirt, “What are you-

“Shut up!” Jiyong concentrated putting all his energy on what he was doing.

Jiyong’s eyes glowed the eerie gold that Seunghyun had seen many times before, though now his skin eliminated a pale white and his hair whipped around his face. The level of concentration on Jiyong’s face intrigued Seunghyun; he had only ever seen solemn or relax, but now, it was different. Though what confused him, was how angelic he looked. He saw no demon in Jiyong’s eyes, all he saw was a determined soul.

“Step in the circle Seunghyun.”

Jiyong’s voice threw Seunghyun out of his thoughts, he looked at him in awe, hearing the melodic tone of his voice moved Seunghyun toward Jiyong. He wondered if this was some trick if Jiyong was only looking this to make him believe that he was a whole other being. Seunghyun stepped in the white circle Jiyong had provided and watched as Jiyong stood up, hair still flowing around his ears and eyes still glowing that bright gold.

He had little time to think about it when they sunk into the ground and Seunghyun started feeling the immense heat. It didn’t burn his skin, but he felt like it could have if he were human. They were in building, dimly lit with swinging lightbulbs that flickered on and off. He figured that this would be the atmosphere that they would try to impose on someone if they were to step into hell for the first time.

Their steps echoed as they walked down the long corridor to see large wrought iron double doors guarded by two horned demons in black suits.

Jiyong extended his hand out in front of Seunghyun and told him to wait. He walked up to the guards that immediately took a menacing stance in front of the doors when Jiyong approached, “Oh save the show for an amateur and let me through, I have an appointment with the devil, now if you would excuse my friend and me.”

One of the guards rolled his eyes, “You have the appointment, so you’re the only one that can come in. You already know that Jiyong. Do you want us to get fried like the last two that listened to you?”

Jiyong laughed cold-heartedly, “I suppose not,” he turned to Seunghyun, “You’ll stay here, don’t do anything stupid. Now let me in you ers.”

They pulled open the door, and Jiyong walked into a room decorated with red and gold and a man with a bored expression sitting on a thrown.

“It took you long enough Jiyong,” the man sighed and stood up, walking over to Jiyong as his long coat dragged on the ground, that was littered with jewels and embroidered with intricate designs,  “You know I don’t like to wait.”

“Yeah so?” Jiyong folded his arms over his chest, “I come when I please.”

“I see, you know it is your judgment day, everything you’ve done for thousands of years will be brought to my attention, and I will decide if you are worthy of leaving the domains of hell. Do you know what that means Jiyong?”

“It means I’ll be here for another thousand years,” Jiyong picked up a goblet full of dark liquid and drank out of it slowly, “I know how this works, no matter how much good I do I will always be bound to this hell. Everyone knows that a deal with devil sends you to hell, and that can never be overlooked.”

The man smirked and wrung his hands together, “You’ve become so pessimistic lately, why?”

“It’s been another thousand years, and I still haven’t been set free. I know what I’m destined to do for eternity, you just like seeing me suffer, you like seeing everyone suffer. That’s the only reason I can think of that I keep coming back here. I’ve served dear Grim for as long as I know and you demons will never let me be.”

He chuckled then squeezed Jiyong’s shoulder, “You amuse me so. Well, I’ve reviewed your circumstances, and I’ve concluded that you will be in fact staying here. Due to the fact that you’ve made a deal with the devil, and as you said, all deals with the devil send you to hell, and that can never be broken,” he laughed again, chuckling at the angered face Jiyong had and sent him out of his room, “See you next thousand years Jiyong!”

Jiyong stored out of the room angered at everything that had been pinned on him. He punched the wall ad slid down to his knees, eyes clenching and he took deep breaths. He knew he shouldn’t be angry anymore; it had been so long, any hope he had should have been lost, but he couldn’t help feeling angry.

Jiyong stood up and grabbed Seunghyun’s hand, pulling his hand roughly as he headed for the exit. His eyes were averted from Seunghyun as he didn’t want Seunghyun to see this side of him. His emotions were out of control, and he just needed to leave quickly.

In a blink of an eye, Seunghyun found himself back in the densely wooded forest. Jiyong was turned away from him, his shoulders rising and falling as he took in deep breaths, “Jiyong?”

Jiyong cocked his head and turned to the side, “What?”

“What happened?”

“Nothing of your concern,” Jiyong swallowed thickly and turned his eyes up to the sky only to falter and bring himself back down to reality, “We have work to do, forget everything.”