Click.
Da-hong stepped out of the alley.
Her suit was still spotless, not a trace of filth on it.
She stopped and looked up at the sky for a moment.
Stars.
There had been no sky in Hell.
Just a red ceiling.
But here it was black, and there were stars.
Not bad.
“D-Da-hong!”
The sound of ragged breathing reached her ears.
Thud, thud, thud!
She turned her head.
It was Se-ha.
He was clutching his side, gasping for breath.
He’d clearly been running for a while.
Se-ha heaved a few more labored breaths, then burst out.
“Where were you—!! I barely found you!”
“Here.”
“Here where! And jumping off the balcony like that, out of nowhere! It was the fourth floor! What if you’d gotten hurt—!”
“I didn’t.”
“That’s—! Ugh, I can’t take this….”
Se-ha grabbed his head like the world was spinning.
Da-hong watched him with mild indifference.
Se-ha looked like he had more to say, but he glanced around instead.
A dark alley.
An empty street.
Suddenly he felt like a complete idiot.
He let out a long sigh.
“Let’s just go. It’s late.”
“Sure.”
Da-hong fell into step behind him without complaint.
Walking beside Se-ha, she kept pace with him as he spoke.
“From now on, don’t go out alone.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s dangerous.”
Da-hong said nothing.
“I mean it. You’re not registered as a summon yet, and you don’t know how things work here. So if you wander off by yourself….”
Da-hong was already looking around as they walked, taking in the cityscape.
Se-ha gave up and let out another heavy sigh.
“Anyway—if you want to go out, just tell me. We can go together.”
“Hmm….”
“Did you hear me?”
“Yeah.”
Ding-dong.
The two of them returned to the apartment building, rode the elevator up to the fourth floor.
“The passcode is this. Just in case….”
“Got it.”
By the time they were back inside, it was past eleven.
The exam’s tomorrow….
Se-ha slumped his shoulders and sat down in front of the summoning circle.
It was probably better to dismiss the summon for now.
He could formally resummon her at the exam site tomorrow.
He pressed his palms together and drew up his mana.
But.
“…?”
Something was wrong.
Nothing happened.
“What, why isn’t it working?”
Se-ha pushed more mana into it.
Still nothing.
Meanwhile, Da-hong was perched on the living room sofa with her legs crossed, reading a book.
“Um, Da-hong….”
“Yes, Se-ha.”
“Why won’t the dismissal work?”
Da-hong kept her eyes fixed on the page.
“Who knows?”
“What do you mean, who knows….”
Se-ha ran through the dismissal formula again in his head.
Failed again.
He couldn’t tell if something had gone wrong or if he simply didn’t know how to do it.
He’d never successfully summoned anything before, so he’d never had to dismiss anything either.
He thought it over for a moment, then asked carefully.
“…Could you maybe go back for a bit? I’ll bring you out again tomorrow.”
“No.”
“….”
The answer came without a shred of hesitation.
“No?”
“No.”
Da-hong turned a page with a soft flutter.
Se-ha stared at her blankly.
He had no comeback.
The dismissal wasn’t working, he had no idea how to force her back, and he certainly didn’t have the nerve to tell a demon to get out.
“Where are you sleeping?”
“The bed.”
“The bed….”
“Yes.”
Se-ha looked at the bed.
His bed.
A narrow bed barely wide enough for one person.
“…Okay.”
With no other option, Se-ha opened the closet, pulled out a blanket, and spread it on the floor.
It looked like he’d be sleeping on the ground for the foreseeable future.
***
The next morning.
Sizzle.
Oil popped in the frying pan.
Da-hong turned down the heat.
The bread was browning nicely.
The egg-soaked surface puffed up as it cooked, releasing a sweet smell.
Of all the smells she’d encountered since returning to Earth, this was the second best—after ramen.
The kettle was rumbling as the water came to a boil.
Da-hong hummed to herself and flipped the toast with a spatula.
The TV anchor was saying something in the background.
“Mmgh….”
A sound from the bedroom.
The boy was awake.
Se-ha shuffled out rubbing his eyes, took one look at the kitchen, and blinked.
“…Are those my eggs?”
“Yes.”
“And my bread?”
“Yes.”
Se-ha went quiet.
Da-hong hummed along, transferred the toast to a plate, and poured the coffee.
Se-ha stood there staring blankly at her as she peered into the frying pan.
“…You know how to cook?”
“Tried it and it worked out.”
“….”
It wasn’t anything remarkable, really.
She had hands, eyes, a nose, a tongue.
Stop when things smell good enough without burning.
That produced something reasonably edible.
The ingredients here were even better than in Hell.
Da-hong set two plates and two cups of coffee on the table.
The boy sat down carefully.
The TV anchor’s voice kept flowing in the background.
Da-hong took a sip of coffee.
Bitter.
Not bad.
“…Last night, five bodies were discovered in the ○○ district area. The victims were found in a severely mutilated state—”
“That’s close by. Unsettling.”
Se-ha glanced at the TV while chewing his toast.
“Yeah.”
Da-hong responded without much interest.
“Why are there so many incidents like this lately…. Ever since Hunters and Awakened started appearing, there’ve been more and more strange people. I didn’t think it’d be this bad even near the Academy….”
“Power tends to make people want to use it.”
Da-hong looked down at her coffee cup, then took another sip.
“It’s a bit much to see this first thing in the morning. Can I change the channel?”
“Do what you want.”
Click.
The screen changed.
Da-hong looked toward the balcony.
Morning sunlight was streaming in.
The stars last night had been nice, but the morning light wasn’t bad either.
There was a lot to see on Earth.
“Da-hong.”
Da-hong turned.
Se-ha was watching her with a worried expression.
“You haven’t forgotten about the exam today, right?”
“No.”
“Just stay by my side and do what I tell you. I’ll handle everything else.”
Da-hong didn’t answer.
She took a bite of toast.
The boy said he’d take care of everything.
She had no idea what he planned to do, but she wasn’t particularly curious, so she didn’t ask.
***
The front door opened and Se-ha came out with his bag.
Da-hong followed behind him.
Da-hong stood in the hallway and glanced toward the window at the end of the corridor.
Beyond the window at the far end of the hall, the sky was visible.
A clear blue sky without a single cloud.
“Hmm.”
She was in a good mood.
Se-ha pressed the elevator button and came to stand beside her.
“Nice weather today.”
“It is.”
While they waited for the elevator, Da-hong kept her gaze on the window.
There was no weather in Hell.
Just constant heat, red, and haze.
She’d forgotten what clear even meant.
A clear sky really wasn’t bad.
Though she imagined rain wouldn’t be bad either.
Ding.
The elevator opened.
The moment they stepped out of the apartment complex, sunlight poured down.
Se-ha squinted.
Da-hong walked as if the light stabbing at her eyes meant nothing.
A hum rose naturally to her lips.
“…You’re in a good mood?”
“Yes.”
Se-ha looked like he was about to say something more, then just started walking.
He was clearly pretty nervous about the exam.
But Da-hong paid it no mind.
The two of them just walked.
Then.
A middle-aged woman was coming from the opposite direction, talking on her phone.
“No, Minsu’s mom. That’s what I’m saying. You turn left there and go in—?”
She stopped mid-sentence.
Because her eyes had met Da-hong’s.
The phone slipped from the woman’s hand.
Clatter, thud.
It hit the asphalt.
“Hello? Hello—?”
A voice called out from the phone, but the woman didn’t seem to hear it.
Da-hong walked past without a second thought.
A man was sitting on a bench in front of a convenience store, smoking a cigarette.
As Da-hong passed in front of him, his eyes went wide.
He forgot to hold the cigarette in his mouth and just stared at her, jaw hanging open.
“Ow, hot—!?”
The cigarette had burned down and singed his fingertips.
Da-hong didn’t notice that either.
Whispers rippled from every direction.
Did you see those horns?
Is that cosplay?
No, look at that figure.
Her face is insane.
I’ve never seen anyone that beautiful.
But those eyes are so red, it’s kind of scary….
Se-ha’s shoulders crept further and further inward.
Then.
A young mother pushing a stroller came from the opposite direction and crossed paths with Da-hong.
The baby in the stroller spotted Da-hong and its eyes went perfectly round.
“Wah-yah!”
The baby threw both arms up.
Its little legs kicked wildly along with them.
“Oh my, what’s gotten into you.”
While the mother was flustered, the baby kept leaning its whole body toward Da-hong, reaching out with both hands.
Da-hong looked down at the baby.
And held out one finger.
The baby grabbed it immediately.
“Kyah-hee—!”
The baby clutched the finger and wriggled with delight.
Da-hong felt the soft, squishy warmth for a moment.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. She’s usually so calm, but—”
“It’s fine.”
Da-hong said simply.
The young mother and baby passed by, and Se-ha spoke up.
“Um, Da-hong.”
“Yes.”
“Could you maybe… wear a hat or something? You really do stand out.”
Da-hong smiled.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I can’t see the sky.”
“….”
What could he say to that.
Se-ha swallowed his sigh and said nothing more.