𝐴𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑡𝒉𝑖𝑛𝑒 // 𝐿𝑒𝑒 𝑀𝑖𝑛𝒉𝑜

thirty.

For all that she loathed about the place, the Underworld really knew how to throw a welcome home party.

The nearer they got to Iseul's residence, a soft blue glow pulsed from the buildings surrounding the estate, creating a dreamlike energy. Strings of strange lights floated on invisible thread and looked like lost stars in the air, twinkling like fireflies.

The dark streets were now full of life, demons that looked more docile than those at the city's gates parading toward the center of bustling activity. They chattered excitedly to each other, some recognizing Minho and his entourage but ultimately ignoring them. The main event must have been truly mesmerizing if the one it was being held for was of little importance.

The awe must have shown on her face, because Minho wordlessly reached out to press her jaw closed. "Looks nice, huh?"

Haneul threw a scowl at him before returning to admire her surroundings. There was a warm, spicy smell in the air that teased her nose. Saliva immediately filled her mouth; Haneul hadn't eaten anything in hours. Changbin bumped her arm playfully, a sincere grin given.

"The food there will be like nothing you've ever had," he said wistfully, following her gaze to the endless sky. "Iseul–our host–is the daughter of a Lord. A Lord of the Underworld, that is. They obviously have riches and influence, but their cooks? Unmatched."

Seungmin eyed Minho with a silky glance that promised drama. "Yeah, and our friend here would've had all of that at his fingertips if he had said yes to her father–"

"I think that's enough exposition for now," Minho hissed, clasping a possessive hand around Haneul's bare bicep. "We're getting close, you two should try and draw less attention to yourselves."

"And you," he continued as he walked Haneul in front of the others. "Stay close to me at all times. No matter what, don't go off with anyone else, including Changbin and Seungmin. Don't accept any gifts you're offered. Don't eat any food I don't approve, don't drink anything with a weird color, don't–"

Haneul scoffed, impulsively pressing her free hand to Minho's mouth. "I think I get the idea."

The demon released her arm only to grasp her fingers, brushing them more firmly against his parted lips. "Do you? There are shapeshifters in the Underworld, you know. If I came up to you, saying I wanted to take you somewhere alone, and started acting... strange, would you know it was me or not?"

Haneul blinked, fingertips sticking to his mouth as her mind rebelliously went to dark corners and stuffy air, to hands going places they shouldn't. To imagine that happening with something wearing Minho's face... Haneul shivered.

"I get it," she replied hoarsely. But it was so hard to resist his ridiculous, flirtatious challenges. "If you start wanting to put your lips somewhere other than my hand, it's not you. Should we have a password?"

Her unexpected taunt caused heat to flare in Minho's crimson eyes, and they grew more heavy lidded as he spoke. False honey radiated from his tone, warming her neck with a whisper.

"Fantastic idea, angel... let's make it that. My little nickname for you."

Something jumped in Haneul's stomach then, something that felt a bit too real for their regular banter and–it meant nothing. Of course it meant nothing.

So she extricated herself from the intimate bubble they'd been speaking in and nodded. "Good. No one down here would call me that, it works."

As quickly as it had sparked, the look on his face was gone, replaced by a carefully crafted mask of arrogant indifference. The way that sure, he might be sometimes, but that was how every creature in the Underworld knew him. Cruel and cold as ice, a demon of cunning–whose hands were gentle as they led her forward.

Even the others grew quiet as they entered the courtyard attached to the massive estate they approached. Glossy, twisting trees arched into impossible shapes over dark hedges, perfectly manicured and arranged. It was hauntingly beautiful.

The house itself–Haneul would have called it a small castle–was also made of depthless stone, although a more robust and iridescent one than Minho's house was. It loomed into the sky, four stories tall with all sorts of towers and balconies sprinkled across its expanse. Haneul saw a shadowy form in one of the illuminated windows for a moment before it flashed away.

She turned to Minho with furrowed brows. "Who was..."

The demon was pursing his lips, already giving her a shake of his head. "Your eyes will deceive you here. Ignore it and try to relax."

Relax she would have, if Haneul hadn't suddenly realized how many people were looking at them. At Minho. With a jolt, she remembered why they were even there, to celebrate a high demon's return to his homeland after weeks of absence.

She moved to step away and offer him a spacial buffer, but Minho snaked his arm around her, a smirk ghosting his lips. "Don't even think about it. I'll worry about what rumors will spread from tonight, just don't leave my side."

Something in his low voice made Haneul think that it was as much for his benefit as it was for hers. Minho despised attracting attention, supposedly even more so around their host.

Changbin had filled her in a tiny bit back at the
house–Iseul had known Minho since they were children, and had hoped their relationship would grow into something more. It obviously hadn't, but Haneul doubted all was well between them. Demons held grudges for much less than romantic rejection.

The double doors that led to the house from
the courtyard burst open with sudden radiant pops of white light. It temporarily blinded Haneul, and she ducked her head to blink the spots from her eyes. When she lifted her gaze, a girl around her age took up the doorway, and Haneul was completely gobsmacked.

Her sea-black hair glowed, either naturally or a trick for the event, Haneul didn't know. The girl's skin gleamed, smooth and iridescent and the color of deep sapphire. A face that was not beautiful by human standards, but captivating as only a higher being could be looked in their direction. Haneul found herself reflexively grinning back as the demon let a sweet, wide smile light up that face.

"Ah, the guest of honor!" she sang out, rushing in quick, graceful steps to Minho. Haneul braced herself for a biting comment or worse, but the demon simply placed a hand on hers.

"It's an honor to have any of Minho's friends here. Welcome, my name is Iseul."

filler chap tbh
sorry for any mistakes🫶🏻