Broken • Choi Yeonjun

Think

Taehyun was looking over me, to make sure there was no trace of his magic left in my body.

My eyes stayed locked on Yeonjun as he watched Taehyun like a hawk. I could see tension in his shoulders, it didn't help that he was also biting at his nails. Something I had never seen him do before.

It was very off-setting to see him this stressed.

"Yeonjun, I know you're stressed, but you're not helping my anxiety. At all!" I snap after a few more moments of his stare being blank as his teeth went at his nails.

He pulls his hand away without a word.

"All clear." Taehyun finally said. He stood up and met my eyes. His lips pulled into a sad smile. "I'm so sorry I didn't catch the blood before I gave it to you."

I stand up and pull him into a hug. "Please, don't blame yourself for this. There was no reason for us to think there was anything wrong with the blood. Your boss gave it to you, why would you doubt him after working for him for so long? It is no one's fault." I run my hand up and down his back a little as I bite my lip to hold my emotions down. This may be the last time I see any of them, and because of that, I was going to soak it all in.

He squeezed me tighter, placing his cheek on the top of my head. "You better come back here ready to start training." He said with a light chuckle.

"Of course, can't let you train alone."

We pull away and all head for the hall where the others were waiting.

My eyes meet Huening Kai's first. I open my arms for him.

Without hesitation, he steps over and pulls me into him.

"You got this, I know you do." He said quietly as we hugged.

"Thank you for always being so sweet... and sorry for trying to kill you when we first met."

That made him laugh loudly. His laughter brought a small smile to my lips.

The next person to pull me into a hug was Soobin.

"I hope you're prepared to follow my orders when you get back."

"We'll see, we all know how hard-headed I can be." I pat his back a little harshly as I smile.

"Ah, ah. Stop!" He calls out as he pulls away quickly, the smile on his face lets me know he wasn't upset. "Just be ready to see how stubborn I am too." He said as he ruffled my hair.

I turn to Beomgyu and recall how we had sat on the floor of my bedroom, talking about the families we had lost.

"You have no choice but to come back, we have to annoy Yeonjun together, it won't be the same without you." He said as he stepped into my open arms.

"True, you aren't as half good as I am at annoying him."

He squshed me into him to the point I was letting out airy laughs as he squeezed all the air out of my lungs.

"Easy Beomgyu!" Yeonjun bit out as he stepped over, ready to push Beomgyu away.

"Calm down, I'm okay." I say as I pull away from Beomgyu and offer Yeonjun a smile.

"Let's get going before the blood wears off." He replied as he stepped over and pulled me face-first into his chest.

I hold my breath as the ground disappears from under my feet, returning a second later with a strong jolt that shot up my legs.

I pull away and take a few steady breaths in, I wanted to stay calm through all of this. I wanted to be strong for once.

We walk in and are greeted by a few lesser demons.

"Lord Andromalius is in his throne room still speaking with his son. Wait here until he is through, please."

Yeonjun nods to the small scrawny demon. Once it saw we agreed to stay, it bent over and scurried away on all fours like a chimp would.

I hold back a grimace as I watch it leave, demons were nasty looking little things. To think many of them used to be humans was a scary thought. What had they done or gone through to end up how they are now? How could humans be so bad to end up here mutilated? Not even close to how they looked as humans. Was how they looked now how their souls looked after they had been so tainted after all the crimes they committed?

"What's wrong?" Yeonjun asked out of the blue.

I shake my head and blink a few times, realizing I had been staring at the spot where the demon had been for far too long.

"How can humans be so bad to end up here, like that?"

Yeonjun pulled me to his side, resting an arm around my shoulders. "Humans can be just as evil as demons, all on their own. No one knows why some are like that, other than, where there is good, there is evil."

"I guess so." It was still hard to think how bad humans could be to end up like that.

"It's just how the world is, at least you'll be joining the good side of the fight."

That was true. at least I would be helping, even just a little. "Yeah, you're right." I wrap my arm around his waist and lean into his side.

My mind goes back to the night we met.

I never would have thought that night would come to this.

I never would have thought that night would change my life so much.

So many things have came and went since that night.

How things can change in such little time.

"You remember telling me I've come a long way?" I ask Yeonjun out of the blue.

"Yeah?" He turns to look down at me.

"You've come a long as well. You're not a complete asshole anymore." I grin up at him as his eyebrows scrunch together.

""A complete asshole"? Does that mean I'm still an asshole?"

"Yes." I say and tap his stomach.