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There were aspects of her life Miyeong could do without: the harsh training, for one. The double life of kpop idol and demon hunter cannot be healthy, but at the same time, she didn’t and couldn't just quit and abandon Celine and Kun Yu-Ni.
“Woah, I’m beat.”, Kun Yu-Ni groaned and stretched her back. “I think I’ll just take a quick shower and then hop into bed. No demon hunting tonight.”
“The Honmoon seems stable tonight, even though I worry about its trembling from time to time. Still, it should be fine if we take a night off.”, Celine said and the two Sisters cheered.
“I think I’ll retreat as well.”, Miyeong yawned. “But at least the choreography sits.”
“Yes. When we perform in a few days, the Honmoon will be strengthened. We can’t fail.”
“Celine, we’ve never failed.”, Kun Yu-Ni said and Miyeong put her hands on her hips, frowning.
“I get that you take this extremely seriously, but it wouldn’t hurt you to relax every once in a while. Why don’t we go to the spa or the bathhouse after the concert?”
Celine turned around to Miyeong and Kun Yu-Ni.
“Our job is important. The fate of the world depends on us.”
Miyeong and Kun Yu-Ni exchanged a look and Celine sighed.
“Fine, we can visit the spa after the concert.”
She gasped when her friends hugged her and cheered into her ears. Perhaps a break truly was in order.
After Miyeong bid her friends goodnight, she immediately prepared a bath. Just the sound of running water relaxed her shoulders already. With some bath salt and a bath bomb, she could finally slip in and relax. Her playlist was playing in the background. Now this was what made life worth living.
Unfortunately, the laws of thermodynamics were very much a thing in this world, and the water cooled eventually. Miyeong sighed woefully and reached for the sponge. However, in the midst of shampooing her hair, Miyeong noticed a delicious smell wafting underneath the bathroom door. It smelled of dakgalbi and Miyeong’s stomach grumbled. She hoped Kun Yu-Ni or Celine left her something as well. Dakgalbi sounds much better than takeout.
Wrapping her body and hair in a towel, Miyeong stepped out of her bathroom into the bedroom - at least, that was her intention. Imagine Miyeong’s surprise when she stood in someone else’s bedroom instead. A t-shirt, a pair of sweatpants and socks were laid out on the bed. Shrugging, Miyeong put them on and pranced into the kitchen. Her cheeks hurt due to the wide grin threatening to split them apart when she saw her demonic Prince bent over the stove.
Miyeong was pleasantly surprised to find Bimil in his true form. When he turned his head to look at her from over his shoulders, his golden snake eyes were almost glowing against his onyx skin.
“Enjoyed your bath, dearest? I hope you are hungry.”
“I did, and I am. Famished would be more accurate.”, Miyeong said distractedly and let her eyes roam over his body. She hardly saw him in “simple peasant” clothes, but tonight, he was dressed comfortably - though Miyeong assumed that if she were to touch his white shirt (with rolled up sleeves, and she was just a simple woman), she would find it impossibly soft to the touch. And the sweatpants looked so good on him, Miyeong thought it a crime he wears them rarely.
She walked up to the Prince and wrapped her arms around him from behind. Pressing her face between his shoulder blades, Miyeong shivered as love aggression overcame her and she bit the curve of his shoulder. Bimil arched a brow and glanced at her in amusement. Wordlessly, he twisted in her grasp and bent down to kiss her.
Miyeong inhaled sharply through her nose and pressed herself closer against him. One of her own hands rested against the back of his neck, whereas the other cradled his cheek. Her heart fluttered like a hummingbird in her chest and his touch - greedy and possessive - sent electric tingles through her body.
Gods, she loved him so much every heartbeat ached. Bimil had his…flaws - he was a demon, for heaven's sake - but he often tried, if only to make her happy. That a demon would treat her better than her (human) ex was almost surreal. Miyeong had never been happier and it hurt that she could not show him off. If her friends knew of his nature (and Bimil wouldn't even try to hide it), they would be at each other's throats, especially Celine.
“Stop thinking. No negative thoughts tonight.”, Bimil mumbled against her lips and retreated to turn his attention back to the stove. Miyeong opened the drawer to set the table.
“I'm not thinking anything negative.”
“And I am a simple human”, Bimil scoffed and filled the bowls. “You worry too much. Even if your fellow hunters should discover me, I am untouchable.”
He put the bowls down on the table and smoothed the small crease between Miyeong's brows. She felt the slight prickle of his claw, but it drew no blood.
“Do not words your pretty head. Worrying about me is an insult to my station”, Bimil chided her and pushed her gently onto the chair, “and I would prefer you eat. You hunters work so hard to keep us at bay, and you said you are starving.”
“Of course I worry.”, Miyeong sighed and hummed when his claws untangled her wet hair, scratching her scalp pleasantly. Bimil chuckled and moved to his seat.
“Then you shouldn't have accepted my courtship, dearest,” he said, condescension shining through, “My ego is not so fragile as to crumble after rejection.”
Bimil winced when his shin received a kick and glared at Miyeong, who stuck out her tongue.
“Don't talk like that.”, Miyeong chided and softly continued, “You know I don't regret it. The joy outweighs the disadvantages.”
Bimil's hard features softened and his hand slid across the table to lace their fingers together.
“You are one strange woman.”
“No, not really.”, Miyeong giggled.
Dinner was a quiet affair and Miyeong was impressed by Bimil's cooking. He acknowledged her praise with a small smile, but she felt the pride radiating off him and signed to herself. His ego really didn't need inflation.
Bimil looked up when her foot touched his ankle briefly. Miyeong only smiled innocently and, confused, he returned to his dinner. It happened again, this time it was his shin. Then again and again. Miyeong seemed to be delighted by his confusion, which gave way to irritation as he was left floundering in unfamiliar waters.
“What is it you're doing?”, Bimil grumbled and Miyeong laughed into the back of her hand.
“Flirting.”
“...With your feet?”
“Yes. “It's called playing footsie.”, Miyeong said and smiled brightly.
“...Ah.”, Bimil said and tilted his head. “A human courting ritual, then?”
“Kind of.”
Miyeong smiled when the tip of his toes touched her ankle. His own lips twitched into a smile. The little game lasted until dinner was finished. Miyeong insisted on doing the dishes since he cooked and Bimil was miffed for a few minutes before getting a grip. Miyeong felt his eyes in her and it made her movements slightly stilted. Behind her, Bimil chuckled and she flushed.
A high-pitched shriek echoed through the kitchen when claws gently danced over the sensitive skin of her waist, and Miyeong writhed in Bimil’s grasp, gasping for breath. She didn’t resist when he adjusted his grip and carried her bridal style to the bedroom.
Now that she was bathed and fed, exhaustion rolled over Miyeong like a tsunami. The moment her back hit the bed, she had to fight to keep her eyes open. Miyeong felt the bed dip next to her and lazily turned her head to the left. Bimil was lying on his side, his head supported by his hand. Miyeong rolled over until their fronts were facing each other.
“Sleep.”, Bimil said and ran his fingers through her hair. At the touch, the remaining dampness evaporated. Miyeong succumbed to sleep, lulled into a sense of safety by the repeating sensation of fingers through her hair and feeling the cold radiating off Bimil.
The harsh pounding against a door woke Miyeong from her slumber. There was no trace of Bimil and she was back in her bedroom. Her heart sank at the thought that it had been a dream, but then she spotted the clothes she wore: men’s clothes, the ones she put on at Bimil’s. The evening had been real. Thoughtfully, she ran the palm of her hand over the soft fabric of her pants.
How could this be wrong? Just because history cannot prove that a love like theirs never happened before didn't mean it was wrong. Innovations and discoveries happen because some people think outside the box. But Miyeong knew it was not that simple.
Demons fed on souls - there was no other way to nourish them. On top of that, most demons simply were uninterested in being nice or changing their way of life. Bimil was most likely an oddball.
“Miyeong, get up! Celine made pancakes and if you want some, you must be quick!”, Kun Yu-Ni shouted and Miyeong jumped to her feet.
“I’m coming! Don’t you dare eat them all!”, she threatened and hastily swapped Bimil’s clothes for her own and flung the bedroom door open. Kun Yu-Ni screeched and sprinted to the kitchen, Miyeong fast on her heels. Celine’s pancakes were to die for, and she only made them once every blue moon.
Bimil’s cooking for dinner, Celine’s for breakfast - Miyeong was being spoiled indeed!