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writingkookie · 9 years ago

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Deal With The Devil - Chapter 5 (Final)

21 year-old Nam Ji Young is the heir to one of Korea’s biggest companies - or at least she was, until her father introduces her to her half brother, her father’s illegitimate son who had mysteriously appeared in their life. After a suspicious man bumped into her on a night out with her best friend Jimin, everything she believed in proves to be wrong and her life slowly slips out of her control.

characters: Ji Young, Jimin, Taehyung,

genre: fantasy, angst

warning: mentions death and/or dying, smut

words: 5,406

previous<

If you had one day left, what would you do?

Would you spend it with your family, with your loved ones; would you relax or do things you never did before?

Would you regret not having been able to do everything you wanted or would you remember memories you made with a smile on your lips?

If it was your last day – would you live or would you die?

I dreamed of lush meadows sprinkled with colorful flowers that smelled of summer. I lay in the high grass with my shoes off and a white lily tucked behind my ear, the sun raining its warm beams of light on my face, leaving me content and relaxed. For the longest while I watched the warm breeze brush through the grass, making the single blades sway back and forth in an almost therapeutic manner.

When I felt a movement behind me, I blinked my eyes against the light and took another glance around, finding myself bedded on a field of poppies where the grass had been fully green before. The red seemed so rich in the sunlight that it put a smile on my face.

“Did you sleep well?” somebody murmured behind me and I could feel a pair of soft lips at my ear.

“Mhm” I hummed, leaning back into the warm embrace of Taehyung, who was, despite the warm weather, dressed in black from head to toe. He slung his arms around my waist and nuzzled his nose against my jaw.

“Good” he smiled. “Because it's time to wake up now.”

As I slowly drifted out of sleep, I needed a moment to remember where I was and why I wasn't sleeping at home. The memories slowly came back, the pictures of the past four days flashing before my eyes: quitting my job at the cafe, saying good-bye to my family, to Jimin – and that there was no turning back.

Today I would die.

Just as I ended my thought, I realized that I wasn't alone when something behind me shifted and strong arms pulled my back closer to a foreign chest. I inhaled through my nose – peppermint and coffee.

“Good morning, Ji Young.”

The sleepy raspiness of Taehyung's voice – I actually never considered that he slept at all - made me shudder underneath his warm touch and I felt my limbs stiffen. He was right there, hugging me from behind in a bed that wasn't mine.

Taehyung didn't leave.

“M-morning” I stuttered and tried to turn to look at his face, but he held me in my place by hugging me tighter and placed his chin on the crown of my hair.

“Let's stay like this for a little” he slurred sleep drunk. I never imagined him to be like this; cuddly and cute. But there he was and it made my heart ache. “Didn't I tell you to stop thinking about me, young lady? It's not good for the both of us.”

I caught him off guard when I sat up abruptly, looking down at his half-asleep figure. It almost knocked the air out of my lungs. His lids were heavy and his lips swollen from sleep, his hair disheveled and his plain white shirt crumpled up. He looked so incredibly-

“Human?” he grinned amusedly at my unfinished thought.

I nodded with my mouth agape. His mind reading never ceased to fascinate me.

“I don't know if that is a compliment or not” he scoffed, but then his eyes narrowed and his lips stretched into a sly smirk. “But considering your thoughts...it must be a compliment. Ji Young, I never thought a goody-two-shoes like you could be this naughty.”

“Shut up” I mumbled as I felt my cheeks heat up. I quickly averted my gaze to avoid his burning eyes and cleared my throat. “So, I don't see why me...why thinking about you is not good? Like, it doesn't matter anyway after tonight, does it?”

Taehyung sat up opposite and faced me with a heavy sigh as he ruffled his soft hair. “You see, Ji Young, being in love with someone like me-”

“Who says I'm in love with you?” I butted in hysterically, but he chose to ignore me, clearly aware that I was talking nonsense.

“With someone who is going to kill you – it's not good for your heart.”

“Don't be so dramatic, Taehyung” I deadpanned and rolled my eyes, even though my heart began beating rapidly at his words. “And what about you? Are you not allowed to be in love?”

For a moment he stayed silent, tucking his lips between his teeth and staring at his hands folded in his lap. My heart jumped at the fact that he didn't deny that he was in love right away.

“It's not easy. Taking the life away from someone you like, I mean. I've been there before but never...” his voice trailed off and he shook his head. “You're different. You don't deserve this. You didn't-” This time he stopped himself from speaking and I could tell he tried to hide something from me, so I gently took his hands in mine.

“I didn't what, Tae? You can be honest with me.”

I noticed his Adam's apple bop up and down as he swallowed and, even though I could see in his face that he was uncomfortable, he actively looked for my eyes. As they met, his pupils glowing in a now more burgundy shade, he softly cupped my face with his hands.

“Let's give it a little more time, okay?” he pleaded lowly and I almost sighed into his feathery touch. “Just a few more hours.”

“But-” I was going to object, but he interrupted me by closing his face in on me, his nose slowly brushing against mine. I could feel his minty breath on my face and I stopped myself from breathing, too afraid that I would pass out from the sweet scent.

“Please?” he rasped and I slowly nodded my head, pinching my eyes shut as the cool tip of his nose touched my cheek, our lips just millimeters apart. Oh God, I thought, this is it.

A small chortling sound escaped his throat, but a second later his breathing got heavier and I felt him wet his lips before he pulled my face closer by my chin and our lips touched in a sweet kiss. It only lasted for what seemed like a fraction of a second before he pulled back. His eyes were still closed and I could make out each fine vein on his lid, every single dainty eyelash.

Taehyung's eyes fluttered open and I almost gasped. They were the color of mahogany now – dark red and deep as a void. His lips were agape and swollen as he just stared at me; stared like he was going to devour me.

“Ji Young” he breathed.

The way he said my name turned my stomach in a pleasant way I had never felt before. I looked at him with big eyes, his face only an inch away.

“Ji Young, I can't...” he began and stopped to run his tongue over his bottom lip. “I don't think I can hold myself back anymore with those thoughts inside that pretty head of yours.”

“Then don't” I croaked.

Taehyung hesitated for a moment, his gaze darting from my eyes to my lips and back repeatedly, almost making me nauseous, before he mumbled fuck it under his breath.

In what appeared to be a second, he placed one hand on the small of my back and buried the other in my hair before he crashed his lips into mine, pulling me on his lap as he kissed me.

I had kissed boys before, but no one had ever kissed me like Taehyung did.

There were a lot of emotions in his the way his lips moved against mine – love, lust, admiration, attraction, but also sadness and desperation.

His kisses were hot and open-mouthed and he sucked and nibbled at my bottom lip, driving the cool tip of his tongue over the places he left sore from his bites. Every now and then he stopped and pulled away to look at me, and as he did so, his forehead pressed against mine, his touch never leaving my body.

When his mouth moved from my lips up my jaw to my ear, a soft moan drew from my lips. He stopped in his tracks at the sound and his jaws clenched as he seemed to weigh his options.

“Tae...” I pleaded and added in my mind to not stop.

Large hands were suddenly gripping my hips tightly, pulling me to straddle him. I slung my legs around his waist automatically and locked my arms behind his neck. When I leaned forward to meet his mouth, my hips rolled against his and he pressed a low growl through gritted teeth, the feral sound sending a shock of pleasure right into my core.

For once, I was able to read his thoughts. It had been a long time.

I gasped in surprise as he pressed me down onto his already way too tight pants, then he let himself fall back on the mattress and flipped us around with him hovering over me, propped on his hands on both sides of my head. Only now I realized that we were both just wearing our underwear and shirts, and I could feel his bulge pressing up against my thigh.

“Ji” he murmured over and over again as he planted wet kisses up and down my neck. One of his hands ran down the side of my face and all the way to my waist, where the hem of my shirt had pulled up to. He paused his kisses and looked at me with a mix of lust and anticipation and a sweet smile curled on his lips as he noticed my flushed face.

“You need to tell me when to stop, alright?” he reminded me. “I don't want to push you into anything that you don't want.”

I craned my neck to peck his lips and experimentally sucked at his bottom lip, drawing a low moan from him.

“I want this” I said with determination, but he furrowed his forehead. “And not because this is my last day, but because this is you.”

“Are you sure?” he mumbled still unconvinced, brushing his lips against mine.

I nodded and rolled my hips against him to emphasize my decision, causing him to bite his lower lip seductively as I gave him the permission to continue. My lips were met by his cool ones again, his tongue parting my lips and brushing against mine in a sensual dance. He grabbed the hem of my shirt and pulled it over my head impatiently, breaking the kiss for a mere second until he had removed the redundant fabric from my body. He peeled himself out of his own shirt, but I only had a moment to take in the look of his perfectly built body before he attacked my neck with kisses again.

This time he moved over my collarbone down to my breasts and my skin twitched underneath his hot, unfamiliar touch.

“You look so beautiful, Ji Young” he said, his voice rasp and breathless against my skin.

It didn't take long until both of us were fully undressed, the sun breaking through the curtains illuminating the room enough for me to gape at the golden-brown glow of his skin that felt so perfect on mine. His broad chest and toned abs, the small strip of hair leading down to his hard-

“Babe” Taehyung rasped, his hand wandering down to my burning core. “Stop thinking for a moment. I can't concentrate. Do you really want this?” he asked again and I almost rolled my eyes at him.

“You should know, shouldn't you?” I deadpanned and ran my thumb along his lush lips.

“But I need to hear it from your mouth, baby” he whispered and stilled his movements.

Our eyes met, and he looked so beautiful that, for a moment, I forgot who he was and what was going to happen later that day. For that moment I felt alive.

“I want this” I assured him with a steady voice and ran my fingers through his hair and rested my hand at the side of his face. “I want you, Taehyung.”

“I like the way you say my name” he murmured in a low tone. The kiss he gave me was sweet and tender before he aligned himself with me.

“I will be as careful as possible.” His sweet smile turned into a lopsided grin as he lowered himself on me. I couldn't tell what it was – maybe Taehyung not being human or the fact that he was being as gentle as possible – but in contrary to what I heard from the girls at my school, I felt no pain. Instead, all my senses heightened – I smelled the subtle scent of his hair shampoo and I tasted the saltiness of sweat on his lips.

Since this was my first time having sex with someone, I was so inexperienced that I decided to let Taehyung lead. Soon, lust had completely taken over him as he whispered sweet nothings into my ear, sprinkled with naughty words that would have probably made me blush if they didn't send heat into every nerve's end in my already burning body.

Soon enough, I let go.

I let go of all the worries, all the good-byes and tears and regrets. I let go of my pain - and I lived. I felt more alive than I ever had before meeting Taehyung, and right this moment, I felt like I could never die.

Our heavy breaths were the only sound in the room for a while and I didn't dare to speak, afraid I would ruin the mood.

“Don't you think that again, Ji” Taehyung said rolling off of me while draping the white blanket around our bodies. “Speak your mind. Tell me what you think.”

“You know it, anyway” I giggled, but rolled to my side to take a closer look at him.

The well-composed and neatly dressed Taehyung seemed long gone. Sweat stuck his fringe to his forehead and his face was blotched red. There were small bite marks on his neck that I didn't realize I left and his ruby eyes were heavy and hooded as they scanned my face.

“You look really good just now” I blurted out and regretted it just a second later. When he slung his arm around my frame to pull me closer to him, I buried my face at his bare chest, which still heaved up and down quickly, in embarrassment, and I could feel his voice reverberate through his rib cage as he chuckled at my reaction.

“Now, that is a real compliment” he mused, remembering the plenty unspoken compliments he read from my mind. Two of his fingers moved underneath my chin, and he gently tilted up my head to look at him. “You're the most beautiful human being I have ever met, Nam Ji Young.”

“Thank you” I whispered. “For everything.”

A hot shower and an hour later, I found myself sitting opposite of Taehyung in a cafe on the outskirts of Seoul. Somewhere nobody would ever recognize me – or in fact anyone I've ever known would go to. The wooden floor and the warm, rich smell of coffee with just a hint of chocolate quickly found its way into my body, leaving me at ease.

Before us were plates filled with deliciously smelling pastries and pots of steaming hot coffee. I folded my hands around the ceramic cup, the liquid's warmth stinging my skin pleasantly.

“I have an idea” Taehyung suddenly said with a small voice. A bit of worry and uncertainty swung in his tone that his gorgeous smile wasn't quite able to overshadow. “And you have to be completely honest, okay?”

“How often must I tell you that you know the answer anywa-”

He cut me off by pressing his index finger on my lips, the tip of his nose suddenly just inches from my face.

“Yes, Ji Young” he said with emphasize, and my heart jumped at the way my name sounded on his lips. “But I want to hear the truth from your own mouth, not just your brain.”

I nodded slowly, interlocking my eyes with his in a promise of complete honesty. There was nothing I had left to lose.

“Let's travel somewhere today. Let me show you the place I fell in and out of love with my mortal life. It's a place I would have imagined my soul to rest before...” Taehyung stopped for a second, taking a breath and wetting his lips. “It's a truly magical place and I want to share it with the human soul I fell in love with.”

I fell silent. It wasn't just the words he had spoken that left me speechless, dumbstruck even, but the sincerity he said them with. In this moment he was vulnerable and truly mortal. More even than I was. Taehyung was alive, realer even than the aching pain I felt in my heart when I pondered about how his mundane life could have ended.

“Let's go” I whispered so quietly I was afraid that he didn't hear me.

But Taehyung always heard.

I slumbered through most of the travel, my head lulled against Taehyung's crisp, white collared shirt. His touch was soothing and calming – and I was pretty certain that he was taking the tension from my body.

In my waking moments, I either enjoyed the view of the landscape rushing by the window of the train we were sat in, or I got lost in the warmth of Taehyung's ruby eyes.

It was a small wonder to me that I used to dread looking into them so much – their color scaring my guts and their vacancy giving me the chills. But just like my fate, I had grown accustomed to them. They were a part of my journey, a part of what made me feel whole.

I now loved to get lost in them, in my own little world only he and I knew about. In my secrets, my joys and my darkest fears. In everything that was me. In everything that was him.

Before my eyes fluttered shut – again, probably his doing – I saw a loving, warm smile curl on Taehyung's lips as he gazed down at me.

When I finally woke up, I was surprised to find myself surrounded by trees. Their branches were sprinkled with buds of new leaves, dressing the bare wood in magnificent green. In the distance I heard the faint sound of water splashing, birds chirping their little melodies. More distinct, though, was the soft humming filling my ears. The sound reminded me of something old – way older than time. And something so wonderfully melancholic that its bitter-sweetness grazed at my very existence. The soft vibration at my hands where I touched skin sent a chill down my spine.

Only now did I realize that I was moving and blinked down.

My eyes met the crown of Taehyung's hair, the strands bobbing up and down with every step he took, and I noticed that my arms were wrapped around his neck as he carried me on his back.

A piggy-back-ride, I thought. How embarrassing.

“You slept well?”

I didn't even notice that he had stopped his humming, for his words sounded almost as melodic.

“I did” I rasped, trying to suppress a small yawn. “Where are we?”

For a while he stayed silent. Small branches and dry leaves crisped underneath his feet as he carried me on through the underwoods of this foreign, magical scenery. It looked as if a fairy could shoot across the path from behind the next tree at any given time. And with every step Taehyung took, the splashing of water grew louder and louder.

“Gangwon-do” he said. “Seoraksan, to be precise.”

At first I was shocked by how steady his voice and breathing were despite the path becoming more steep and ragged. Then I scoured my brain for any information I remembered from my geography classes at school.

Highest mountain in Taebaek mountain range. Third highest mountain in South Korea. Named after the long snow periods. That was all I had.

A low chuckle rippled through Taehyung's chest and he stopped, slowly letting my body slide down his back before he gently put my feet back on the ground.

“A bit more, then I will tell you a bit about this place.”

He outstretched his hand toward me, offering his warm touch. I quickly interlaced my fingers, which were unusually cold for this time of the year, with his and let him pull me after him.

I wondered whether the cold limbs were a side-effect of dying. Was the life already leaving my bones? No, it was way too early.

The pressure around my hands tightened. Silent words telling me to stop worrying, stop thinking about it.

So I did.

A short while later the bamboo broke into a big clearing and by now, the lapping of water was so omnipresent as if it was all around me – and letting my eyes wander around the view, it was.

Right before me lay a pond of clear blue water. It wasn't large, maybe 3 or 4 meters in widths, but narrow streams were rippling to and from it. Two small water falls connecting the narrow stream through the small pond, which was surrounded by rocks varying in size. Butterflies and bumblebees crossed the air that smelled so wonderfully of nature.

My mouth was agape when I looked back at Taehyung. His eyes were of a rich red and they stared off into the distance, as if he remembered something from years back.

From way older than time.

“Tae...” I whispered almost inaudibly, but I was able to catch his attention anyway.

A crooked smile formed on his lips and he pulled my back against his chest, wrapping my cold, cold hands into his slightly warmer ones. “Let's sit.”

He sat down on a big, smooth rock and bedded my head in his lap. His very own scent filled my nose, my head, my being. It was the scent of being lightheaded. I closed my eyes, letting the impressions of my surroundings tickle all my senses.

The soft, fresh wind of the mountains breezed through my hair. The smell of Taehyung and bamboo and water rose up my nostrils. The softness of Tae's expensive clothes underneath my cheeks and the rocky ground underneath my fingertips. The roaring of the waterfalls and the songs of the birds soaring above us in my ears.

The sweet taste of Taehyung's lips on mine as he bent down and pressed them to mine.

“It's beautiful” I mumbled into the kiss and almost expected him to chuckle or smile, but he stayed oddly serious.

He sat up, straightening his back and taking my fingers in his. His gaze was fixed into the blue again and I wondered just where his mind wandered.

“These are the Biryong Falls” he explained and continued after a short pause. “Let me tell you a story.

“Many years back in time, the villagers around here were very happily living their lives. They used the water from the falls to water their plants and kids tolled around here, playing in the pond in the warm summers. Women washed their clothes. Years passed by living a great life here, but one summer, the water of the falls stopped running.

“Nothing was growing anymore and the villagers ran short on food. The men of the village decided to hike up the dried out bed until they reached the top. There they found that a dragon had stopped the flow.

“The villagers decided to offer the dragon a maid as a sacrifice and as they did, the dragon disappeared flying into the sky and the stream flowed again.”

Silence fell over us like a blanket. I thought even my breathing disrupted this mystical moment, so I tried keeping it as low as possible. Taehyung was still staring, not looking serious anymore, but melancholic. Just like the melody he had hummed before.

“That's a sad story” I said.

“It is” he answered slowly, dragging his voice. “But that's not quite what really happened. See, people make up tales to cover the truth with something magical and enchanting because sometimes, the truth itself is just too ugly.”

I sat up facing Taehyung and pulled my knees to my chest. Taehyung, my dear Tae, whom I had never seen sad before. Before I could stop myself, I asked “What is the truth then?”

“The stream really did run dry, but it wasn't caused by a dragon, but by a usual summer drought. No wheat or rice or anything would grow and the people starved. The leader of the village climbed up the bed and prayed to the Gods, but they didn't help him. And when the hunger grew worse, he prayed to all the mights there were, prayed for his village to be saved.

“It wasn't but the Devil himself that offered his help. He asked for nothing much – only one life for a hundred. He asked for the leader's first born's soul to be his. The leader didn't hesitated for long. 'So a hundred for one it is' he told the Devil and they shook their hands across the dry stream.”

Tears welled up in my eyes for I had a clear hunch of where this story was going.

“Taehyung...”I whispered, but his eyes remained focused into the far.

“'Have five days and five nights left with your son' the Devil told the leader. 'Have him the five best days of his life.' And that's what the leader did. He showed his son the nicest places, took him hunting and let the women make the best food for him.

“In the fifth night, the father took his son to the spring of the now running stream. 'Son' he had told the boy. 'Here you were born, here you will stay.'

“As the moon reached its highest point ringing in the middle of the night, the father hugged his son for the first time in years and thanked him. Then the boy disappeared right where his father had traded his life for a hundred others.”

Without thinking I cupped his sad, sad face with its red, red eyes in my cold hands and pressed my lips against his forehead, his temple, his cheek, his lips, whispering his name over and over again. For a while he stayed completely still, but then his eyes closed and his lips moved against mine. I was aware of the tears running down my face, but I mourned.

I mourned for Taehyung. I mourned for his mortal soul, I mourned for the life he missed out to live – and I also mourned for myself.

My lips detached from his and I drew back a little, but our foreheads stayed pressed against each other, our eyes so close that our lashes were almost touching.

“I'm ready” I said, proud that I sounded steadier, calmer than I felt.

Taehyung took a deep breath and dropped his gaze to where he held my hands in his big, tan ones. “I guess.”

He helped me up and cleaned my clothes of dust though never letting go of my hand. Then he led me up the path to the top of the stream. Up to the spring where his father had made a deal with the Devil all those years ago. How many human lives? I didn't dare to ask.

“See, back when my father called upon the Devil, he did it to save the village, the people who put their blind faith into him. I have seen the world change, Ji Young. I have seen honorable motifs yield to selfishness and self-interest. I have seen leaders trade love for power...”

His voice cracked and drifted into nothingness, as if the following was too hard for him to say. I nodded at him to encourage him to go on talking. I really am ready, Tae, I thought.

“There is a reason you have met Sungmin for the first time on this particular day” he explained on. “Your father, the chairman, he called upon the Devil with a request that differed from what my father asked. My father asked for life, while yours asked for a heir he can call worthy.”

“The chairman traded love for power” I coldly repeated Taehyung's earlier words and couldn't hide the hurt in my voice. “I knew he wasn't eager to have a daughter as his only child, but I put so much effort, so much of myself into trying to become what he wanted. An honorable heir...” My voice cracked, but before the tears could fall, Taehyung was there to kiss them away.

“And you are, Ji Young. He just isn't able to see. To see what I see.”

When he kissed me, I could taste the salt of my own tear on his lips. His mouth and breath felt so hot on my face that it almost hurt against my cold skin. In the distance, the sun slowly started setting behind us, but I didn't care, for Taehyung, the love of my way too short live, picked me up and sat me on a large, smooth rock.

Just like a habit, I slung my arms around his neck as his mouth dived for my neck, where he placed hot and open-mouthed kisses, tracied my collarbone with his tongue. I gave myself away to him, my legs winding around his hips and small sighs and moans escaping my lips.

That night, Taehyung loved me like no one could ever had – mentally and physically.

Later, we lay next to each other, wrapped in a cozy blanket. We pointed out star constellations to each other and tried to ignore the moon, who crept closer to its zenith. Midnight was going to come soon, I was well aware of that, but I no longer cared. I was here, at this beautiful place, with the person I loved more than my life. Here I will die. Here Taehyung will take my life, where all of these centuries ago he had already lost his own.

I had my head bedded on his arm, staring up into the wide, dark universe. When I noticed his look on me, I rolled on my side so our lips were just almost touching and we got lost in each other's eyes for a while.

“Is it time?” I whispered.

“Yes” he answered and I felt his breath touching my skin as he spoke.

Tae inched even closer, the tip of his nose touching mine before it molded next to my nose.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

By now I wasn't hearing him talk out loud anymore, but I was hearing him in my head. And I realized that he didn't even form the words with his mouth but with his mind. As we touched, we have become one.

His lower lip brushed against my upper one, and I shivered as the touch of it tickled my skin.

“Don't worry, I'll be gentle” the voice in my head, calming and warm, assured me.

Content washed over me as our lips melted into a soft and tender kiss. The cold in my body was replaced with a blazing fire, but it didn't hurt.

I relaxed against his body as the flames inside licked at my body, my mind, my soul.

I love you, I thought.

I love you, too, the voice in my head answered back.

Then I set ablaze and everything turned to ash along with me.

The End.