Devil I Jikook I

I

JUNGKOOK'S POV

Everyone has a devil. I would always wonder who mine was, but whenever I brought it up, I was told to be thankful that I hadn't met mine yet. People said it was an awful feeling like you were tumbling into a dark abyss of hurtful memories and insecurities. I would know when I first met mine because I'd black out. The response to meeting your devil differs among people. Reactions are passed down through families, from parents to children. My hereditary reaction is blacking out, but other reactions include: Having a nosebleed, losing feeling in [insert body part], or your hair temporarily changing colors. I'm glad I don't have the latter; I look awful in any other color except brown.

You aren't told whose devil you are, and it's best to keep it that way. Sometimes, a devil takes time to manifest; your devil could be someone you know and are close to. While it is uncommon, it's not impossible. You could have possibly spent time with the person in the past without issue, but then they suddenly trigger your devil reaction. If someone finds out whose devil they are, seven tallies burn onto their skin somewhere on their bodies. Those seven marks disappear one-by-one after each day. At the end of the week, they die. If a devil finds out their standing after the other is dead, then nothing happens. Perhaps the universe was a bit merciful, but the chance of being the reason behind a death is a tremendous burden to carry.

If a devil is told, the other person's most treasured being will die. I wish it weren't true, but it happened to my friend Yoongi's father. When his father was very young, he found his devil. Yoongi's father was a very kind-hearted boy, so he felt horrible ignoring the other boy and unintentionally treating him cruelly. The guilt kept eating away at him, until one day it became too much for him to bear. Ignoring the warnings his parents would tell him, Yoongi's father revealed to the boy that he was his devil. The next day, after returning from school, he was greeted by policemen with solemn expressions. They told the younger that his mother had died in a tragic car accident. The person who caused it was nowhere to be found; the camera only showed an unseen force crush the car like a tinfoil ball.

The universe is so powerful. It's terrifying.

It scares Yoongi too, even though he doesn't like to admit it. Yoongi wasn't aware of the story until he found his devil during freshman year of high school. His father sat him down and cautiously explained to him that he could never tell his devil about their 'relationship.' When Yoongi mocked the warning, calling it paranoid superstition, Yoongi's father had sadly recounted the event to him. Yoongi had told me the story through tears, obviously shaken.

I hoped my devil wouldn't be someone I knew. I'd have to avoid them, which would hurt me and possibly them. I couldn't tell them either, which only makes everything worse. It's all one big guilt trip. In this world, after rule one of never telling your devil who they are to you, there's a second rule: avoid your devil at all costs. Stay away.

I hoped my devil wasn't someone I loved, but the world had its own twisted plans for me.

I still can't accept the cruel irony of it all.