Exhale ⤫ Park Jisung

⤫1.22

"I don't know." He answered. "It's just a nightmare, they don't have much meaning to it." Jisung's body turned away from her to walk away but she stopped him.

"But it felt so real and it keeps happening every night, it must mean something. Please just tell me what's going to happen."

"I can't." He muttered, turning his head away from her as desperate tears lined her eyes.
She was scared, terrified and unable to even sleep without waking up petrified because of what she dreamt of.

She felt lost, at a stump and it was as if everyone was watching her struggle without helping her.

"Ask someone else."
"But no one is telling me!" She exclaimed out as he continued to walk, ignoring the girl who was falling into despair.

It felt as though a large pressure had been throbbing in her back, as if she could feel the dream- her heart clenching painfully in her chest and her lungs restricted.

"I'm not your friend Chaerin, I don't owe you anything."

"I need to know." She cried out, gripping onto his forearm desperately.

Jisung's eyes flickered down to hers then back up at the night sky, debating with himself before groaning in frustration.
"I actually fucking hate you, you're so irritatingly clingy." He muttered, clicking his tongue and moved towards the benches.

"I'm not clingy! I-i...I'm just,"
"Scared, yeah you don't hide it well. But for someone who's scared of demons you don't seem to be running away screaming your head off-"

"I don't know why either, trust me- you fucking terrify me with your fangs and demon eyes." She blurted out, walking over to him. "But you're just not...as scary as the rest of them."

Narrowed eyebrows in confusion, she sighed and sat besides him on the bench he sat himself at.

Chaerin looked out into the ocean beneath them and she closed her eyes- wind carrying through her hair.

"Why were you in my dream?" She asked calmly this time, fists clenched as she recalled the torture.
"Because you're in love with me, what else?" He teased lazily and Chaerin turned her head.

"I'm being serious, can you for once in your life stop flirting and just be mature?"
Jisung watched as she ranted harshly about his immaturity, his eyes blank.

"Listen here," he began, getting noticeably angrier. "I can literally burn you to death you ungrateful bitch."

Chaerin's eyes widened and she scoffed out a gasp.
"I'm the bitch, are you kidding me!"
"I don't want to be hanging around with a half-" Jisung stopped himself before he could say anything more.

"With a what? Go on." She urged, wanting to know what he was going to tell her- on the edge of her seat.
Jisung sighed and shook his head, standing up and his wings retracted, now in his human form as a person began to walk past.

Chaerin's eyes followed till she saw a drunken man coming towards them, noticing Jisung and instantly scurrying off.

"Just go home Chaerin, before you get yourself killed."
"I thought you wanted me dead anyway?" She laughed out wryly.
"I do," he began. "But it's more my Father." He admitted, rubbing the back of his head.
"Why, what does he want with me?"

She was desperate, intently listening for any insight and the boy watched as her brown eyes swam with sadness.

Jisung's gaze flickered away from the girl, looking at the dark horizon that had began to change with the sunrise.
"When's your birthday?"

"5th of February...why?" She asked confused and Jisung stayed silent.
"So I share a birthday with you now, someone kill me." He spoke, wanting to subvert the conversation.

"I'm going back home because you interrupted me-"
"You were probably killing innocent humans." She spoke, shaking her head disapprovingly.

"You don't know me Chaerin, don't act like you do."
"What if I want to?"
"Want to what?" He asked, turning towards her.
"To get to know you." She breathed out, watching his reaction intently yet as always, he had no reaction.

"I don't see why you would." He chuckled wryly.
"Are you really as bad as they make you out to be? Because for someone who hates me, you're sitting with me in the middle of the night on a bench."

"Didn't your stupid Guardian Angel tell you not to get involved with me?"
"Yes but...what's wrong with just being friends? Like I'm not asking you to give me your soul, you're so dramatic." She shook her head.

"I don't need new friends Chaerin, frankly I don't want a friend like you."
"Wow, okay. I just thought it could be nice for us to be on better terms."

Jisung turned around, his wings reappearing.
"Do me a favour love," he began, the street lamp flickering.

"Stop getting attached to me, nothing good ever comes out of it."

"You're acting like I'm obsessed with you or something." She laughed in disbelief. "I just thought you seemed lonely at school."

Although the had his friends, it was annoying for him to be around two couples.
"I'm not lonely, I have my friends." He defended before shaking his head. "I don't even know why I'm talking to you."

Chaerin's shoulders slumped as she sighed.
Before Jisung could leave, the girl turned around and began to leave back towards her house.

The demon watched as she retreated through the dark atmosphere, a part of him began to feel bad for her.

She had no clue what she was or why she was going to die in less than three months, it was clear she just wanted some clarity herself but Jisung didn't feel he was the best person to do so.

They barely knew each other but he couldn't deny the glimmer of sympathy that sparked inside him.

His Father had always told him a story about an abomination that lived on earth, half demon and half Angel and through the way he described her, Jisung believed the half blood was too an atrocity.

Yet this girl...she was just a normal teenager attempting to navigate her life and had been told she was going to die without any explanation.

He shook his head, turning around the opposite direction to the girl as he began to walk through the night alone.

Everyone knew Demons were the real anathema of society- everyone feared them and downgraded them to mere monsters.

Jisung didn't think he could handle another person seeing him that way.