You had a terrible habit of cutting your hair short whenever shit happens, and for you shit happens actually meant you were sad.
Just like back in third grade, you cut your tailbone length hair until your armpit because Lee Hyun, your classmate, refused to be your drawing partner.
You would never forget the scowl on his face and how hard he closed his sketchpad as he said "I don't want to be your partner! You're ugly!" To you. Eight year-old you cried on your way home that day.
You also remembered your mom asking if you were okay, but you were too heartbroken to answer so you just went inside your room and then you slammed the door shut and locked.
You were still weeping when your hands shakily grabbed the black scissors in the drawer. You couldn't even breathe as you cut your hair like crazy.
"Sweetie, are you okay?" You heard your mother knocked on your bedroom door, yet you refused to answer. All that's on your mind was to cut and cut and cut.
"Baby, open the door for mommy please." The swivet in your mother’s voice reached your ears, but you dismissed the idea of letting her in.
‘I needed to cut my hair.’ This was the only thought inside your silly little head.
"Oh, God! What are you doing!?" Your mom was hysterical when she finally found the key to your room.
Your mother was crying too. She snatched the scissors away from your hand and you thought, like you really, really thought that your mother would stab you with it, but she just engulfed you into a tight warm hug and suddenly, you found yourself encircling your tiny hands around her waist as you told her about this stupid boy who broke your heart at the age of nine.
The second time you cut your hair was during fifth grade. The black scissors were vigorously cutting your midback length hair until your neck when your mother barged in your room. She’s quick enough to snatch the enemy from your shaky hands. She didn't say anything because as usual, the only thing she could do was to embrace your frail body.
"Park Ji-hyo is playing Alice!"
"Oh, sweetie..." Your mother sighed as you proceeded to tell the older how unfair the world was. Your classmate named Ji-hyo was going to play the lead role in your school's stage play while you were chosen to just portray cat, Alice's sidekick.
Tragic.
The third time you felt the need to cut your hair was when you failed to pass the entrance exam at Cornelia University, one of the best schools for medicine in your country. You were so heartbroken that day, your feet were frozen on the floor, but your hands were already grabbing the black scissors inside the drawer.
You were cutting your hair again. You cut your waist length hair until your neck and that was your mom's breaking point.
"Stop it! Just stop it!" She still held you in her arms and you still told her how painful it was to study nonstop only to fail.
You felt better whenever you told your mother the things that were bothering you. Your mom was always there when you needed her the most. She never failed to snatch the black scissors away from your treacherous hands before you turned bald. Admittedly, your mom was the one who fixed all of your problems.
Back in third grade, your mother gave candies to Lee Hyun just to make him want to draw with you. She also bribed the head of the stage play so her spoiled kid could play Alice. She then paid Cornelia University a ridiculous amount of money just so you could pursue your dream to be a doctor.
Your mother was the best, but every good thing had an equivalent bad thing. When you moved at the university's dorm, you instantly realized how dependent you were to your mother.
Shit always happened at Medical school. When shit happened, you cut your hair. This time, however, your mother was not around to snatch the scissors away from your hands. You cut your hair from time to time. Med school's really the worst that you graduated with a pixie cut.
Now that you’re already a doctor, shit still happened and your mom's too dead to save you from cutting your hair.
Today, You were holding the black scissor again, but it's not for its usual purpose. The last time you butchered your hair was when your mother died. It's been two years now and the length of your hair at this very moment was until your shoulder blades.
You didn't have any plan to cut it now. The only thing you were cutting with these scissors was your life.
You did not want to live anymore.
"W-Wish you were here, eomma." You bit your bottom lip as you stared at your sad face in the mirror. You pointed the scissors in your neck—aiming at the carotid artery.
You inhaled deeply as tears continued to wet your cheeks.
Just as you’re about to stab yourself, a stranger appeared right behind you.
The stranger snatched the scissors away from you just like what your mother used to do. But this person wasn’t like your mother. In fact, he didn't look like a human at all.
"Who are you!?" You flinched; your eyes grew big because of fear and confusion.
The stranger smirked. His golden eyes sparkled as his tail wagged.
"Me?" The corner of the intruder's mouth turned up. His reflection in the mirror made your heart skip a beat.
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description: the devil has been walking the earth for so long and for the first time, he thinks maybe earth isn't so bad after all.
"Come on, who gets to say they're Satan's number one?"
one • ongoing
“So, your thoughts on the matter?”
There was a slight pause, a remote measure of stillness before Jimin situated his pen – a Visconti Rembrandt classic ballpoint that he has been incessantly pressing (much to the utter dismay you did not even bother voicing out), the rhythmic one-two click-click receding to nothing but a dull thud as the pricey black stylus found its rest on the table, a durable oak impeccably varnished that subdued the raps of your knuckles as you waited for an answer from your best friend, who was rather looking very much amused.
Said best friend leaned his weight on the wooden surface, exposing the poorly-hidden mirth that was clear-cut under the soft lights of the quaint shop, masked behind the narrowing of his eyes as he shoves his papers aside to make space for his frothing glass – a four-dollar Diabetes-in-a-mug, so you would say. “What’s gotten you so interested, anyway? It’s not even related to your paper, is it?”
“Well,not exactly, but I mean, it wouldn’t hurt to take into account others perspective on it ‘cause—you know what? You’re right. Forget I ever asked.”
At this, Jimin laughed. He shifted on his seat, the trace of prior laughter still apparent on the upward curve of his mouth, “Didn’t know it bothered you so much, so, let’s put it this way,” His index finger tapped on the oak twice, lower lip being nibbled on as he contemplated on his answer, “As you know, I was raised in a Catholic home—”
“I’m asking you, Jimin. Do you believe in it?”
The concept of heaven and hell had always been slightly bizarre to you and the thought of afterlife was just a little bit absurd. You were always one to assume that the inane phrases talking about the existence of those who have passed being in a “better place” or that the dead were now looking after those left behind were mere portrayals of what people can’t accept; sheer attempts in avoiding the reality of death. If one dies, then, you believed, that they simply cease to exist. Passed. Deceased. Gone. No more afters. The only afterlife will be in that of the memories of those left behind; no reincarnations nor rebirth; no redemption nor damnation.
It’s a tad bit selfish, you thought, the philosophy people tend to construct in hopes to alleviate grief.
Although, you weren’t one to criticize. To each their own.
Jimin’s answer was soft, fingers tracing the little cracks that littered the polished wood. The glow of the lights blanketed his lashes, casting a faint shadow on his cheeks, moving as he blinked. “I do. Maybe it’s because of the way I was raised, I don’t know, with my grandmother being the way she is and all.” There was a slight pause, a beat, before he slightly nodded, “But somehow, if I really think about it, I do. Although I’m not quite sure where we go after death, I do believe that there’s somewhere — wherever that may be. I’m really not too keen to find out about it so soon.”
“You know what they say, the good ones are harvested from the garden first. So, it’s quite fitting to say you’re safe, Minnie.”
Jimin rolled his eyes, drumming his fingers in a rhythmic sequence before leaning back on his seat as he strained his neck from one side to another with a succession of sharp cracking noises, eliciting a strong grimace and a glare from you. A warm and hearty you’re a pain in the ass was thrown your way before Jimin resumed writing his notes — his version of it, anyway — with a soft hum of whatever song he last listened to.
Growing up, both you and Jimin were raised in a Catholic household, albeit a different domestic establishment but a similar strict Christian upbringing nonetheless. It was one Sunday, a humid summer Church day that you met Jimin when he was eight and you were seven — a pudgy 8-year-old Jimin who had an orange-flavored twin popsicle to share after church.
All your life, you both grew up in the practice of youth group scripture readings on Saturdays, serving in Eucharistic masses on Sundays, reciting the Holy Rosary on the eighteenth hour of each day, as well as attending religious youth camps and worship concerts on Friday nights instead of house parties — well, as far as your families knew, you were going to worship concerts.
However, you always weren’t one to conform. Adolescence brings forth you challenging the beliefs they were preaching, always asking questions that always end up in a moral homily from your mother about how little faith you had to doubt. It was a factor — one of many that had your family bringing you to church on Sundays and Saturdays in hopes to maybe nurture your faith, but of course, it was a bittersweet futile thing seeing as it drove you even further instead of closer; another thing you had in common with Jimin growing up.
It wasn’t as if you had not believed in God with a capital first letter, no, because you did. Actually, you do. You believed in a supreme being — a deity, a God, gods, whatever — in terms of creations. It was just the concept of life, death, and the supposed notion of life after death that you had your doubts about. It was a complex matter to explain, one you opt to just be silent about.
You have faith — albeit a slightly wobbly one at that.
With a groan, you pushed the laptop close, all initial hope of at least writing an introduction to your paper going down the gutter.
“I’m taking this to the library. I’m going to at least try and find some references to cement whichever take I have on this stupid paper. You know, some Lichtenberg and Nietzsche take.”
Jimin snorted, “That basically cements it. They’re atheists.”
With a huge bite from his onion bagel that had him scoffing and a quick kiss on Jimin’s cheek as a bid of farewell with a mouthful of bread, you laughed, “Don’t stay out too late, honey.”
“I hope you trip and lose a tooth,” was the last thing you heard from him before you went out the shop, laughing quite a bit too loud.
The winter air wasted no more than a second to harshly bite into your skin the moment the doors slid open, eliciting an involuntary shiver that had you tightening your coat. Technically, it was Jimin’s, a thick cream-coloured fleece that had been long forgotten by the initial owner. It was one of comfort and convenience and had it not been for your best friend forgetting he had bought it (not really a problem since he’s basically a one-and-done kind of person when it comes to his pieces of clothing), you would’ve been turned to a human icicle not even two steps away from the shop.
The city was blanketed in white, a heavy veil that masked the metro blurring the top of skyscrapers — imprints of different shoe sizes plastered on the thin layer of snow as people rushed by to get to their destination, a collective flurry of vapor as people talk in the middle of the cold, shops on the sidewalk with fogged-up windows harbouring the cloudy silhouettes of those inside in hopes to seek some warmth, tiny little crystals suspended in the branches of trees — it was in the minute triviality of things in which you find the beauty of winter.
Past you, people rushed; to seek shelter from the biting cold or just rushing for the sake of it, you didn’t know, but you took your time, relished in the little pellets that showered your face.
Winter was beautiful.
And despite the brutal cold it brings, it was your favorite season.
A series of short vibrations in your coat pocket had you moving to the side for a while to check on your phone, the numbness of your fingers making it quite tough to get a hold of the device, a slight chuckle pushing past your lips when you read the message.
It was from Jimin, a short but an all-too-knowing text sent with a scoff, no doubt.
[17:02] Jimin make it to the library without being turned into a popsicle, k?
[17:02] Jimin i’ll bring us some fried chicken for dinner so don’t cook
Pocketing the device with a satisfied smile, you hurried just a tad bit.
It was 9:32 in the evening, a bit past the operating hours of the public library, when you felt the slightest sense of satisfaction after a thousand repetition of backspace presses and emotional meltdowns. A good four hours had passed and by the miracles your brain has conjured, a couple thousand words had been created for your paper and you were sure you were done for the night, cemented by the low rumble of your stomach.
The table you were occupying was, in its lightest description, messy. Books were littered in all corners, decorated with colourful plastic packets of consumed cheap biscuits and bottles of water and a stash of mix coffee sticks in one corner. You were alone and yet you were occupying the entirety of a six-seater table.
Another ten minutes was spent in cleaning all the loiter as you had refused the sweet it’s my job to clean up, it’s okay of the community volunteer who was on closing duty. You were apologetic enough for holding them back a good thirty minutes of their time after work just so you could do your paper. Cleaning up after your mess was the least you could do.
Borrowed books in both hands, you gave a firm thank you — exhausting all possible feelings of gratitude — to Justin (too Western of a name for a person living in the city, you initially had thought), as stated in their nameplate, who held the door open for you. With a slight bow and a wide smile, he went to wish you a good night.
Washed with the realization that it was nearly ten in the evening and you had said to Jimin you’d be home by eight, your stomach did a minute somersault in panic, expressing it physically in form of a slight groan, carefully stacking the seven books in one arm. Another wave of horror surged from the bottom of your spine as your hands felt nothing but empty bags of sweets in both of your pockets. You never put your phone inside your bag as it’s often in your hand or coat pocket so there was no point in searching your bag.
Turning around, the library lights were now all but turned on. That was fast, you thought.
The streets were now quite empty, save for a couple of students who were passing by, given the proximity of a school in the near corner. The library was situated in the quieter side of the city, thus, the absence of cabs and cars passing by. With the lack of a better term for your situation, you were quite fucked. Not the I’m-stuck-somewhere-with-no-phone-nor-money-please-save-me kind of fucked, because you knew how to get home and you had money with you.
It was the fact that you probably had a hundred unopened messages and missed calls from Jimin, and that, in itself, is scarier than being stuck some place you had no idea about with no money.
Funny how the world works though, because as you leaned your body on the crystal surface of the library doors, eyes closing in frustration, you feel a cold sensation on the tip of your nose, causing you to scrunch your nose; a stray snow, most probably. But it wasn’t, because you felt it once more and you thought of all the time there is to snow, must it really be now?
“What—”
“Rare to see you around without Park in sight.”
Kim Taehyung had always been a man of extravagance — realized in his penchant for luxurious things; in brands or in theatrical physical states of his belongings. However, now, he was a bit dressed down in comparison to his usual clothing when you see him around the grounds of the university — a simple matching champagne hoodie and sweatpants and white shoes.
Now, you weren’t close to him in a sense that you’d call him a friend, it was more in the lines of an acquaintance, slightly more than one, given that you have a class together and he sits beside you in it. Coming to think of it, his ragtag circle was a tight-knit one albeit small; not that you always look for them, but you’ve always seen in passing on campus, it’s always Kim Taehyung and two upperclassmen, graduate students of the university.
“Might be a little hard to believe but we have separate lives, yeah.”
“What are you doing out here so late? Lib’s closed already.”
Pushing against the glass door, you stood a bit straighter, “I’m on my way home, actually.”
“Oh, yeah,” His eyes widened, hand digging into his right pocket, “Here.”
On his hand was your phone, unmistakably yours, by the custom case wrapped around it.
“How—I mean, thank you. This is mostly the reason why I’m out here.”
“I was the last one out the library, some business here after you,” he motioned towards the door of the establishment, “Thought it was the volunteer’s since it was on the floor but he said it wasn’t his. So, logically, I concluded it was yours. And you know, with the lock screen and all.” He smiled, a movement that formed his lips in a rectangular shape.
Your lock screen had been one of that photo booth strip picture with Jimin and Hoseok from the summer festival the previous year. Clicking the device to life, you heaved a sigh at the number of texts and missed calls from Jimin and Hoseok, the last one being Jimin’s ten minutes ago.
Taehyung moved to grab the all the books in your hold in one fluid motion, effortlessly carrying it in one hand. Surprised, you looked at him, “It’s okay. I can handle it.”
He chuckled, a low and warm sound, “I know you can.” He then nodded his head towards the phone in your hand, “You can text Park as we walk, it’s getting quite late.”
Muttering a quiet thanks, you moved to walk alongside Taehyung who started to hum a song to himself, vapor forming as his hot breath moved to mix with the cold air, eyes crossing as he looked at it himself. It was a second later you realized that there was something peeking out from the edges of the neck of his hoodie, eyes widening as it occurred to you that it was a tattoo. Well, a part of one.
You never pictured Kim Taehyung, of all people, to have a tattoo.
Eyes still trained on the vapor in front of him, one corner of his lips curved upwards, “Just saying, some people find it uncomfortable when others stare at them.”
“I wasn’t staring.”
“M’not one of those people though, so stare away.”
Rolling your eyes, you unlocked your phone to send a quick text to Jimin and Hoseok, long enough to reassure them that you were fine, and that you were on your way home — adding enough emojis to alleviate the frustration they were both for sure harbouring.
It was silent as you walked towards the bus stop, save for the sound of soles hitting the icy pavement, before Taehyung spoke once again, “What were you writing about? You looked so out of it back in the library.”
“So much for uncomfortable staring, yeah?”
Taehyung laughed, a loud hearty sound that had the hairs in the back of your head raise for a reason you didn’t know.
“Just a paper. But now that we’re talking about it,” you started, “Can I ask you one question? Like in relation to it.”
He nodded with a short sure, arms tighter around the books he was carrying.
“Do you believe in the existence of heaven and hell?”
Coincidentally, the street lights flickered just as Taehyung halted his steps.
His gaze was piercing, and if it weren’t for the fact that you knew Taehyung, you’d say he was frightening — his eyes held something you can’t quiet pinpoint, his face holding an expression that toes the line between scrutinizing and questioning. Cold crept its way up your skin, and you attributed the seemingly subtle drop of temperature of the already-freezing air to your imagination. Swallowing, you then cleared your throat, “It’s what my paper’s all about.”
“What about you?”
You really weren’t expecting the question to be returned so suddenly so you shrugged, “Won’t believe it ‘til I see it.”
There a beat of silence then.
It was at that moment he moved, a fraction of an inch closer but you were hyperaware of the movement. His shoulder was now trailing behind yours.
“What are you doing, Kim?”
His lips curled into a grin, “It’s cold.”
Rolling your eyes, you moved your shoulder back a bit to hit his before moving forward. The bus stop was a closer walk now, the unmistakeable familiar structure of the shade coming into view.
“Aren’t you living at the other side of the city?”
He nodded. A swift single upward motion.
“The East, yes.”
“Don’t get me wrong, Kim, I really appreciate you being here at this time of night, but you’re literally going to the wrong bus stop for that.”
Was there even a bus to the East? It’s the richest part of the city. Exclusive.
Surely, those living there don’t ride the city buses?
“I… have never ridden a bus.” Point made. “But, ah, what would that make me as a person if I don’t make sure you get home safe?” There was his smile again, one that stretched his mouth into a near rectangle.
Snorting, you get half of the books from him, “We got ourselves a little angel here, don’t we?”
You halted your steps, mimicking Taehyung who had stopped walking behind you. Looking back, you laughed at the sincerely disgusted face he was making.
“You know, you’re not so bad to be with.”
Taehyung clicked his tongue, “Now, what has been Park saying about me?”
“His name’s Jimin.” You emphasized, “And it’s not just him, you know. You have this, I don’t know, reputation, you could say? You have eyes and ears, Kim, I’m sure you’ve heard of them.”
Shrugging, he then adjusted the books, your books, in his arms. “Do tell me this, do they precede me?”
You paused to look at him, head tilted, “I haven’t been in your presence enough to concede or dispute it.”
Smirking, he took a step forward, “Are you saying you want to spend more time with me?”
You laughed, patting him on the shoulder with your free hand, noticing him flinch.
“You know, I think I never got to answer your question earlier,” You were a few steps in front of him when he spoke and you turned around with an eyebrow raised, a gesture for him to continue, “It’s a yes.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, is that so hard to believe?” He laughed, “I have quite a complex belief on it, though, but I mean, right now? This?” He gestured between himself and you, “Isn’t this heaven enough for you?”
With a groan you turned back around, hearing his laugh echo in the empty streets, and you didn’t know if you were imagining it once more but it got a bit warmer. Whether you felt in inside or outside, you had no idea.
Now, you weren’t one to believe in heaven, that’s for sure.
But Kim Taehyung’s laugh made you rethink that notion for a quick fraction of a second.
“I’m still ignoring you.”
Seven in the morning of the following day finds you clinging onto Jimin, arms encircled around his waist and chin hooked on his shoulders as he sat on one of the white island bar stools, laid before his eyes the feast of a breakfast you woke up early for, all in an arranged array atop the marble kitchen island; from hash browns and eggs to strips of bacon with a plate of fresh-baked bagels on one corner.
You remained attached to your best friend, a slight pout on your lips as you watch him eat.
“I’m sorry,” your voice was small and quiet, slightly muffled against his shirt, “I apologize for making you and Seokie worry over me, I really understand your frustration ‘cause frankly, I would be too if it were to be you.”
You felt his breathing as it moved your head as well seeing as you were leaning on his shoulder. “However, I’m not apologizing for my perception towards Taehyung. I really do not get your deal with each other, since you refuse to tell me since the first day, but at the very least invest a little trust in me, Jimin.”
You felt him sigh, moving so that his arm, the one in which you were leaning on, was wrapped around your shoulder, fingers softly stroking your head, “It’s just—I know him enough to say that he’s trouble. I just don’t want you getting hurt.”
“And I love you for it, Minnie,” you faced him, “but I can handle myself just fine.”
The kitchen was silent, save for the background noise of the city waking up below filtering through the opened glass door of the balcony of the kitchen.
“I—okay. I’ll trust you.” Jimin sighed, lips pressing against your hair, “I’m sorry.”
You nodded, squeezing him just a tad bit tighter. “Can’t you at least tell me what happened between the two of you? For you to hate him so much.”
“I don’t hate him, it’s just he and I are—shit!” Jimin had his fist balled up, violently coughing not long after, “—I can’t. I’m sorry.”
You understood, and it was really fine as it was not your place to pry. It was their business anyway. Whatever happened was between them and you understood that. You nodded and waved it off, “So, are we good? I can’t stand having my best friend angry at me.”
“You’re an idiot, and yes, we’re good.”
He gave you a look.
“What?”
“I could be all things in the world but I’ll never be angry at you. I was just worried,” he smiled, a sheepish one at that, “and maybe a bit overprotective?”
“A bit, yeah right.” You opened your mouth as he popped a strawberry in your mouth, “Thank you. For always looking after me. Maybe you’re my guardian angel?”
Jimin just smiled, little moon crescents appearing.
See, always an angel.
hi! i was supposed to upload the jimin fic first but i wasn't really satisfied with what i had :( so yeah, here goes the first part of my first tae fic here yay! it's more of an introductory chapter and the next one's going to be a lot longer sooo ♡
Author’s Note: Please please please let me know what you think. I’m new at this and I’d love to hear any and all feedback.
You are sitting in your lecture hall lightly tapping your pen on your thumb and daydreaming while waiting for your professor to make an appearance. It’s the first day of your first semester as a freshman in college, and it's already off to a boring start. Other students are still flooding into the room, and you catch a glimpse of an older man in a sweater with a white collar peeking out of the top and a blazer out of the corner of your eye. He walks with purpose to the front of the hall and places his briefcase on the wooden desk before turning to the class.
As you watch him wait for everyone to take a seat, you feel heat on the palm of your hand. The hand that holds your counter. Everyone has one. It counts how much time you’ve spent in the presence of your soulmate. You quickly bring your palm up to your face and watch as the numbers slowly increase; seconds turning into minutes. Instinctively, your eyes start to roam around the room taking in every person there. There are quite a few others looking at their hands as well, but you can’t tell if it’s because their counter has started counting or because it’s stopped. You look as closely as you can from your position in the back row, but you can’t see anyone’s face. If you weren’t as shy as you are, you’d probably have the courage to get up and talk to someone; anyone really. But, you are. Shy that is. Extremely so.
Unfortunately, the professor starts his lesson before you can think about it anymore. The class is only an hour long, but the professor’s monotonous droning makes it seem so much longer. You could feel yourself almost nodding off a few times during the hour-long lecture.
As quickly as you can manage without tripping and injuring yourself and others, you beat feet out of the hall and release a soft, dejected sigh when you feel the warmth leave your palm. Your counter has stopped, which means you're no longer in the presence of your soulmate. With your shoulders slightly slumped, you make your way to your next class. Your counter doesn’t activate again.
The next morning is the same. And so is every morning for the next two weeks. You walk into class and try to pinpoint your soulmate in the sea of students that flood through the open doorway, but to no avail. There are just too many people walking through the door at the same time for you to be able to tell for sure which one is your soulmate. After the second week of not being able to pick out who could possibly be your soulmate, you decide to give up. Surely they must feel it, too. Maybe they’ll be braver than you are and come to find you. Maybe they just don’t want to be found.
As you sit in your second class, you look down at your counter. Sure enough, in the two weeks, since classes started, you’ve clocked just over ten hours in the presence of your soulmate. As you stare at it dejectedly, you gasp as it suddenly comes to life again and starts counting. Your head shoots up and you look around frantically trying to see what is different today than it was yesterday. But, nothing is different. Everything is exactly the same as it had been yesterday. So, why is your counter ticking away? Is it defective? It can’t be, though. It’s something everyone is born with; a gene mutation that formed over time. But, what other explanation is there?
Questions plagued your every thought as you robotically made your way through your school day, and then once again on your way home. You were so lost in your head that you didn’t notice you were crossing at a red light. You're brought out of your stupor by the sound of a horn blaring, and you look up in time to see headlights coming straight for you. Frozen in shock, you literally can’t move. The car is meters away when suddenly, there's a flash of black, and then everything is silent.
Summary: You were determined to kill yourself, but what would happen when instead of ending your life, you ended up summoning the devil of death?
Alternatively:
The Devil: I’m here to ruin you, I’m here to save you.
Genre: Demon au, e2l, angst, fluff, roommate au
Pairing: Devil!Taehyung x Doctor!Reader
Word Count: 2.5k
Warnings: stabbing (this is the last time promise) kissing, oral sex (m. receiving.)
Note: Guys if you can, please listen to Samson by Regina Spektor while reading this update.
SERIES: CHAPTER 13 | FINAL CHAPTER (15)
"No. It's not enough."
His response was like a broken record, it kept playing inside your head.
It was too much—too painful.
You had to leave now. You had to leave before your tears started to fall.
It was too late.
Hot tears cascaded down your face as you pushed him away, refusing to be caged any longer.
You didn't know if he saw you cry.
Maybe he did.
Maybe that's the reason why he tried to stop you from leaving.
"It will never be enough." He paused for a second just to swallow thickly, "because kissing you isn't greed in the first place."
It worked.
You halted your steps, slowly turning to face him.
When you looked at him a few breaths ago, you felt like you were being burnt.
You even turned into ashes.
However, that feeling changed when he brought out his phone. He was talking to his virtual assistant while looking directly at you.
"Hey PD-nim," he started.
You and Taehyung were only five feet away from each other.
"What does it mean when someone is always in your thoughts? When you're sad when she's sad? When you have this...strong desire to touch her—no." He shook his head as if the last thing he uttered was completely wrong.
"I mean...it's fine if I can't always hug her or hold her hand. I guess I just want to be near her...to feel the comfort and warmth she's emitting,"
Taehyung chuckled lightly. His smile was big, eyes crinkling.
"I also want to stay alive," his eyes suddenly darkened, causing your heart to sink.
"It's not because I want to save myself..."
You felt like you couldn't breathe as you waited for the next words he's about to say.
"But because I want to protect her."
Again, you turned into ashes—
"I'm one hundred percent sure that feeling is called love," the virtual assistant answered.
—but like a phoenix, you rose again.
"You are in love with her."
Taehyung wasted no time when he heard PD-nim's response.
He closed the gap between you two. The fire in his eyes was scorching, it was the only thing that could melt your cold, cold heart.
"Our first kiss doesn't mean greed," Taehyung cupped both of your cheeks.
He was done pretending. He was done trying to be logical.
It was time to admit the truth.
"It means love."
When he said this, you felt like the missing piece of the puzzle was finally found, completing the gap in your heart.
Everything made sense now.
Taehyung still needed to tempt people because he didn't satisfy his capital vice in the first place.
Greed was a sin.
Loving you was redemption.
Unfortunately, he couldn't be saved by the love he felt for you.
Love was a good thing and Taehyung was evil.
His sole purpose in this world was to spread hatred and bitter meanings.
He wouldn't survive by doing good deeds.
"Y-You know..." Of course you would stutter just as when you thought you could finally voice out what you felt.
Regardless of this, you still tried to speak.
"I was hesitating to tell you how I feel about you." You weren't lying.
When you realized what Taehyung had done to the girl at the flower shop, you thought that maybe you made a mistake.
Perhaps you didn't have feelings for him. Maybe you were just caught up with how perfect his mouth felt when it was crashing against yours, or maybe, just maybe, you were deceived by him again.
You were in denial.
You knew you weren't perfect. You had hurt so many people before—even now.
But it was all unintentional.
Taehyung was the only one who hurt people deliberately.
You hated this about him.
But as said, his confession changed your mindset.
Some people were forced to do things they didn't want to do because they needed to survive.
You knew this all along; however, you didn't fully understand it.
The missing puzzle you were talking about was what made you understand.
Some people were forced to do things they didn't want to do because they needed to survive, and that's okay. We just have to find grace with our decision.
"But you made it so easy, you know?" You weren't stuttering anymore. You even found the courage to also caress his cheeks.
Taehyung closed his eyes, relishing your soft touch.
"How can I deny my own feelings when the one who isn't supposed to feel anything sincerely admitted what he feels for me?"
Taehyung pouted his lips.
"I've been in this world since the beginning of time, love." He was saying that he saw how things started and ended.
He knew that the main reason why people were miserable was because they refused to accept things as they were.
They lied, always underestimating or overestimating things.
Taehyung didn't want to repeat the mistakes of people. He rather named his emotions than lose you for not doing it when he had the chance.
"I asked this device—" he raised his phone in the air "—to tell you how I feel because I thought you won't believe a devil like me."
You nodded in understanding. You were blinded by anger just a short while ago.
You really believed that he wanted to hurt people for fun.
"But I do, okay? I do love you and it scares me."
You could see in his eyes that he was truly frightened.
You bit your lip, allowing him to explain further.
"I'm not scared of loving you even if it's new to me. What frightens me is your reaction. I-I have no idea if you're going to accept me..."
It hurt when he looked away from you.
"Tae, listen to me..." You gently grabbed his chin, urging him to look at you.
"We're both scared. As in hella terrified." You laughed as you told him that Ji-hyo was actually the one who convinced you to talk to him.
Your best friend claimed that running away wouldn't do you any good, but for you, running away from your problem was easier. You could play thousands of scenarios inside your head, wondering what could have been if you only confronted him.
Facing your problem was the complete opposite of this. When you confronted him, there would only be one answer.
The answer was final. It couldn't be twisted. You wouldn't be allowed to imagine scenarios in your head because you already knew the right answer.
You wouldn't be able to escape it even if you wanted to. At least with the thousand scenarios, you could still change it if it turned out that you didn't like how it was playing inside your fucked up head.
But you were glad.
You were glad that you decided to face your dilemma.
You were glad that you were now nodding your head as Taehyung asked if he could kiss you.
"You don't have to ask, silly." You grabbed his face, initiating the kiss.
Taehyung giggled in between the intimate act.
He liked this feeling better. He liked kissing you in this narrow alley. He liked kissing you now that he was free.
The only thing he didn't like was when the counter pager inside your pocket buzzed, indicating that the dumplings you ordered were now ready to be picked up.
"Damn," Taehyung's nose wrinkled right after you pulled away from the kiss. "I wanna keep kissing you."
He was acting like a child, making you laugh.
"You can kiss me later." You winked at him as you pulled him towards the dumpling store.
You and Taehyung ended up eating one dozens of mandu while watching some boring netflix show.
You called it boring since you weren't really paying attention. Your mind (and heart) were busy fooling around with Taehyung.
"You feel so good," Taehyung grunted, eyes darkening as he watched you suck him off.
You were kneeling between his legs, looking so sexy and small. He swore his hard cock was bigger than your face.
You enjoyed rubbing it on your cheek before wrapping your tiny hands around his shaft.
You gave him a few pumps before taking him in your sweet, sweet mouth.
Taehyung kept his hands at the back of his head, allowing you to take control.
This was already so difficult for him. Touching you would only drive him crazy.
Joke's on him because he was already crazy. God. You were amazing. His stomach was contracting when you pressed the flat of your tongue over his tip, gathering his precum until it stained your mouth.
You sank your mouth down his full length, not stopping until your forehead hit his pelvis.
Taehyung's head fell back against the couch. You wanted to focus on his pretty face, but the tears in your eyes made it hard.
"Ah,"
Your pretty moans were what pushed him over the edge. He exploded in your mouth without a warning.
"You're lucky I can swallow," you chortled, attempting to wipe the remnant of his load on the corner of your mouth.
Taehyung grabbed your face lightly, stopping you from doing so.
He leaned closer to kiss you, tasting himself as he whispered "Wanna make you feel good too..."
Taehyung scooped you up, making you sit on his lap.
"Please," he kissed the base of your throat while you grind on his cock.
You shook your head.
"This all about you, Tae..." Your words were in contrast to what you really felt. Taehyung could feel how wet you were through your soaked underwear.
You wanted this. You wanted him so much. This wasn't about you. He was the one who deserved to feel good. He had been through a lot.
"Trust me, baby. I'm on cloud nine right now," the corner of his mouth quirked up before sucking bruises on your neck.
"R-Really," you whimpered, running your hands through his soft locks. "Is that why I'm on cloud nine too?"
You remembered your conversation with him from almost a year ago. His life was connected to yours and vice versa. You couldn't breathe when he was mad, and now that the pleasure was overwhelming him, you felt really good as well.
What he felt, you felt too. Taehyung froze upon remembering this.
"What's the matter?" The lust consuming you instantly boiled down to confusion.
Why did the devil look like something epic just hit him right in the face?
"I meant this in the sweetest way possible," Taehyung touched your back.
The scissors tattooed on your shoulder blade materialized in front of him. He was spent. He couldn't use his power after this anymore.
Taehyung was holding the black scissors now.
"Can you please stab yourself?"
The normal reaction should be to freak out—to get mad. However things were different today.
You understood what he meant.
He was testing a theory.
And so you participated.
Heaving a deep sigh, you stabbed your palm using the scissors.
You yelped in pain.
Taehyung held you, kissing your forehead.
It hurt. It hurt a lot.
But you didn't know what hurt the most.
Was it your injured hand? Or was it the fact that Taehyung's palm wasn't bleeding like yours?
It only meant one thing.
"Our lives aren't connected anymore." He confirmed what you already knew.
You were aware that you should be rejoicing. You were finally free. He was finally free.
"I can go back to hell now..."
There was no reason for him to stay here. He simply went to the world of the living to protect you and to tempt people. Doing the latter only took a short period of time.
Taehyung always went back to hell right after corrupting the minds of humans.
In hell, he was safe.
If he was there, he wouldn't have to tempt innocent people just to survive. Hell was his home, it was where his powers became stronger.
"Yeah," your response was too late.
Silence was engulfing you for quite some time now. You were in a state of shock when he said that he could go back to hell any moment from now.
He had no reason to be with you.
"I have all the reason to be with you," but Taehyung believed otherwise.
He didn't want to leave you alone. He just admitted he loved you. He couldn't love you and then decided to leave you.
"Don't be silly, Tae." You buried your face in his chest so that he couldn't see the tears forming in your eyes.
"You have to go. You served your purpose already. You save me,"
You were no longer suicidal. You felt a lot better now. His presence helped you a lot. He made you realize so many things.
"The best thing to do is to leave me."
"But it's not the right thing to do..." His jaw tensed as he embraced you.
"I don't want you to die, Tae." You hugged him back. "I can't let my selfishness become your downfall."
You are my sweetest downfall. He wanted to say, but he kept his mouth shut.
He didn't want to die too.
Dying meant he wouldn't be able to see you again.
He had to save himself so that he could continue to love you.
Taehyung loved you.
He kissed you once more just to show it to you.
You kissed him back to imply that you also loved him.
The kiss wasn't like the first time. It wasn't the same as the second kiss too.
This time, the kiss felt more intimate, hungrier, hotter...
He kissed you like it was the last time he would be allowed to do so.
"I love you, Taehyung..." You cooed, wrapping your legs around his waist.
He didn't respond. He only kissed you deeper.
He brought you to his bedroom.
You let your bodies talk. The tension and the frustration were released through kissing your complexion.
Taehyung made love to you to make up with the time you lost and the time you would be losing.
He had accepted his fate.
"How does it feel to be there?" You asked as he collapsed beside you.
"In hell?" Taehyung moved closer to you, embracing your naked body.
You nodded.
He was silent for a while, like he found it hard to answer your question.
Moments later, he finally spoke.
"It feels like everything is..." He stared at the white ceiling of the room, "dead."
It was your turn to keep your lips sealed.
Your heart was aching, luckily Taehyung knew the right words to make you feel better.
"But here, I feel alive..."
It was reassuring to think that you were one of the reasons why he felt happy to be here.
But here, I feel alive... you kept repeating these words inside your head until you fell asleep.
You liked to think that you had a good sleep.
But you wished you didn't sleep because when you woke up, he wasn't by your side anymore.
Summary: You were determined to kill yourself, but what would happen when instead of ending your life, you ended up summoning the devil of death?
Alternatively:
The Devil: I’m here to ruin you, I’m here to save you.
Genre: Demon au, e2l, angst, fluff, roommate au
Pairing: Devil!Taehyung x Doctor!Reader
Word Count: 1.8k
Warnings: none except mention of stabbing and oh! tae being an ass 😗
SERIES: CHAPTER 12 | CHAPTER 14
Ji-hyo couldn't remember the last time she saw you looking like death was hot on your trail.
"Seriously?" Your best friend furrowed a brow, a mocking smile was plastered on her lips. "You looked like shit. What has gotten into you?"
Gone were the days when she was acting like you were a fragile thing. Ji-hyo only sympathized with you when you were still mourning Areum's death while dealing with some family issues.
These two things were old news now.
Ji-hyo knew you had healed from it, meaning she could finally say what she wanted without tiptoeing around you. Saying things like 'you look like shit' wouldn't offend you since she knew that whatever's bothering you at this very moment didn't involve Areum or your family.
Ji-hyo was right because your problem was all about "Taehyung," you admitted the truth, sighing loudly.
Your best friend sniffled a laugh—it was like she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"You're still pining over your ex?" She puffed, looking at you in disbelief. "But why? It's been fourteen days since you two broke up!"
You couldn't help the blush staining your cheeks because of what Ji-hyo said. The latter knew you for many years now.
You never once pined over a guy. You dated a lot of men before, especially during college days. None of them managed to hurt you. It was always you who broke their hearts.
Ji-hyo even thought that you were also the one who ended things with Taehyung. She guessed it was her fault. She didn't ask you about what happened. She simply assumed that you were no longer seeing the devil since the latter didn't visit the hospital anymore.
You talked about almost everything with Ji-hyo, except your love life. You were never serious with this kind of thing anyway.
"Oh, God," Ji-hyo's mouth parted in shock when she realized something. "Don't tell me you're in love with Kim Taehyung?"
She was acting as though it was impossible for you to fall in love. Admittedly, you couldn't fault her. You thought the same way too. You never expected to have strong romantic feelings for anyone, especially for someone like Taehyung.
Yes, that's right. The fourteen days you spent away from the devil was enough for you to realize that you liked him.
It turned out that you weren't immune to his charms. At first you thought you were just attracted to his pretty face, but then the months you spent with him felt surreal. You never experienced this feeling before.
You appreciated that he helped you with Jeongguk as well as with your father. It's not like you didn't feel guilty anymore because surprise, surprise: you still did. But you felt more at peace now.
Taehyung took care of you too. He pulled you from the hole you dug for yourself. Granted that it was for his own sake, but as said, humans were vulnerable.
You were exactly like other people. You couldn't deny that he was making you feel special.
"Is that such a bad thing?" You asked, biting your bottom lip.
Ji-hyo mirrored your expression.
"I don't know...does he feel the same way?"
That was the thing. You didn't know if Taehyung liked you the way you liked him.
"I don't really believe in unconditional love bullshit. I don't think it's okay to invest your time and energy if the other person can't love you back," Ji-hyo shrugged her shoulders.
She didn't want to complicate her life. There were people who were willing to love her, so why stick with someone who was making her feel like she wasn't worth it?
"I-I don't know if he has feelings for me..." your response was barely audible, making Ji-hyo's brow shot up.
"Then find out. Stop running away from your problems. You're the one who's making your life difficult. People aren't mind readers. You can't expect them to know how you feel if you aren't telling them in the first place."
Of course you knew that. You wanted to talk to Taehyung, you just didn't know how to start. It hurt you when he implied that the kiss you two shared wasn't a big deal. But like what Ji-hyo had said, you wouldn't know what others felt if you kept running away.
"So what are you waiting for?" The anesthesiologist enquired when you told her that you were willing to clear things out with the devil.
Ji-hyo also told you that there was no point in delaying things. You were just prolonging the agony you felt.
"Fine. I'll go now," you were free today as a result of working hard the past several weeks. You only went to the hospital today since you didn't have the courage to face Taehyung.
Ji-hyo didn't hold you back any longer, and so you left Cornelia Hospital. You decided to stop by at Taehyung's favorite dumpling store before heading back home.
He was always in a better mood whenever there were dumplings on his plate.
There were many customers at the mentioned restaurant so you figured that it was best to roam around the marketplace while you waited for your order.
This quarter was just meters away from your apartment building, yet this was the first time you went here. This was because you always had your food delivered at your place. Besides, Itaewon was your go-to place whenever you wanted to eat out.
You regretted not visiting this place sooner. Everything you needed was literally here. There was even a flower shop right across the dumpling store. The former place suited your style that was why you chose to check it out; however, you stopped walking when you saw Taehyung inside the store.
You squinted to make sure that your eyes weren't failing you.
It wasn't.
The devil was really inside the flower shop. It's understandable. Taehyung liked to visit places as aesthetically pleasing as this one, but what you didn't understand was this: why was he handing a knife to a younger girl?
Why...did it look like he was planning something evil?
You crossed the street to confirm your suspicion.
Your suspicion turned into reality.
Taehyung was definitely planning something evil. It was obvious that he coerced the little girl to stab the flower owner, luckily you were fast—as in fast enough to snatch the weapon away from the little girl.
You didn't know if you could forgive Taehyung if his vile plan succeeded.
It wasn't a simple hunch anymore. He seriously confirmed what you thought he was planning to do.
The sad thing about it was that he didn't even show remorse.
"T-This is not what you think it looks like!" Naturally, he would lie to you at first, and so you did exactly the opposite of what he believed you would do.
"Really?" You stopped walking, facing him.
You immediately walked away the second you managed to snatch the weapon. You didn't know how to explain things to the shop owner anyway. Besides, you were certain that Taehyung was going to follow you.
That's exactly what you wanted. You needed him to run after you because you didn't know what evil was circling inside his head. He might still harm the shop owner and the daughter if he stayed one more minute with them.
"So you're saying that I'm wrong? That you didn't just tempt a kid to stab her mother?" You were clenching your jaw, your tears were threatening to fall too.
You were so mad and so hurt. He hadn't changed at all. He was still a selfish bastard who only cared about himself.
"I'm not denying that," his tone was harsh, like he was challenging you too. "All I'm saying is that you're looking at it all wrong."
You huffed. So he was still denying it?
"You know what? I'm done." You turned away from him, continuing to walk. "I don't want to listen to you anymore. You're a reaper and a liar—"
"You can call me anything you want." You were surprised when he abruptly pulled your arm, spinning you around. The force was too strong that your face hit his chest.
"Let go of me—!" You wriggled in his arms but he only pushed you up against the concrete wall, caging you.
You two were at a narrow alley, so close to your home.
"—but I am not lying." He continued, ignoring your desperate attempt to run away from him.
"You can't fool me!" You tried pushing his chest.
He didn't budge.
"I'm just doing whatever I can do to survive!" He placed his hands on the wall, moving even closer to you.
His golden eyes sparkled, horns showing.
You gulped as you nervously looked around. You weren't scared of him. You had seen him like this before. The only reason why your heart was beating erratically was because you were afraid someone would see him looking like this.
"You have me to save you," he licked his lower lip, struggling to meet your eyes.
He couldn't.
You were avoiding his smoldering gaze.
"Jeongguk has Jimin..." His voice was becoming softer, barely audible.
You felt your heart clench.
"And I got no one but myself,"
You finally looked at him in the eyes.
It was a wrong move.
The emotions you had bottled up for the past weeks exploded...
You broke.
And then you turned into ashes.
"I'm not like the rest of you. I wasn't abused. I wasn't taken for granted. I wasn't hurt..."
There was silence. You were just looking at him, silently observing and listening.
"I am the one doing all these things. I abuse people, I take them for granted, and I hurt them."
He sucked in a breath.
"I don't have any excuse just like you do."
He was implying that it was unfair. People like you got away with the pain you caused to other people by simply arguing that you were not in the right mind, or that you experienced traumatic memories before.
People could even argue in court that they were battling some sort of mental illness that was why they hurt people. So instead of getting punished in jail, they would simply be transferred to a competent facility to get the help they 'deserved.'
Taehyung called it bullshit.
"—Because apparently, saving myself isn't good enough to be an excuse." Bullshit since he wasn't treated like this. He couldn't even do good things even if he wanted to.
He couldn't do bad things as it would cause you to hate him too.
"So tell me," your breathing hitched when you felt his hot breath on your left cheek.
He was standing too close.
"What do you think does this look like now?"
You couldn't answer his question so you just proceeded to also ask him a question, something that he would find hard to answer.
"Why?" Your lips trembled. "Is the kiss we shared not enough to satisfy your capital vices?"
As expected, it took him long to respond.
Taehyung only nuzzled your cheek, eyes tightly shut as he felt how good it was to be this close to you.
"No," but he moved away from you, eyes finally opened.
Your ashes were blown by the wind.
"It's not enough..."
a/n: i know, i know the characters are annoying af 😔 two chapters left so dw! everything will be ok next chap. i promise! (?)
### i appreciate feedback ♥️
##### this is super unedited. im so sorry. im only using my phone.
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summary: You were determined to kill yourself, but instead of ending your life, you ended up summoning the devil of death.
Alternatively:
The Devil: I’m here to ruin you, I’m here to save you.
genre & content warnings: demon au, e2l, angst, fluff, roommate au, oc wants to die, invalidating feelings of others, drug overdose, physical violence, and mention of character’s death (minor)
pairing: devil!taehyung x doctor!reader
word count: 2.6k
PREVIOUS CHAPTER
"I'm the devil and I'm here to save you."
It seemed like the world stopped spinning the moment you heard those words. You were deeply rooted in the place where you're standing and suddenly, you couldn't speak. You tried parting your lips, unluckily no word came out.
The stranger who claimed to be the 'devil' furrowed his brow that caused you to momentarily shut your eyes—hoping that once you opened it again, this stranger's reflection would go away.
It didn't.
The man was still standing behind you. An evil grin was actually plastered on his face while twirling the handle of the black scissors in his pointer finger.
This devil was pretending to keep his cool, but in reality, he's pissed off. Well for starters, he did not want to be here. He's literally just chilling in the deepest part of hell when you called him.
What the hell does she need from me anyway? The devil mused.
He thought that his question would be answered the moment you turned to face him. Unfortunately, you only looked at him hoping that your mind was just playing tricks on you—that you were actually the only living creature here.
Did you overdose with antidepressant pills again?
"Fuck off!" You scolded yourself thinking that the things you were seeing weren't real. This was simply one of the effects of taking too much pills.
Tears painted your cheeks as you covered your face. You were just hallucinating, right? If not, then why would a fucking devil appear in your already pathetic life?
Demons did not exist. They're just an illusion created by people so they could blame someone or something as to why their lives were miserable.
You took a deep breath as you talked to yourself: 'Demons don't exist. Stay calm. You're doing great.'
'Focus on your breathing, sweetie. I'm here for you.' You even played your mom's usual reminder inside your head. 'She's here with me. I'm okay. I will be okay...' You continued to distract yourself.
Minutes passed. When your heart started beating at a normal place, you then placed your trembling hands on your chest. Your labored breathing turned steady. This meant that the devil was gone now, right?
"You done meditating, dollface?"
You choked on your own spit when you saw the stranger casually sitting on the couch. His tails was still wagging while grinning from ear to ear.
"Just fuck off!"
The devil lazily rolled his eyes when he realized that anger was taking over you again. You were hysterical. You're throwing everything your hand touched at the stranger.
"Fuck off! Fuck off! Leave me fucking alone!" You shrieked.
The lampshade was heavy in your arms so you threw it at once. Sadly the devil was agile. One moment he's dodging your throws and now he's stopping you from breaking more stuff.
The devil had enough of your bullshit.
He pinned you to the floor length mirror, causing the glass to shatter. Its pieces pierced through your body.
You yelped in pain.
The devil let out an exasperated sigh.
"Listen here, Barbie." He rolled his eyes while emphasizing the 'ie' in the word Barbie. He also stared deep into your eyes.
You could only watch as his lips danced.
"As much as I want to leave your Barbie world and ignore your plastic life, I can't." You could feel his hot breath on your cheek. It made you shiver. "You are the one who summoned me. Therefore, I'm stuck with you."
His statement made you huff. You didn't like the tone this devil just used. You were crankier than usual and it’s probably because you had taken a lot of pills today.
It's like you weren't scared of him anymore because really, who did he think he was to insult you?
"Did you just call me a Barbie?" You usually took this as a compliment, howbeit his voice sounded so cynical that you could practically taste the insult in your mouth.
"Hmm. Let me see," the devil pretended to think. He moved a few inches away from you just so he could eye you from head to toe. His gaze was so sultry that your fight-or-flight response was to cover your chest and gasp.
He only chuckled at your reaction before proceeding to tell you his stupid reasons.
"You're living in a grand apartment, you have hundreds of shoes and expensive clothes too," his eyes roamed around your big room while snorting. He was suddenly reminded of those people who tried to kill themselves because they didn't have enough money to provide for themselves and for their families. It's funny that you're just taking for granted the things other people would kill just to have.
You were really the classic bimbo Barbie.
"You literally have everything, yet you're still acting like life is so hard!" He imitated a high pitched voice of a woman while rolling his eyes.
"How dare you!" You couldn't take his insults anymore as you were already stepping on his ridiculously long tail.
He had no right to accuse you of being ungrateful when he knew nothing about the hell you had been going through.
It was unfair.
You stomped your feet on his tail one more time before running away, leaving him crying in pain.
Your heartbeat doubled as you stepped out of your abode. Running mindlessly brought you to the parking lot. At times like this, you couldn't help but give yourself some credit for always putting your car keys inside the pocket of your jeans.
You drove away from your apartment building.
You could still feel your heart thumping loud as you stepped on the gas. You needed to get away before you lost your mind.
You thought you already got away with the stranger who claimed to be the devil, but then you suddenly felt a strong pang of pain in your chest. It also felt like someone's punching your lungs because you could hardly breathe.
"No!"
Profanities escaped your mouth when you almost hit a group of pedestrian crossing the street. You wanted to stop to ask if they’re okay; however, you couldn't seem to stop driving.
What the hell was happening!?
"Careful, Barbie. You might kill someone..."
"I said leave me alone!" You stepped on the gas harder because using your peripheral vision, you saw the devil casually slouching on the passenger seat.
Your tears fell as the devil's wicked laugh erupted. He's about to lean closer, but you're quick enough to stop the car, throwing him back on his seat.
You hastily went out of your mini cooper and then you ran inside the hospital where you worked. There were a lot of people in this place. You were sure the devil couldn't get to you while you were here.
Or so you thought.
"Hey, what are you doing here—wait! Are you okay?"
Huh. If it wasn't your luck. Out of all the people you're going to run into while running away from the devil, why did it have to be another devil?
"Dr. Bae..." You said breathlessly.
Bae Joo-hyun only winced as a response to your lame greeting. You could actually see the disgusted look she's sporting as she eyed you from head toe. The scowl on her face deepened upon seeing your bare feet. Joo-hyun always hated the way you dressed because she could never beat your style.
However, it looked like today was her lucky day. Her scowl turned into a smirk when she noticed your outfit of the day: black jeans and plain top. You didn't apply any makeup. You were one hundred percent sure that the bags under your eyes were visible.
Acid dripped into your stomach, sadly you didn't have any choice but to pretend like you were not affected by Joo-hyun's judgmental stare.
"How are you?" You flashed a smile at you enemy. It's the kind of smile that hid your real emotions. No one would have guessed that you just spent the past hour of this gloomy afternoon from trying to kill yourself to summoning the devil and now, just casually saying hello to your nemesis.
Seriously. What's up with your life?
"I should be the one asking you that," Joo-Hyun quirked her brow, feigning sympathy.
"Are you okay? I've heard that Cha Areum passed away because of you. I mean—" She paused mid-sentence just to laugh. It was the type of laugh that said 'Oh, silly me!' because the answer was damn obvious.
You glared at her. Joo-Hyun really knew how to annoy you.
"—she died because the operation which you lead wasn't successful, right?" Joo-Hyun patted your bare shoulder which caused you to flinch; however, she acted as though she didn't notice your nervous movement.
"Condolence by the way. I know how much that patient meant to you."
Tears filled your eyes as you let out a shaky breath. If this was an ordinary day, you would most definitely make Bae Joo-hyun regret opening her big mouth, but today wasn't like any other day. This was the time you should be ending your pathetic life.
It wasn't happening because you were running away. Again.
"Have a good day, Dr. Bae." Your lack of energy to deal with the annoying doctor was apparent when you decided to simply walk away—no. You were running once more.
Admittedly, when you were driving a few minutes ago, you didn't really know where to go. You were just certain that you needed to leave your apartment—that you needed to get away from the stranger who insisted that you summoned him, but then you found yourself taking the route going to this hospital.
Your safe place.
Ever since you were a kid, you had always dreamt of working here at Cornelia Hospital. You wanted to take care of other people and extend their time in this world—this was what you promised Cha Areum, the little girl you failed to save.
Bae Joo-hyun was right. The operation which you had led wasn't successful. It ended the life of a ten year-old girl.
She was so young.
'She shouldn't have trusted me. I am a failure. I failed her!' Your thoughts cut deeper than a knife. You firmly believed that you deserved to die as well.
"I'm so sorry, Areum!" You stumbled on the ground.
This place felt like home to you. Aside from cutting your hair, you also went to the rooftop of this hospital just to feel the fresh air—a gentle reminder that you were alive and lucky enough to experience simple things like the warmth of the wind.
Today, instead of being in the morgue, you were back on the rooftop.
You plopped down on the floor as you succumbed to the pain of losing the first person whom you loved after the death of your mother.
'I am a failure.' You continued to screw this in your head.
"Sorry. I'm so sorry!" You clasped your hands together and then you rubbed them as fast and as hard as you could.
You also looked at the sky; the harsh ray of the sun didn't matter to you.
It's unbelievable. Where did the sun get the audacity to shine brightly when people were mourning?
The sun was not fair.
"You look horrible, Barbie."
Your eyes instantly landed on the stranger beside you.
The devil was back. He was hugging his legs while placing his chin on the top of his knees.
He flashed another evil grin at you.
You wiped your tears away.
"Look," you stared hard at him. "I don't care if you're really a devil or not. In fact, I don't care if you want to kill me at all."
You stopped talking when you remembered what he said a short time ago. He claimed that he didn't have any intention to end your life. Actually, he said he came to save you.
"—but if you're just going to pester and insult me, I suggest you go back to hell before I kick your ass to heaven."
Your threat must have been funny because the devil burst into laughter. He laughed until he choked on his own spit.
You rolled my eyes.
"You're different from them." The devil chuckled again. He's been in this world since the beginning of time, yet this was the first time he encountered a mere human threatening him.
People were usually scared of him. If they're kind, it was because they needed something from him. Fame, wealth, knowledge, or anything they wanted.
The devil could give any diabolical favors to humans in exchange of their souls.
"Whatever," you pursed your lips since you seriously didn't care about what he was implying.
You simply wanted to rest and to your surprise, the devil actually kept his mouth shut.
Silence engulfed the two of you.
Just when you thought your heart was finally calmed down, the devil spoke again, causing your anger to ignite once more.
"You don't really wanna die today, do you?"
You were so ready for your rebuttal, but his question surprised you.
It rendered you speechless.
The only thing you could do was to look at your shaking hands. Shame and guilt crept into your heart.
You honestly thought that you were ready to die today, but come to think of it, if you really wanted to kill yourself, would you seriously allow yourself to look mediocre in your last day here on earth?
You were vain. You firmly believed that whatever you're wearing when you died would be your ghost outfit.
Knowing this attitude of yours, you were certain you would never ever allow yourself to wear ugly jeans and an equally ugly top if you were aware that you're going to die.
Your ghost outfit should be fabulous.
"W-What are you doing?" Your body trembled in fear when the devil abruptly leaned closer to you.
He touched your chin, urging you to look at him. When you did, your breathing hitched. Not only that, your heart also skipped a beat as you finally took in his appearance.
Maybe they're not lying when they said that the devil came in beautiful form to deceive human beings.
This demon was perfect. His face was symmetrical. He had this heart shaped face. This was the first time you saw someone with rich golden eyes in your more than thirty years of existence.
The devil's eyelashes were so long you were convinced he didn't blink, he batted. You were also surprised to see his eyelids. His right eye was monolid while the left part was double eyelid.
His tail wagged, halting your enthusiastic heart from praising his Godly feature.
The devil stared deep into your soul. He pulled you closer to him and then a gasp escaped your mouth when he touched the back of your shoulder.
"You can't kill yourself." This was the last words he said to you before disappearing into the thin air.
You blinked once. Just a few breaths ago, you was determined to end your life because you blamed yourself for Areum’s death. Right now, however, the only thing clouding your feeble mind was the gorgeous creature who you summoned.
You were drinking in the physical features of the devil like a love-struck fool as you wondered what in hell had gotten into you.
The devil came into beautiful form, but he also came to totally turn your miserable life upside down.
Summary: You were determined to kill yourself, but what would happen when instead of ending your life, you ended up summoning the devil of death?
Alternatively:
The Devil: I’m here to ruin you, I’m here to save you.
Genre: Demon au, e2l, angst, fluff, roommate au
Pairing: Devil!Taehyung x Doctor!Reader
Word Count: 2.8k
Warnings: mention of bible verse, tae hatin’ the Lord (what’s new? lol) I know I’ve said this before, but just to be safe, I wanna say that you don’t have to agree with the opinions of the characters, and please, please feel free to comment your thoughts about it! :*
SERIES: CHAPTER 9 | CHAPTER 11
*unedited*
"I never thought I'd see you here,"
Taehyung wasn't sure how fast he whipped his head to the side upon hearing that voice.
He smirked.
"Well that makes the two of us."
Jimin shrugged nonchalantly since he was already expecting the devil to answer like that. He had known Taehyung for the most part of his immortal life to know that the devil never went to church.
"But I came here to see you." Taehyung spoke again. He had been looking for Jimin for quite some time now. The church was big and he hadn't been here before so he didn't know where the angel usually went, but now he finally had the chance to sit beside Jimin. It made sense. Of course the latter would be sitting at the nave as he prayed.
Jimin was like any typical believer of God. He went to church to praise his Lord.
Angels weren't that different from people. The former also had an obligation to protect troubled human souls and go to church.
"Huh." Jimin switched his gaze from the cross on the altar to Taehyung. "This is new. Why would the devil of death want to see me?"
"Seeing that I have interrupted your talk with him," Taehyung pointed at the cross. "It would be better if I go straight to the point so you could go back to kissing his ass." His finger gun was still aimed at the altar. "So yeah. Mr. Park Jimin, I want you to stop looking after Jeongguk's sister."
The devil was prepared to hear the angel's response. In fact, he already knew what to say when Jimin asked "and why should I do that?"
Jimin was certain that without his protection, Taehyung could easily kill you.
Yes, it had been months since the devil tried to end your life, but it didn't mean that Taehyung wouldn't do it again. The only reason why he hadn't laid his hands on you was because you were looking after your stubborn brother, thus rendering you too busy to think about killing yourself.
But the thing was, even if you still wanted to end your life, Taehyung's answer remained the same. He wanted Jimin to stop protecting you "because I would protect her myself,"
Normally Jimin wouldn't fall for Taehyung's claim. It was clearly a trap, but then this was the first time he looked at the devil's eyes without detecting any lies.
Jimin was certain: Taehyung was telling the truth. He definitely wanted to protect you.
"But why?" This was the thing. Jimin didn't understand why the devil still wanted to protect you now that he had found an easy way to free himself from you.
Jimin's question had been answered shortly. As said, Taehyung was prepared for this. He never went to battle without weapons.
"Because I need you to protect Jeongguk instead,"
"That's—" Jimin swallowed hard. His eyes were focused on Taehyung, still trying to detect any form of deception.
There was none.
"—an interesting turn of event." Jimin continued and then he paused again just to knit his brows together. Curiosity was written all over his pretty face. "Are you starting to like her?"
Clearly Jimin was only teasing. He knew devils weren't capable of doing that. They only looked after themselves.
"It's more than that," but for the second time, Taehyung caught Jimin by surprise.
More than that? What was this supposed to even mean?
Luckily Taehyung explained what was running inside his head.
"John eight verse thirty two."
Unluckily Jimin didn't understand what was going inside the devil's head.
"Why are you telling me the word of my Lord?"
"Did you know that I memorized what's written on the bible just to twist and use it against humans?" Taehyung answered Jimin's question with another question.
The only thing the angel could do was shake his head in disbelief. Of course the devil of death would do something like this.
"Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free," Taehyung licked his lower lip. His gaze was now directed at the cross. "That's what John eight verse thirty two all about, in case you didn't know."
"Of course I know," Jimin looked insulted.
Taehyung chuckled.
"That...verse," he chuckled again. He seemed nervous. "Was used against me."
When the devil looked at Jimin, the latter got to see something in Taehyung's eyes that he never thought he'd see.
Taehyung looked afraid.
"I happen to know the truth now." The devil's voice was barely audible.
Jimin thought that Taehyung was a freaking good actor if it turned out that he was only saying these things just to get what he wanted.
It was risky to trust the devil.
"Speak your truth, then." Jimin challenged. "Set yourself free."
Taehyung's sheepish chuckle turned into a low mocking laugh. Just like that, Jimin came to a realization that the devil would always be the devil.
"How can I set myself free when I'm being held down by my own stupid feelings?"
And there was Jimin's answer.
He couldn't believe it, but damn. It made sense.
Taehyung wanted to protect you because he had feelings for you.
"I hate..." The devil pointed at the cross again because he still didn't want to utter the word God.
"He 'gave me' something," the Lord gave him the ability not to feel anything aside from the capital vices.
"But he took it away from me—" Taehyung's eyes were red, full of hatred.
"—Just when I learned how to like it." Only wanting to reap souls was convenient. He didn't have to feel remorse or any other stupid emotions human got to feel.
What was not convenient was the change he was going through.
Taehyung realized that this was his salvation.
He told you before that your lives were connected because God wanted to punish him for collecting too many souls. Little did he know that the Lord also wanted to save him from collecting too many souls.
But that was exactly the problem.
Taehyung didn't want to be saved—just like you.
That was it.
Your life was connected to Taehyung because you were just like him. Aside from that, God wanted Taehyung to feel something he had never felt before, something that you had: the burden of guilt.
It was because guilt would eventually turn into the feeling that used to be foreign to the devil: empathy.
Guilt turned to empathy because for instance; you were guilty since you felt like Areum's death and Jeongguk's trauma were the result of your selfishness.
Taehyung knew very well that he was selfish too, and since he was conscious of this so-called selfishness, he would then understand what you were going through.
It was tricky, but God planned this well. Taehyung learned to put himself in your shoes because you two carried the same burden.
Spending many months with you evoked his ability to truly understand pain and the consequence of being self-centered.
Taehyung came to realize what he stole from the people he had tempted to choose evil. This was evident when he saw how Cha Eun Hye and Jeongguk mourned.
And so now he wanted to protect the only person that he could relate to. Taehyung's empathy towards you led him to care about you.
Care. This was the pesky feeling and reason why the devil of death didn't want you to die.
He cared for you. Nothing more, nothing less.
"So you care for her. Is that it?" Jimin finally got the gist of Taehyung's speech.
"I do, but it doesn't end there." Taehyung rolled his eyes. "Oh how I hate human emotion." It was weird since he was beginning to act like the mortals he despised the most.
You cared for your brother and the odd thing was that Taehyung didn't find it odd to care about Jeongguk too.
It just felt....right.
"Jeongguk needs your help. That little fucker is self-destructive and you, my dear angel, guide lost souls, so..."
Taehyung didn't have to elaborate more since it appeared like Jimin understood now.
You understood too.
Taehyung told you that you didn't have to worry about Jeongguk anymore because he took care of it.
The devil managed to convince Jimin to protect your brother.
"I still can't believe guardian angels exist," you shook your head in disbelief. You had forgotten about Jimin since you had been busy these past months.
Jeongguk was really expelled from the school, fortunately Kim Seokjin, the Headmaster of Bangtan University, a boarding school for delinquent students, accepted your brother.
It wasn't like you wanted Jeongguk out of your apartment. He was actually the one who came up with the idea to try his luck at the mentioned school.
You didn't feel like you had the right to stop Jeongguk because Mr. Kim told you the perks of studying at Bangtan University. You knew it would help Jeongguk.
He would be able to get the treatment he needed. There were therapists designated to help students there. Your brother would also fulfill his dream to become an artist because apparently, Bangtan University had strict standards when it came to hiring professors and training their students.
"Come on, Doctor," you remembered how the Headmaster coaxed you to allow him to look after Jeongguk. "You have to let your brother go to find yourself,"
Seokjin wasn't only the Headmaster of Bangtan University. He was also one of the school's greatest therapists.
You were positive he was trying to use his expertise to persuade you.
"I hope you're aware that you sound like a song composer," you snorted at him
'I have to let you go to find myself,' you couldn't be wrong. Seokjin's words were based on these lyrics. You had heard this song before. You just didn't know its title.
You're glad you didn't. The lyrics were awful. Why do you have to let go of someone to find yourself?
Why couldn't that certain someone help you through pain? Wasn't the reason why the two of you were together was because you wanted the relationship to grow? You wanted a companion who would be with you till the end? Didn't you want to share burden and happiness with them?
You wanted that with Jeongguk.
It might be too much to ask, especially because you hurt him bad. But...you wanted to make it up to him.
How could you do that when he wasn't by your side? When he was going to be separated from you again?
"Listen," Seokjin fixed the collar of his coat as he looked at you.
You were at his office, insisting on meeting him after the school called to inform you that Jeongguk passed the entrance exam.
"I know it sounds cliché, but clichés are clichés for a reason. It's what most people like and what's usually more effective."
You only raised your brow at his words, causing him to exhale calmly.
"I get it, okay? You haven't told me much, but you said it yourself that you feel responsible for Jeongguk. You thought you hurt him and so now you wanted to fix him,"
Seokjin wasn't lying. You actually told him that. It was because you got carried away. The thought of losing Jeongguk for the second time scared the hell out of you.
You were going to be the first one to admit that you two had an emotionally draining months together, but you couldn't recall a time when you still felt grateful despite all the stress.
Looking after Jeongguk made you realize one thing: pain and exhaustion were worth it if you were doing what you loved.
And you happened to love being with your little brother.
"But life shouldn't be like that, you know?" Kim Seokjin continued. His voice was much calmer and kinder. "Maybe you really hurt Jeongguk, but it doesn't mean that just because you are the reason why he's in pain, you are also going to be the one to take away the pain he feels."
You sucked in a deep breath, waiting for him to say more.
"Being comforted by the people who hurt you can sometimes cause harm more than good, especially if the person who broke you is broken too."
Tears filled your eyes. You still didn't understand completely, luckily Seokjin wasn't done yet.
"Jeongguk didn't deserve to get hurt and neither did you, but it's your responsibility to heal yourself just like it's your brother's obligation to get better. I'm pretty sure you have heard this cliché before, but again, you can't find who's lost if you don't know the way home,"
"Home is peaceful, Doctor. So find your home first,"
Seokjin had a way with words and so did Taehyung. The former ended up convincing you to let go of Jeongguk, while the latter convinced Jimin to protect your brother.
Jeongguk was scheduled to move out of your apartment the day after his 18th birthday.
You, Taehyung and, Jeongguk celebrated it yesterday, so it only meant one thing: it was time for your brother to go.
"I fixed everything," you said this while helping Jeongguk to put his luggage in the trunk of his new car.
You brought this for him; however, he didn't know yet. You were scared. What if he didn't want to accept this?
"Thanks, I guess?" Jeongguk crossed his arms.
He sometimes acted indifferent towards you, but at least he wasn't screaming right in front of your face anymore. The snide remarks also lessened.
"It's nice that I don't have to process shit." He snorted. "I hope you chose the single bedroom for me. I don't want to have a roommate,"
When you said you fixed everything, he thought you were talking about the things that needed to be settled regarding his transfer at Bangtan University.
"I'm not talking about that," but he was wrong and so you corrected him. "It's about your inheritance, Kook. Your share is already in your name. You can do whatever you want,"
His eyes widened when you handed him a black card. His black card. It was difficult to process this without his knowledge, but nothing was impossible if you had the right amount of money and power.
"I also hired a financial advisor to help you..." You said, carefully watching his expression.
His lips were pursed into a thin line.
"And I...bought you this car,"
You saw how his eyes turned wide; his jaw fell on the floor.
You panicked.
"I-It's a gift! I didn't use your money!"
Jeongguk knew that. You misread his expression. He was simply shocked that you spent so much to buy this Mercedes Benz GT63S.
Holy shit.
"I-I'll just give it away if...you don't like it!"
If it was possible, Jeongguk's eyes widened even more. Give it away? Were you out of your fucking mind!?
"I like it." Your brother uttered before you could say something stupid again.
"R-Really?"
He nodded.
"Oh, I’m happy..."
He wasn't able to reply after that since Taehyung interrupted.
"You ready to go?" The devil asked, furrowing his brow at you and your only family.
You and Jeongguk entered the car to show that you're ready to leave.
Minutes later, the three of you arrived at the airport. Jeongguk's flight was in two hours so you still had time to say your final goodbye before he left.
"Jeongguk," you called softly. He told you he'd be more comfortable if he went inside now.
But you couldn't let him go without telling him what you had been meaning to.
"I just realized one thing," you started.
Jeongguk didn't say anything. He was just waiting for you to continue.
So you did.
"I've done a lot of things, but..."
You paused again. You were trying to steady your breathing.
"I never said sorry to you."
His breathing hitched.
“I’m sorry…” You whispered as sincerely as you could.
Jeongguk's expression softened.
It was the only thing he had been waiting for. Now that he got it, he felt like the heavy thing on his chest had been lifted.
For the first time in forever, Jeongguk smiled at you. With bunny teeth and billions of stars in his bambi eyes.
"You grew up without your family by your side," your lips trembled. "You grew up without a mom—"
You didn't realize that you were crying until you sobbed.
Jeongguk was quick to embrace you.
"But you suffered too," he whispered, voice pained. "You grew up without dad—"
He tightened his embraced as he said "—and me..."
You cried even harder after that.
You didn't know how long you two stayed in each other's arms, just quietly sobbing.
Taehyung was the one who told you to break it off since Jeongguk's going to be late.
"Goodbye, Kookie..." You waved at him, your heart felt lighter.
But Jeongguk shook his head, his wide eyes were sparkling as he corrected you.
"No." He smiled again. "It's see you soon, noona..."
show me some love by clicking here to read a very short drabble (100 words) about human!jungkook and angel!jimin ty! :]
Summary: You were determined to kill yourself, but what would happen when instead of ending your life, you ended up summoning the devil of death?
Alternatively:
The Devil: I’m here to ruin you, I’m here to save you.
Genre: Demon au, e2l, angst, fluff, roommate au
Pairing: Devil!Taehyung x Doctor!Reader
Word Count: 2.4k
Warnings: stabbing, blood, evil Taehyung is back, mention of pedophilia.
SERIES: CHAPTER 11 | CHAPTER 13
*****THIS IS UNEDITED. SORRY.
When Taehyung kissed you, he felt hot, drunk, and happy.
These feelings were the opposite of what you felt.
"Ugh," you pulled away from the kiss when you couldn't bear the taste of his mouth anymore.
You could literally feel the remnant of his blood on your own lips. It had a metallic taste and it was disgusting.
"Is something wrong?" Taehyung enquired, brows furrowed because of confusion.
He still felt like he was floating in the air. He had never felt something this strong before.
"N-Nothing," you answered, losing the courage to tell him that you hated the taste of blood.
You didn't want to offend him, didn't want him to think that you did not enjoy the kiss.
You did.
And that's what scared you the most.
Where did the two of you stand after this? What did this mean exactly? Did he kiss you because he liked you? Or did he do it just to give into one of his capital vices?
"Are you sure?" Taehyung blurted out, his voice was soft that it made your heart skip a beat.
Why did he have that look on his face? Why was he staring at you as if he wanted to crash his lips against yours again?
"Yeah," your eyes were roaming around, obviously avoiding his hot gaze. "It's getting late. We should head home,"
It was rude to walk away without waiting for his response. You knew this well. But what were you supposed to do when all that was clouding your mind was perplexity?
The ignorant part of you wanted to think that Taehyung was attracted to you, but the rational part of you was saying that only a fool would think that the devil was capable of liking someone.
Devil.
He was the devil and you shouldn't be fooled.
"Wait—" Taehyung ran after you, his hand immediately found its way to your wrist.
Taehyung swore he could feel the loud beat of your pulse.
"D-Did you not like it?" He whispered, voice so small you were certain he was either afraid or hurt.
"Didn't like what?" You were pretending as though you had no idea what he was talking about.
Taehyung's heart dropped. Judging your answer, he already knew what you felt.
"I was talking about the kiss," it was like he didn't get the hint that you didn't want to talk about it.
"It's fine if you hate it." The laugh he let out was breathy.
You tried to look at his face. He was already staring at you, his golden eyes screamed something you couldn't quite decipher.
"Just..." His grip on your wrist loosened, like he was ready to let you go, which was a clear juxtaposition of what he said after losing contact with your skin.
"Don't avoid me because of it." His smile was sad. "I don't want things to be awkward between us because of a mere peck on the lips."
And there was your answer.
"Right," you smirked before walking away, totally ignoring his groans as he told you to wait for him.
You were walking too fast, like you were doing exactly what he asked you not to do: avoid him.
Yes. You were planning on ignoring Taehyung. Actually, you were doing it now. You also did it yesterday and the day before that.
You were keeping track. Fourteen.
You had been avoiding the devil of death for straight two weeks now.
[4:23pm] you: I'm gonna be home late. Don't wait for me. Don't pick me up. I brought my car.
Even your text message felt like a dismissal. Taehyung frowned upon reading it. You were talking to him in a formal way. No smiley face or whatever.
He scoffed and tossed his phone onto the couch.
He didn't know if he had done something wrong for you to act like this. It was apparent that you didn't want to see him. You always brought him with you to the hospital, but ever since the kiss happened, you made sure to leave home at six in the morning and only be back at eleven in the evening.
There were also nights when you chose to sleep at the on-call room of Cornelia Hospital.
The devil didn't dare to bother you even though he missed you. This was because he was following the advice of PD-nim, his virtual assistant.
"Hey, PD-nim," Taehyung called after retrieving his phone. He needed advice again since it was obvious that giving you space wouldn't do the trick.
He just felt like you were growing more distant to him as day passed.
"What to do when someone is avoiding you?"
PD-nim responded in a heartbeat.
"You should give them space, Master V."
Taehyung clenched his jaw. PD-nim was full of shit. He knew how to address the devil with the nickname he set for himself, but the virtual assistant couldn't give proper solution to his master's problem.
"But it's not working!"
PD-nim took a few second to respond after that.
"Well," the assistant seemed hesitant. "Have you tried giving them flowers? Speaking of which, did you know that 64% percent of men buy flowers, while only 36% percent of women buy flowers for Valentine's Day—"
"PD-nim," Taehyung said through gritted teeth, making the assistant stop. "Can you shut the fuck up?"
"Okay," PD-nim's answer was instant again.
Taehyung sighed, as he gently stroked his chin.
"So flowers, huh?" He mumbled to himself.
Maybe he could try to give you red roses? Or tulips? Would you like daisies?
"PD-nim," Taehyung was decided. He would buy you some floras. "Where is the nearest flower shop from my apartment?"
There was no answer.
Taehyung facepalmed. He forgot how sensitive PD-nim was.
"Fine. You can speak again."
"Magic Flower Shop is four hundred meters away from your apartment,"
The devil switched off his phone and then he went his way to the shop PD-nim had suggested.
It wasn't so bad. The place was decorated mostly with pastel pink ornaments.
Taehyung roamed around the place. There were so many flowers that he didn't know what to pick. He was pondering whether to buy ready-made bouquet or to customize one. He had a lot of time to kill after all.
He didn't like staying in your apartment because loneliness was only consuming him.
"Sunflowers or lilies?" Taehyung licked his bottom lip, skimming his choices.
In the end, Taehyung decided to just ask the flower shop owner to help him. Unfortunately, the owner said she was busy with some pre-orders so she couldn't help Taehyung.
On the bright side, the owner told him that her daughter was willing to help. The latter was a florist. She knew what the devil needed, but she didn't look please to render service.
"What are you staring at!?" The mentioned florist hissed.
"You don't seem very friendly," Taehyung observed, pouting his lips and turning to look at the array of flowers in front of him instead.
The florist sneered in response.
Taehyung hummed, "are you perhaps having relationship problems?" He was talking like PD-nim. This was what his assistant said when Taehyung was acting as if he hated the world.
PD-nim was right. Taehyung was problematic that time. He didn't know what to do with you.
"What is it to you?" The florist snorted once again, causing Taehyung to roll his eyes.
"You're right. It's none of my business so I don't understand why you're diverting your anger towards me," he was losing his patience. "I am your customer. You should be treating me like one."
He had enough bullshit to deal with. He didn't deserve to deal with a rude mortal like this one.
"You're right. I'm sorry," the florist mumbled, embarrassed. She also lowered her voice a little so that her mother couldn't hear her. "I'm just pissed coz my mom won't allow me to leave this shit hole."
Taehyung was surprised when the florist opened up. Huh. People were really something else. They would only treat you right if you showed them that you should be treated right.
Kindness was not an unspoken rule. This was probably the reason why people instantly fell in love with someone who showed them basic act of kindness.
They couldn't distinguish the different between romantic interest from respect and kindness.
"Wow," Taehyung shook his head in disbelief, the corner of his mouth turning up. "This is a shit hole for you? I see that you have high standards."
This flower shop already looked cool.
"First of all, my standards are not high. You are just judgmental," the florist crossed her arms. "You look like an ahjussi so I think by now you should know that just because your so-called standard doesn't live up with the standard of other people, you already have the right to assume what is and what is not."
The florist paused for a while just to swallow thickly.
"This place is a shit hole because I am always stuck here! I don't even have time to see my boyfriend!"
"You have a boyfriend?" Taehyung parted his mouth in shock.
The florist gasped. She had said so many things, yet all that mattered to Taehyung was the boyfriend thing?
Unbelievable.
"What's the problem? You think I'm not pretty enough to have a boyfriend!?"
"First of all, you're assuming facts." Taehyung mimicked the voice of the florist. "Since you look like a kid, I assume that my reaction is understandable."
"I'm not a kid!" The florist gaped at Taehyung. "I'm fifteen years old!"
The devil chuckled upon hearing that.
"So I'm right after all. You are a kid. I understand now why your mother won't allow you to meet your so-called boyfriend," he was still mimicking how the florist acted a few breaths ago.
"How old is he, anyway? That punk better be fifteen too."
"And what if he's older?" The florist challenged.
Taehyung's eyes darkened.
"Then I'll beat him up and report him to the police. Pedophile shit."
The florist looked like the cat got her tongue, causing to Taehyung wiggle his brows in contempt.
"You should breakup with him, kid. I'm serious. I won't have any choice but to tell your mom about this if you—"
"Don't please!" The florist cut him off. She looked startled, tears filling her eyes. "I know he's older than me but he loves me! He said he loves me! We are running away tonight! Please!"
Taehyung was beyond shocked to hear this revelation. This kid knew nothing. She should be stopped.
The devil didn't care if she hated him. She left him with no choice.
Taehyung rushed towards the exit. He spotted the shop owner outside of this store. It looked like she was talking to someone over the phone.
"No!" The florist's lips trembled. She pulled Taehyung's arm, forcing him to look at her.
"Don't tell her!" The girl cried.
Taehyung was about to say something, he was also about to pull his arm away from the child; however, he was too weak to do that.
Suddenly, he was coughing blood.
"Ahjussi!" The florist tried to comfort Taehyung, but the latter shook his head.
No one could help him. This was not happening because he was sick or whatever.
Taehyung knew this was the effect of trying to do good things.
He was the devil. He was supposed to tempt human beings to give into the darkness.
Either that or he would continue to suffer.
Taehyung chose the former option.
He couldn't suffer anymore. He was not stupid. He was aware that he would die if he still played the role of a hero.
He couldn’t do good things anymore. He couldn't be someone who he was not.
"H-Hey, kid?" Taehyung puked. His head was spinning and he felt like his body was burning.
He could even feel his horns threatening to show.
"Y-You....wanna get...o-out of this..." Taehyung panted. "Shit hole, right?"
"Yah, ahjussi!" The girl cried. "How could you think about that right now? You're hurt."
She was sobbing. She appeared feisty but she was just a soft person.
It was a shame that he had to corrupt her mind.
"You won't get away..." Taehyung inhaled deeply.
His head wasn't spinning anymore. It still hurt but it was tolerable now. This was because he was starting to tempt the florist.
Angry people, scared people...These were the type of people who were easy to corrupt.
"Unless we get rid of your mom first,"
"W-What are you saying?" Fear crossed her face; she took a step away from Taehyung.
The devil only smirked.
"Your mother doesn't love you. She doesn't want you to be happy. She's taking you away from the only person who really loves you..."
The florist was shaking her head as the devil fed her with lies.
"I-I can't...that's not—" She trailed off. She wanted to say that Taehyung was lying, yet she couldn't.
Her young love was poisoning her mind.
She didn't know what was true and what was made up.
"Come on, sweetheart." Taehyung took a step closer to her, reaching for the knife the florist used to cut the stem of the flowers.
"You just have to stab her on the stomach. She's going to get hurt but she's not gonna die." He was handing her the weapon. "Just one stab. It will buy you time. You can run away while I take her to the hospital."
Taehyung stopped talking when the girl pursed her lips.
Silence engulfed them.
Seconds later, the girl took the knife.
"I'll do it." She said.
Taehyung's grin grew wider.
"That's a good girl."
The florist was decided. She gripped the handle of the knife tighter as she ran towards her mom.
She was close.
But someone stopped her—you stopped her.
"Yeji-ah?" The shop owner called the name of her daughter, her brows were knitted together when she saw how you snatched the knife away from Yeji.
"What's happening?" And of course the mother was confused.
Taehyung fucked up, that's what.
The devil knew this too. He knew he fucked up just by looking at you through the big window of the store.
You saw.
You saw what happened. You knew that Taehyung tempted this poor little girl.
He couldn't be wrong. The glare you were giving Taehyung could attest to that.
Again, you saw.
After almost a year of living with him, you finally saw.
No. You didn't see Kim Taehyung. What you saw was the....
