Chapter 2

The rain began to drum on the windows with renewed vigor, and a draft ran across the floor. In the kitchen, water dripped from the tap, which was supplied here with varying degrees of success, as was the light.

Hun held his breath, squinting and listening to the silence. The candle flame crackled and went out because a drop of blood fell directly on the wick. The place of the cut stung terribly due to the fact that the palm was sweaty, and it also throbbed disgustingly.

Exhaling, Donghun opened his eyes, bringing his palm closer to his face. Apparently, it will take a long time to heal.

Smiling bitterly, he blotted the remaining blood with his sleeve and looked at one of the extinguished candles. That’s crazy, huh? And what did you hope for?

Shaking his head to himself, Hun turned his head to the side and picked up the newspaper again. Leaning closer to the nearby candles, he again began to look for advertisements, but the more he did this, the more he felt someone’s gaze on him. When it became completely uncomfortable, he raised his head and immediately crawled back in horror, resting his back against the wall. A stranger was sitting at a distance from him. In the dim candlelight it was hard to tell who he was. The face was almost invisible. The stranger sat in the lotus position with his wrists clasped in a “lock.” The only thing that could be clearly seen in this light were thin fingers with long black claws and some incomprehensible markings.

Donghun’s heart forgot how to beat. Something pulsed in his temples, and his breathing became labored. He tried to peer into the darkness to see the stranger’s face, but he could not do it. Who is he and how did he get here in the first place?

The stranger continued to sit in this position. His posture was perfectly straight, his hands remained closed in a “lock”. Not seeing his face, Hun felt his cold gaze on him and this made him feel even more uneasy, although it seemed much more so.

“You…” Donghun swallowed, trying to make his voice sound louder. “Who are you?”

The stranger did not move, continuing to sit in the same position. Hun swallowed again and put his hands on the floor, carefully crawling on all fours back to the illuminated place. Maybe this is a glitch?

Hun looked at stranger’s hands. The fingers looked quite real, as did the legs in black skinny jeans.

“No, it’s not a glitch”, it flashed through in his head. To be happy or not?

“Who are you?”

Hun asked quietly again, biting his lip. Taking one of the candles in his good hand, he raised it, illuminating the stranger’s face. Once again, his face showed fear mixed with surprise.

The stranger’s face was beautiful. It was perfect. Chiseled cheekbones, wide forehead. Dark hair falling over the face. The stranger’s eyes were closed and everything would have been fine if not for the color of his skin, which was dark red in places, and there were real horns on his head.

Donghun froze in a daze, staring blankly at this phenomenon. Maybe this is still a glitch? The house landlord said that they recently poisoned rats here, maybe Hun inadvertently sniffed something?..

“Are you the reaper of death?” Hun said somehow hesitantly, reaching out his hand to the horns on the stranger’s head, but he suddenly opened his eyes and Donghun immediately removed his hand, swallowing convulsively. The guy’s eyes were burgundy with huge black pupils.

“W-who are you…”

Hun squeaked, slowly moving away to his previous place. Various thoughts danced chaotically in my head: this creature is not a person at all, is he dangerous? If he was dangerous, he would have attacked Hun by now, no? Should be afraid of him? Afraid.?

“You called me yourself”.

All thoughts immediately disappeared somewhere, driving Donghun into a dead end. His head became empty and quiet. Just as quiet as it was now in the room. Looking around, Hun squeezed the candle in his palm tighter.

“Who called you? Me?..”

He slammed his eyes somehow like a girl, looking at the stranger in disbelief.

“I Vassago, ruler of thirty legions of spirits, heard your call and appeared before you”.

Hun arched his eyebrows in surprise. The thought again flashed through his head that he had inhaled something after all.

“In exchange for your soul, I will fulfill whatever you wish. Money, power, recognition, any men and women. Whatever you want will be yours”

Donghun bit his lip, lowering his head. He immediately felt somehow sad, and he couldn’t understand why. Everything that his imagination had now listed for him (and he was beginning to believe that this was exactly it) was not needed by him. He could achieve everything on his own, but he didn’t need any of it. It may have been such an apartment, but it was. It may have been such a job, but it was there. Friends? Why do they, if they can betray so easily? Women? Women are not interested. Boys? He had alone boy and not for long, that’s all. Power? Wealth? And what to do with all this if you will always be alone? The only one.

“What are your wishes, Lee Donghun?”

Hun shuddered at his own name, raising his eyes to the stranger’s unusual face. It’s definitely a glitch, one hundred percent.

“I can wish for everything I want?..”

The so-called Vassago nodded slowly.

“Then,” Donghun’s lips twitched in a slight smile, “I want you to become my friend, so that you will always be with me and never betray me. So that you become my support.”

Hun said confidently. The stranger’s face was distorted in slight misunderstanding.

“In return, I will become your same faithful friend and strong support in life. This is my desire, for which I am ready to give my already tired soul”

Silence reigned. Even the candle flames stopped crackling. Vassago looked at Donghun carefully, peering into his exhausted face.

Hun chuckled slightly, wincing from the pain in his palm, and sat down again in his previous position, taking the newspaper.

“Nonsense, of course, but I haven’t caught such glitches yet”.

Vassago arched a neat eyebrow and unclasped his hands, leaning forward towards Hun. Donghun was a little taken aback, leaning back a little. The stranger’s eyes gazed into the guy’s eyes, and the corners of his lips stretched into a slight smile. Up close, his skin resembled scales with some vague markings.

The stranger reached out and took Donghun by the wrist of his injured hand. Hun looked down, watching the action. Vassago covered the guy’s hand with his own, continuing to look at the man’s pale face.

The cut on the palm healed, leaving behind only memories of unpleasant sensations.

“I accept your terms” Say Vassago.

“W-what?”.

Hun again looked up at the beautiful face of his glitch, only now he no longer seemed like a glitch, and this caused an unpleasant chill to run through his body.

“I will be everything you want for you.” In return, you will give me your soul”.

As if hypnotized, Hun nods slowly, unable to take his eyes off stranger’s burgundy, captivating eyes.

“In that case, give me a name and the deal will be done.”

Hun hesitated, almost blurting out the first thing that came to mind, but immediately collected himself. A lot of names popped into his head, but he always especially liked one; there was something beautiful, proud and, probably, so familiar about it.

Nodding slightly, Hun carefully pulled his hand away.

“I’ll call you Junhee”

Lightning flashed outside the window, illuminating the room with bright light, followed by thunder. Startled, Hun fixed his gaze on the small window, and when he looked at the stranger again, he saw in front of him a boy of his own age. He still had the same chiseled cheekbones and wide forehead. Beautiful chocolate-colored eyes with a cat-like squint, black hair and a devilishly beautiful smile.