A Deal with The Devil

The storm hasn't let up.

Rain lashes against the abandoned buildings of Busan, painting the streets in silver streaks, pooling in the cracked pavement. Thunder growls low, echoing through the city's ruins. The wind howls like a warning, but it's not the storm outside that has my heart pounding.

It's the man beside me.

Jae moves through the wreckage like a phantom, his footsteps silent, his body carved from shadow and fire. There's something predatory about the way he walks—like he belongs to this world of ruin and danger. Like he was made for it.

And I can't look away.

Not when he fights.

Not when he smirks.

Not when his fingers accidentally brush mine, sending sparks through my skin like a live wire.

It's dangerous.

He's dangerous.

And yet, I keep following him.

---

The Choice

We find shelter in an old underground parking garage. It's dark, damp, and smells like rust and decay. But it's safe.

For now.

Jae paces near the entrance, listening to the wind. I sit on the hood of a long-dead car, watching him.

"You're restless," I say.

His gaze flicks to me, sharp and unreadable. "You should get some sleep."

I scoff. "Like I could sleep with you pacing like a caged beast."

His lips twitch, almost amused, but there's a tension in his shoulders. Something unspoken.

Something dangerous.

"Tell me," I press. "What's really bothering you?"

Jae exhales, running a hand through his hair. "The storm covers our tracks, but it also hides other things. Things worse than scavengers."

A shiver crawls down my spine.

"Like what?"

He hesitates.

Then, quietly—

"Like the ones chasing me."

I sit up straighter. "You mean—"

"Yes."

His eyes darken. The glow beneath his irises flickers, just for a second.

"They're close," he says.

---

The Demon's Mark

I should be afraid.

I should turn around and walk away.

But I don't.

Instead, I slide off the car, stepping closer. "Who are they?"

Jae exhales slowly. "Hunters."

My stomach twists. "For you?"

His smirk is sharp, humorless. "For what's inside me."

That stops me cold.

I look at him. Really look.

The glow in his eyes. The power that pulses beneath his skin, barely contained.

"You're not human," I whisper.

Jae tilts his head. "Does that scare you?"

I swallow hard. "Should it?"

He doesn't answer.

But he steps forward.

Too close.

His presence wraps around me, stealing the air from my lungs, setting my pulse on fire.

The dim light catches on the sharp angles of his face—his jaw, his lips, his eyes burning with something unreadable.

I should move.

I don't.

Instead, I say—

"We touch, I feel a rush."

Jae's expression flickers.

"We clutch, it isn't much, but it's enough to make me wonder what's in store for us."

Silence.

"You must be a sorcerer," I murmur, my voice barely above a breath, "because you just did the impossible—gained my trust."

Something shifts in his gaze.

Something dangerous.

I don't know who moves first.

One second, we're standing apart.

The next—

His fingers brush my wrist.

It's light. Barely there. But electric.

His voice drops, so low I feel it in my bones.

"To face the demons, I am one of two."

My breath catches.

"But they are chasing me."

I swallow hard.

"And I am part of you."

He lifts my chin, his touch firm, possessive.

"So escaping me is impossible."

My pulse slams against my ribs.

His grip tight

---

The Line Between Us

A storm rages outside, but the real storm is between us.

Jae holds me there, his fingers barely pressing against my chin, but the weight of his presence alone is enough to set my whole body on fire. His words coil around my mind, sinking into my very marrow.

"So escaping me is impossible."

A chill races through me—not from fear, but from the unbearable heat of the moment, the gravity of his words pulling me into his orbit.

Something dark stirs beneath his gaze, flickering in the dim light like a spark threatening to become a wildfire.

I exhale, but the air barely reaches my lungs.

"Jae…" I whisper.

His thumb brushes against my lower lip—just once.

My stomach clenches.

It's too much.

It's not enough.

I should push him away. I should break this tension before it consumes me. But I don't.

Instead, I lift my chin ever so slightly, inviting it.

Daring him.

Jae's smirk deepens, slow and dangerous.

"You have no idea what you're playing with," he murmurs.

I swallow hard. "Then show me."

For a split second, I see something flash in his eyes—something raw, something that looks like a war inside of him.

Then—

Jae steps back.

The absence of his touch is like being thrown into the cold.

He turns, shoving a hand through his hair, his body rigid with restraint.

"I should stay away from you," he mutters.

A bitter laugh escapes me. "You're not exactly doing a good job at that."

Jae exhales sharply, shaking his head. "No. I'm not."

His voice is strained, as if he's barely keeping himself in check.

But I don't want him in check.

I want him unleashed.

---

The Hunt Begins

Before I can say anything, a distant sound shatters the moment.

A deep, inhuman growl rumbles through the underground garage.

My breath stalls.

Jae's entire body tenses.

"They're here," he says, turning toward the sound.

My heart slams against my ribs.

I grab my weapon, forcing down the spike of adrenaline racing through me. "What do we do?"

Jae glances at me, his expression unreadable. But there's something else there—an emotion I can't name.

"Run," he says.

Then—

The shadows explode.

Something huge and fast bursts from the darkness, its eyes burning with unnatural hunger.

A hunter.

Its skin is black as ink, rippling like living smoke. Its mouth stretches too wide, full of jagged, glistening teeth.

Jae moves first.

He shoves me back just as the creature lunges.

The fight is a blur of motion—steel against claws, fire against shadow.

Jae is inhumanly fast.

Stronger than anything I've ever seen.

I can't breathe. I can't blink.

All I can do is watch him fight for my life.

And then—the second one appears.

---

Bound by Fire and Blood

I react on instinct.

I dodge left, narrowly avoiding the hunter's claws. My spear comes up, slicing across its arm, but the wound closes instantly.

Shit.

I barely have time to think before it lunges again.

This time, I'm not fast enough.

The impact sends me sprawling. My back slams against the hood of a rusted car, pain blooming across my ribs.

The hunter looms over me, its mouth stretching into an unnatural grin.

I struggle to push up, but its weight pins me down.

Its breath is hot, rancid.

And then—

It speaks.

"We touch, I feel a rush."

My blood runs ice cold.

"We clutch, it isn't much, but it's enough to make me wonder what's in store for us."

The words—mocking, twisted, inhuman—drip from its mouth like poison.

"You must be a sorcerer, because you just did the impossible—gained my trust."

The exact words I had whispered to Jae only moments ago.

I can't move.

I can't breathe.

The creature leans in, its voice dropping to a grotesque whisper.

"To face the demons, I am one of two."

It grins, flashing those horrible teeth.

"But they are chasing me."

I struggle against its hold, but its claws sink into my arms, anchoring me down.

"And I am part of you."

No.

No, no, no.

"So escaping me is impossible."

I scream.

And then—

A burst of red light shatters the darkness.

Jae.

His eyes burn brighter than the flames of hell.

He moves faster than my mind can process.

One moment, the creature is pinning me down.

The next—Jae is there, his hands wrapped around its throat.

And he burns it from the inside out.

The hunter shrieks, its body collapsing into embers and smoke.

Jae doesn't stop.

He turns to the other creature—the one still standing.

And he unleashes hell.

A beam of red-hot energy explodes from his eyes, hitting the hunter square in the chest.

It erupts into flames.

Then—silence.

Only the sound of my own breathing, ragged and uneven, fills the space.

Jae turns, his gaze still glowing, his chest rising and falling with exertion.

He looks like something not of this world.

Something powerful.

Something deadly.

And for the first time—I understand exactly what he is.

---

The Devil's Offer

Jae approaches me slowly.

I don't move.

I can't.

He kneels in front of me, his fingers brushing against the torn fabric of my sleeve.

His touch is warm. Too warm.

I swallow, my throat dry.

"You saved me," I whisper.

Jae tilts his head, studying me. "You're not afraid?"

I should be.

But I'm not.

Instead, I meet his gaze.

"You're not the one I should be afraid of."

Something flashes across his face—something dark, unreadable.

Then—he smirks.

"You don't know what you're saying," he murmurs, his fingers trailing down my arm, slow and deliberate.

"Then tell me."

Jae's hand tightens around mine.

"I made a mistake," he says, his voice a whisper of sin and secrets.

I blink. "What?"

He leans in.

And then—

"I should've kissed you when I had the chance."

I barely have time to process before his lips crash against mine.