Maybe this was a bad idea.
She really shouldn't be doing this right now.
But here she was, inside her small and tight bedroom in a run-down apartment complex located in the shady parts of the neighborhood. Doing what, exactly?
Trying to summon a demon at 3 AM.
You might think "Why!? That's a terrible idea!"
And indeed it is. But, at the time, Jennie thought it was a good idea. A very good one. One that she soon regrets doing.
Jennie's not living a great life. She was completely broke and her parents didn't care. Heck, Jennie can't even afford to go to college. The brunette's making ends meet by working several odd jobs and doing drawing commissions for strangers on the internet.
She has seen better days, back when her parents were actually still kind enough to transfer her money every couple of months, back when Jennie could at least rest for a few hours. But now, she can't even do that.
It's nearing the end of the month, and she is low on money. It's possible that she won't even be able to pay for the rent, she would be kicked out and forced to live on the streets with rats and cockroaches to keep her company.
Jennie was desperate. She was trying to find any sort of way to make more money without getting involved in criminal activity, it would only make everything worse for her.
One afternoon, Jennie was in the library looking for books to read. She could only be there for an hour or two since the brunette had some things to finish with her clients. She was at the back when she found a book that was lying down on one of the tables.
Curious, and since no one else was there, Jennie picked it up. Skimming through, she realizes it was a book about... demons? Specifically, about the seven deadly sins, the different demons, and most importantly, how to summon one.
The brunette scans the pages more carefully until she reaches a page that was talking about summoning a demon that could help people with financial issues. It's just like what Jennie has been looking for. But, is this even real?
It could be a fantasy book. Jennie could accidentally trigger Armageddon by summoning the wrong kind of demon. Anything could go wrong.
But at this point, Jennie had no other options. It was either summoning a demon, becoming a criminal, or becoming homeless. The first option was the safest (not really). And so, the brunette bought six black candles and enough salt to make a pentagram. It was said that the best chance of successfully summoning a demon was at 3 AM.
Jennie gulps as she places the sixth candle at the center of the salt pentagram. A razor blade on her right and her notes (she wrote them down really quickly since she couldn't bring the book back with her). She lit up the five candles that were surrounding the pentagram before looking at her note to see what she needed to say.
It was quite dark and her handwriting was absolute garbage. But she began chanting in Latin as she closes her eyes. Once it was done, the brunette takes the razor blade and shakily cut herself on her finger, creating a small but bleeding wound.
Carefully, her finger hovers over the sixth unlit candle. A single blood drop landed on the candle, and all of the sudden, all the other candles went out and the room began to shake. Terrified, Jennie crawled back as the room shook more and the candles disappeared. A portal opened and Jennie closed her eyes.
Slowly, the shaking and noises stopped. Jennie opened her eyes to see a woman standing where the pentagram used to be. She had black horns with thin white stripes, dark red eyes, black hair, lizard-like scaley spots on her skin, and a long thin black tail. But other than that, she looked surprisingly... human?
The demon(?) crossed her arms and glared at Jennie, who was still confused. "Aren't you going to say something?" She said, her voice is deeper than Jennie thought.
"I- Well- Uhm-" The brunette stuttered.
"Oh I- Well you know- Uh- Uh- Say it!" The demon mocked. She sat down on Jennie's bed, cringing at the creak it made.
"You're... a demon, right?" Jennie asked. The demon rolled her eyes. She must've thought something along the lines of "Wow, what a fucking stupid question. Of course I'm a demon, you were the one that summoned me!"
"Right... sorry. So, uhm, I'm Jennie. The reason I summoned you is... I need money. Like, really badly. I don't have enough to pay for rent, the bills, and food!" The brunette pleaded for help, going as far as begging on her knees.
"Wait wait. You want me to help you with money problems?" The demon only looked at Jennie as if she was an idiot (she probably looks like one right now, though).
"Yeah? Aren't you a demon that could help with financial problems?" Jennie was confused. More confused than she has ever been in her entire life. She watched as the demon slapped her forehead.
"Human. I'm not a demon that bothers with such minor issues," The demon sighed before continuing. "I'm a demon that embodies the sin of Wrath, I do not focus on money. It appears you might have summoned the wrong demon."
"WHAT?!" Jennie shrieked. She spent a lot of money on those stupid candles and salt, and she summoned the wrong demon?! This was the worst day in Jennie's life, she was this close to ending it all right then and there.
"I... didn't summon a demon that deals with money..?" The brunette grabbed her crumpled notes and read them again before realizing the dumb mistake she made. She said the wrong name. So now, she has no money and is stuck with a demon that could kill her at any point.
"You need to focus on better handwriting. I can't believe I was summoned here for no reason, ugh." The demon stood up, creating a portal to go back to Hell. Right before she jumped in, she heard sobbing.
She froze.
Hearing the human's sobs and whimpers made her feel weird. It was something she had never experienced before. It was a feeling that she hated. The demon turned around to see Jennie curled up, hiding her face behind her hands.
The demon was confused about what to do. It's not like she ever had to deal with a hysterical human before. She slowly approached Jennie, kneeling down.
"Are you... okay?" She asked. Jennie only shook her head.
"Is it because you don't have any money?" The brunette nodded. The demon sighed. The only way to summon a demon into the human realm is through a ritual, and clearly, Jennie didn't have the things she needed for one.
It's not like she could just call her friend here. There were two options for her, either she leaves the human behind or she tries to help her. Normally, the demon in her would just tell Jennie to suck it up and go back home where she could rest and play games all day.
But this time, she felt different. What did the humans call this again? Was it compassion? Whatever it was, she felt a desire to help Jennie out in any way she can.
"Hey, it's alright. I can help you." Finally, the brunette looked up and faced her.
"Really?" Jennie sniffled, wiping her tears away with her hand.
"Yes." The demon nodded. "I'll help you earn some money." She helped Jennie up and sat her down on the bed.
"Even though you're not a demon that does that?"
"Mhm."
"What's your name? You never told me." Jennie said.
"My name is Jisoo. Since I'm the embodiment of the wrath sin, I just help people get revenge." The brunette nodded before suddenly wincing. She completely forgot about her bleeding finger.
"Oh, you need... what do you guys call it again... ah right, a band-aid?" Jisoo stood up and walked out of the room only to come back a few seconds later.
"Where do you keep them, human?" The demon scratched the back of her neck.
"In the bathroom. I'll show you." Jennie went to the bathroom with Jisoo trailing behind her.
"My apologies. Wrath demons don't get summoned often these days." After being shown where the bathroom is and where the band-aids are located, Jisoo tells the brunette to sit down on the worn-out sofa while the demon takes care of her wound.
"Tell me, how do you plan on earning more money for me?" The brunette asked.
"Since I don't need to rest, eat, or drink, I can work 24/7. But we can also do some crimes to get even m-"
"We are not doing criminal activities." Jennie disagreed.
"But why? I'm a demon! It's literally in my nature to do such a thing!" Jisoo finished wrapping the band-aid around the human's finger. She sat down on the floor, ready to argue.
"No crimes allowed in this household." The brunette crossed her arms. The demon rolled her eyes while mumbling "Bummer..."
"Fine. What kind of job do you have?" Jisoo changed the topic.
"I just do some odd jobs and drawing commissions... no one would accept a poor girl that doesn't even go to college. I get no rest." Jennie frowned.
"I see..." The demon nodded. "How about this, you can rest for however long you want while I do all the money-making for you?"
"WHAT? But... wouldn't that be a little unfair... you're basically doing everything for me." The human pouted. Jisoo would never admit this out loud, but she found it cute. Too cute for her heart.
"It's fine. Now, go sleep, human. It's almost 4 AM." Jennie yawned and sleepily nodded. She walked back to her bedroom, cleaning it up a little before flopping down on her bed.
"Are you not going to sleep?" The brunette mumbled.
"I don't sleep, human. Don't worry about me." Jisoo laid down on the floor, looking at the ceiling with a bored face.
"If you say so... Goodnight, Jisoo."
"Goodnight, human."
---
"I have a question." Jennie said while giving Jisoo some more appropriate clothes for work. She was recently hired as a waitress, and when the brunette asked how Jisoo even got the job, she simply told her "I can be quite persuasive."
Whether Jisoo was actually persuasive or used her demonic abilities to scare the owners, Jennie will never know. But now, it will be the demon's first day on the job. The brunette just hopes she won't do anything dumb.
"Ask away." Jisoo told her, fixing her clothes while silently grumbling about how uncomfortable it felt.
"Why do you look... human? I thought demons are supposed to look terrifying." The brunette asked.
"We take on this form in the human realm. Your minds wouldn't be able to comprehend the sights you see if we show our true selves." The demon looked at the small mirror, combing her hair.
"Fair enough. But, you really need to stop speaking like that."
"Like what, human?"
"Like... that! So old-fashioned... and stop calling me human, I have a name!" Jisoo only shook her head after hearing that.
"I can speak however I want to, and I'll only call you by your actual name when you've earned my respect." Jennie scowled at her before sitting down on the sofa.
"By the way, shouldn't you be hiding... those?" She pointed to the strikingly demonic features on Jisoo's body. The demon sighed before snapping her fingers and, in an instant, all of it disappeared, making her look like a young woman in her 20s.
"I hate looking like this." Jisoo muttered to herself, thankfully the brunette didn't hear her, she was too focused on staring at Jisoo.
"I'll be going now, human. Make sure you don't do anything foolish while I'm gone." Jennie snapped out of her trance. The demon had already put on her shoes and was opening the front door.
"I should be saying that to you, demon." The brunette giggled seeing Jisoo clearly rolling her eyes before closing the door.
Life with a demon as a roommate might not be that bad after all. During the few days when Jisoo was still looking for a job and Jennie was resting, she learned a lot. Despite her cold aggressive looks and behavior, deep deep deep down, Jisoo had a kind heart.
She was also... not caught up with human technology. After jogging, Jennie would come home to a burning smell coming from her kitchen, and she would always find Jisoo at the scene of the crime. When asked what she had burnt, Jisoo would answer "I'm making a soup out of human body parts."
But Jennie knew.
She knew Jisoo failed to make ramen. She could clearly tell by the packaging that the demon hastily threw away once she heard the door open. Jisoo only said that to look intimidating.
But Jennie didn't dare to tell Jisoo it's okay if she burns ramen, so she just let it happen.
The brunette chuckled to herself, it was pretty funny seeing the demon being so clumsy. She grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, waiting for Jisoo to come home so that she could annoy her again.
---
"Human?" Jisoo called out. She takes off her shoes and removes her jacket, cracking her joints. Today's shift felt like hell to her. She thought being a waitress was easy, well, not when the customers kept getting angry at her for no reason. Jisoo was very very close to showing her demonic form, but she didn't, mainly for Jennie's sake.
Sigh... All she wants to do now is get a massage, watch terrible shows on the magical black box that Jennie apparently calls "tee-vee", and sleep. The demon calls for Jennie again, but only silence greeted her.
Could she be sleeping? The demon wondered to herself after getting no response. Sure, it was pretty late, but Jisoo knew that the brunette wouldn't sleep until it was midnight, despite the countless times she reminded Jennie that it wasn't healthy for her.
The TV was also oddly turned off. Jennie would've turned it on as background noise so she wouldn't be feeling so lonely in her apartment. Everything was practically untouched. Confused, Jisoo walks over to her bedroom and slowly opened the door.
She took a peek before going inside. Her laptop was off, the lights were shut, and her phone was all the way on the desk. Jisoo got closer to Jennie's bed. Strange... Jisoo thought. She looks paler than usual and her cheeks are completely deflated. That's not a good sign, right?
The demon places her hand on Jennie's forehead before immediately retracting it. She was used to feeling that high temperature in hell, but on a human's body, it's definitely not a good sign.
"You're burning up." Jisoo runs to the bathroom, not noticing Jennie stirring awake. When she came back to the brunette's bedroom with a towel in hand, the brunette was sitting up.
"Lie back down." Before Jennie could even say anything, the demon forces her to lie down as she placed the damp towel on the brunette's forehead.
Jisoo sighed, "Are you okay, Jennie?" The brunette's mouth was completely open hearing the demon say her name for the first time.
"Did you just... call me by my real name?" To say Jennie was shocked would be wrong. She was astounded, astonished, dumbfounded, literally any words that were similar to shocked.
It seems that Jisoo didn't even realize she said Jennie's name since her eyes widened as well. "Oh, right, sorry-"
"No no no, don't apologize. I was just shocked since you said you'll only call me by my real name when I have 'earned your respect'." The brunette made air quotes.
"Yeah, okay, whatever." The demon quickly tried to change the subject, hoping Jennie would forget about it. But she was wrong, Jennie Kim never forgets.
"Are you saying I have earned your respect, miss demon?" Jennie said in a mocking voice.
"God, even when you're sick you're still annoying." Jisoo huffed. She proceeds to sit down on Jennie's bed.
"Anyways," The demon coughed out. "I might have to... stay here longer if you don't mind. There is just a lot of things to do here, and hell is pretty boring anyway. Of course, if you don't want me to stay here any longer, I can just go back home. But, I would like to stay here if I'm allowed to-"
"You're staying here?" Jennie said, a glimmer of excitement in her eyes.
"I mean, maybe I am..." The brunette immediately hugs Jisoo, squealing. "You're staying with me?!" Jennie smiles brightly, making Jisoo avert her eyes. Trying to act nonchalant, the demon simply nods.
"Yes, but no physical contact." Jisoo breaks off the hug, making Jennie pout in the process. "I need hugs to make my fever go away..." She whined.
The demon growled lowly, she has to stay strong. She can't let a little human control her like thi-
"Pleeasee?" Jennie batted her eyelashes.
"Okay, fine!" Jisoo opens her arms and the brunette jumps in, the force making Jisoo fall on the bed with Jennie on top of her, cuddling.
"You're only allowed to do this when you're sick." The demon lied. Physical contact was a big no no for Jisoo, but if it makes Jennie happy, she'll do it. The brunette eventually fell asleep, only quiet snores filled the otherwise empty apartment.
Jennie felt happy and comfortable for the first time in years.
Maybe accidentally summoning the wrong demon during the witching hour was a good idea after all.
---
A/N: Hello it's been 12947218937 years... I've been very busy with school, and I'll be even busier for the next 2 weeks. I'll be finishing Stray Cat and Zeros and Ones soon, don't worry ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ