𝐴𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑡𝒉𝑖𝑛𝑒 // 𝐿𝑒𝑒 𝑀𝑖𝑛𝒉𝑜

eight.

Jisung grimaced as his best friend held a bag of frozen peas to his sore skull.

"Have you been working out? That felt so strong."

Eyes rolling, Haneul eased down next to him on the couch, glaring as the last few minutes replayed in her head.

"If you had just knocked on my front door or something this could've been avoided. Even if you'd waited until morning; why are you here so late?"

"I was kind of worried," he replied dryly, glancing over her disheveled state. "You didn't answer my calls all afternoon, and granted I did leave you on delivered for a while my phone was getting repaired, but I wasn't sure what else to do. It's not like there's anyone else to look in on you."

The words stung, but Haneul scoffed, still annoyed. "You weren't sure? How about you not sneak in and sleep on my couch at 3:00 in the morning after peeking in my bedroom to see if I was safe."

Jisung muttered to himself, probably mocking her, and Haneul ferociously swatted his arm. "Thanks for being concerned, though."

He ignored that, instead looking her directly in the eyes with a sincerity that Haneul wasn't used to, and kind of scared her.

"Are you gonna tell me what's actually been going on now? You've obviously been hiding something, Haneul. It's written all over your face and behavior, there's something you're keeping from me. You know you can trust me, right?"

Biting her lip in hesitation, Haneul brushed a finger along her bracelet, pondering whether or not she should tell her best friend the truth about Minho.

"Jisung, I've been—"

A shockwave of heat washed over them, almost toppling the couch as the lights flickered ominously. The two froze in astonishment, hands braced on the cushions as their surroundings settled.

Jisung looked at Haneul in horror. "What was that?"

A dry chuckle interrupted her, and Haneul twisted to see Minho right there, lazily sprawled on the end of the couch. His eyes trailed across her startled appearance to Jisung, and a wicked grin lit up his face.

"Do you really need me right now, angel? Seems like your boyfriend has you covered."

Jisung clumsily shot off of the couch and against the nearest wall, his face paling as he took the demon in.

"This thing summons you even if I don't need you, even when you're just a passing thought?" Haneul spluttered, glaring balefully down at her bracelet.

Tilting his head, Minho smirked. "Told you it'd be easy to think of me."

Her guardian was paying no mind to Jisung after his initial assessment; but his nostrils flared a moment later and he peered over Haneul's shoulder, scrutinizing her friend with a puzzled expression. To her surprise, Minho's features went flat, and an almost disgusted look filled his face.

Confused at the sudden tension, Haneul glanced between the two. "What's going on? Why..."

Minho sat up stiffly, his jaw flexing. "You didn't tell me I wasn't the only divine company you kept."

Perplexed, Haneul narrowed her eyes, continuing to prod at the demon. "I don't understand."

He finally met her gaze, his eyes reluctantly sliding away from Jisung. "Your friend right there. You don't know?"

Jisung's chest rose and fell quickly, but he didn't say a word, only clenched his hands tightly. He wouldn't look at her.

Minho gave her a small nod of understanding. "I guess you'd have met him before you became... sensitive. Regardless, it's interesting that you never noticed."