Black Silk ✘ Minsung

Chapter 35

"The spell earlier," Seungmin said as he sat down with a large book in his lap, every person present in the room looking at him, eyes full of curiosity. "It's almost certain now that it was my parents' doing. Jisung, this list shows all the spells with which my parents can summon supernatural creatures. From Arachnes to Werewolves. You need to study all their weakness and the way to either send them back to Hell or kill them."

Jisung nodded as he took the book from the pure-blooded angel, slowly eyeing the creatures in the book, partially cringing at the horrendous and wicked drawings on the side that left him with goosebumps adorning his skin. As he kept on reading, Seungmin talked to the rest of the guys. Jisung admired how calm he seemed about this situation — most likely because he has already shown his weak side when the boy sleeping in Chan's bed got severely injured and is now fighting for his life.

"Ew," Jisung mumbled under his breath. "That's disgusting."

Everyone laughed lightly and continued with their conversation as Jisung continued with his own activities which were reading the information all over again while trying to memorise it as best as he could. Believe him or not, even though he was starting to get pretty much used to this whole supernatural thing — he has been here for over a year and a half now after all —but there were still some aspects that he couldn't process properly. The fact that he is some kind of threat to the facility and they have been aware of that fact since very early days. When Jisung wasn't even born. Everything crept him out and he felt very weird about it. The weirdest feeling was probably the fact that Minho liked him. Or at least claimed to do so. Jisung wasn't sure what he felt for the latter since he was getting very mixed signals not only from Minho but also from his own brain and heart as well. Yet when he looked up and saw the said devil looking at him with a faint smile on his lips and literal heart eyes, he couldn't help himself but blush and avert his attention back to the enormous book.

"You are the most important step to conquering the underworld and I believe they are willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish that," Chan said as he leaned against the door that led to their room. "After many years I have been trapped here, I realized that our well-being comes at least fourth, right after their desire for power, their own prosperity and the chokehold they have on us, or long to have. If our welfare is on their list of important things at all. I never tried to even discredit your parents, Seungmin, because after all, they were your parents. But you have no idea how thrilled to bits I am about your attitude towards them. I'm not one to wish bad things upon others, but I hope for the worst for them."

Seungmin sighed.

  "What if ..." he whispered after not so long silence that engulfed the room with the only thing that could be heard was Jisung flipping through the pages of the book. " What if I did to them what they have done to my older brother?"

Jisung snapped his head as the words left the angel's mouth. "You want to kill them?"

"They are after my friend, they hurt Hyunjin — they have hurt so many people and now it's their turn to pay for what they've caused. You won't be the cause of the Imperium's destruction, the cause will be the fact that they have played with fire. For too goddamn long."

☙

"How are you feeling?" Minho asked in a whisper once they were left alone in the devil's room, Jisung still sitting on the ground while eyeing the book he has finished reading a few minutes ago. He lifted his gaze towards the man sitting in front of him before shrugging.

"I think I might not feel anything at this point. I feel miserable — I escaped my life like a coward and I am doing the same thing right now." He cupped his own face, massaging his own cheeks in hopes that it will make him less nervous about the events that will take place in the next few days. He was completely unaware of how much Minho had to restrain himself from cooing at how adorable the younger looked at the moment.

"You did not escape your life like a coward. In my eyes, you left as a hero because you realised that you simply couldn't live like this, live a life full of pain. And just realising that is heroic to me."

Minho had this odd way of calming him and his impetuous thoughts. He's always had this effect on him and looking back, the first time he felt this warmth spread in his heart, this calmness erupt in his own mind was back then when the devil found him in the roof garden. He hated the feeling, he felt sick to his stomach when he thought about how he had made out with Minho not so long ago while Hyunjin was fighting for his life — and while he was supposed to be fighting for his own. He was disgusted by his actions but did not regret them one bit if it meant the devil would stay by his side and provide him with this secure feeling.

"How did you even end up here?" Jisung asked him a question that has been bothering him for a while now as he realised he did not know much about the latter. But then again, the devil probably did not know much about himself too.

"Is that a sly way of asking how I died?" he chuckled, scooting closer to the angel so they were just a few inches away. Jisung's lips were formed into a thin line as he nodded, hoping the question did not invade his privacy much but considering the look on his face, he most likely did not mind it — at least from the adorable angel in front of him.

"Long story short, I was murdered."

He said it as if it was a normal thing, as if that was a question he had to answer almost constantly. But this question — no, the answer to that question meant much more to Minho than one would think.

"Why did you end up as a devil then?" the younger cocked his head to the side, clearly confused. When the commission declared his passing as a murder, he was automatically written down like an angel. How come that Minho was not?

"It's not that easy, Jisung." the older sighed, looking down at his hands, a certain image popping up in his head, making him flinch. This almost non-existent flinch came unnoticed to the young angel. "My life might have been taken away but ... it was taken away rightfully. I am glad I got killed."

Jisung frowned. "Did you want it?"

"Back when I was alive? No. After it happened? Definitely." The older boy admitted and Jisung was left even more confused. Once Minho saw his face, he couldn't help himself but chuckle at the sight in front of him despite the story being quite dark. "I was a horrible person when I was alive. I did the unspeakable, I don't even want to imagine myself thinking about it — that bad it was. And only after I was killed did I realise what a monster I actually was my whole life. So, this was my opportunity to sort of start over and pay for my horrendous sins. This leaves me feeling quite baffled."

Before Jisung even got the chance to say a word properly, before he even got the chance to eliminate all the doubts the older possessed, he continued. "I am confused if you are a blessing sent from above or a punishment sent to make me suffer for my sins."

Jisung narrowed his eyes before a light chuckle left his mouth. "Now you consider me a punishment?"

"Yes." the devil said with a straight face as he scooted even closer to him. "I think the punishment has not reached me yet, though."

With a quick peck being left on his lips, Jisung felt a twisting feeling in his stomach as he grabbed the older male by his nape and pulled him closer. Their lips were centimetres away, the sweet and hot breaths hitting one another's face being the only thing that currently reminded them of the bittersweet reality. Minho stared into his eyes and for a moment he swore he saw something shift in them as the younger opened his lips to say something, closing them just as quickly. The devil raised his hands and placed them on his face and in no time, Jisung could feel how Minho transferred warmth to him. But it wasn't the usual warmth he felt whenever he snuggled closer to him or whenever that beautiful smile of his left him in ecstasy — there was more meaning to that. As if Minho was giving away his driving force to him, the overall feeling of safety.

Tears prickling in his eyes, he swallowed the lump in his throat as he stared into those of his lover who indescribably mirrored his own. Making their way down their cheeks, Jisung sniffled before wiping away the drizzling raindrops before they could turn into a heavy cloudburst. It pained him. On a big scale and he knew that Minho felt the suffocating feeling as well.

"What are the chances of us meeting in our next life, too?"