Tuesday, July 9th, is my birthday! If we reach 45 votes/comments before then, I'll post a new update! I already almost have the next chapter done!

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Y/n

"Pretend to be dum- okay, scratch that, you are dumb. Be dumber. Okay?"

Y/n couldn't comprehend how Jimin thought insulting her after she had instructed him not to would get her to do his bidding, but she didn't have much choice. As Jimin had described to her less than five seconds ago, if she mentioned anything about the demon world and his real name to anyone other than them, they'd both die since they were connected via the soulmate bond. That conversation stemmed from Jimin's friend, Taehyung, waiting outside to help with the "interior design," as Jimin had put it.

Jimin's dark eyes stared at her in the bright lighting of the study—Jimin's makeshift bedroom. The black-out curtains he had stolen for himself were drawn back to reveal the warmth of the sunlight. Her bare toes pressed against the mopped floors while Harry squeaked in her grasp and nibbled on her half-torn One Direction t-shirt.

"Your name is June and you're jobless. Got it," she said, and he nodded.

"Right, but feel free to butter me up, 'kay?"

A curse or two entered her mind. No, not because of what Jimin had said—his gaze distracted her. His freckles lined his squishy cheeks, and his button nose made him look younger despite being centuries old. Black and red hair fell in his face but parted enough to show his forehead, including the mole there. Although he had a bejeweled choker, she spotted another mole on his neck near his collarbone, not far under the dark strings holding the jewelry up.

"You're..." She trailed off and cleared her throat, and he tilted his head at that. With a smile, she managed to recover from the blunder. "You're asking me to butter you up?"

"Duh. I have an ego problem, if you didn't notice."

No shit she said in her mind. Verbally, she said, "That's another favor you're asking for."

"Yeah, so?"

"I'm gonna start charging. One question per favor. Deal?"

Jimin brought his brows together. "One question?"

"Mhm. I'll ask you a question, you answer, I do any favor you want without complaint. That sounds like a fair deal, doesn't it? Like I said, if I'm going to live with a demon with anger issues-"

"I don't have fucking anger issues." He snapped as he said it, and she snorted.

"And I don't have an obsession with Harry Styles. Anyway, as I was saying before you felt the need to interrupt, if I'm going to deal with you, I deserve to know who I'm dealing with. So, first question: how did you die?"

He rolled his eyes. "Drowning in pussy."

"Jimin." She held Harry with one hand, and with the other, she touched his shoulder. The gentle contact caused him to stiffen. She didn't know why she reached out to him, but it was far too late to take it back. "Please. Humor me."

He poked his tongue against his cheek before sighing. "I don't know. I don't remember." He tapped his finger on the side of his head. "The brain isn't made for remembering that much information, so my past isn't clear, but every time I teleport, I see... flashes. One is an old woman. Don't know why."

"Do you ever teleport just to see her?"

He backed away and averted his stare. "I didn't sign up for two questions-"

"Your name is June," she interrupted, "and I'm going to tell your friend Taehyung about how cool you are. I'm keeping my mouth shut about all things demons and buttering you up. That's two favors, if we're not counting how I bought you a gazillion hash browns and let you summon Lucifer in my backyard. You're lucky I'm only asking two. Answer."

He huffed a strand of the red side of his hair out of his face. "Sometimes. Happy?"

She beamed. "Yes. I like making you uncomfortable, it's funny."

He went to retort, but she strutted by him and swung the front door back to greet their guest. The man standing at her doorstep was attractive enough to be a model, amplified by his Gucci sunglasses, Gucci slippers, Gucci leopard print fur coat, and Gucci trousers with the Gucci logo covering 90% of them.

"Hello," was all she could manage. The obnoxious display of wealth told her all she needed to know about him. Not that wealth was a bad thing in itself—after all, Y/n had plenty of money—it was more how he flaunted it like a toddler who had gotten his hands on a million bucks.

"You must be the Y/n June told me about, and your little friend Harry." He paused to take her hand—the one not holding Harry—and kiss the back of it. His smile afterward pulled his bread cheeks up and moved his lips into a boxy shape. "Kim Taehyung, at your service."

Huh. Maybe she liked men better when they were assholes.

She forced a grin. "Wonderful. Come on in, your best friend is waiting for you."

"Best friend? Is that what he calls me?" he asked as he stepped inside, not bothering to kick off his shoes or that God-awful fur coat. His sandals squeak squeaked on the floors, and the noise caused Harry to squeal.

Y/n winced. "Yeah, let's go with that. Do you mind taking off your shoes?"

He agreed but didn't organize them. So he seemed like a nice guy, but he had no sense of cleanliness and organization. Jimin sucked, sure, but at least he had the decency to put his shoes near the door. Okay, he had also gone to Funland on her couch, but to his credit, he at least did it behind a closed door.

Shit. Was she defending him?

"Taehyung, my main man," Jimin said with a louder voice than she had ever heard from him. He patted his friend on the shoulder and motioned to the half-baked state of Y/n's house. "What do you think?"

Taehyung curled his lip up. "It looks like a unicorn died here. Ew, ew, ew. Don't you have any class?"

"These are my decorations," Y/n said with a grunt. "Why? What would you decorate it with? Gucci?"

"Yes." Taehyung beamed as he said it. "Maybe a few walls to appreciate my Rolex collection." As if the word Rolex sparked an idea in his head, Taehyung bounded over and scratched behind Harry's ears while making eye contact with Y/n. "I can show you mine, if you want. That and my private golf course. You should come over this weekend, I bet you'd love my mansion."

"I..." Never in a million years rested on the tip of her tongue. Money meant about as much as dirt to her. Her father's inheritance left her with more than she knew what to do with, and she reinvested it in her sister and medical bills. "Are you hitting on me?"

Not that she'd know what that looked like. Y/n had about as much relationship experience as a dead lobster. Sure, one or two boyfriends on occasion, but nothing crazy. Despite being in her twenties, she hadn't gone out clubbing or bothered with looking for love. How would she know what "hitting on" looked like? On the few nights she had gone out, it was to the grocery store or for a stroll through Central Park.

"If I am?" Taehyung asked, taking a step closer. He came so close that she could taste his minty breath that contrasted with his thick honey cologne. "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever laid my eyes on. Even the brightest stars seem dull in comparison to such beauty. Would you do me the honor of going on a date with me?"

Jimin gagged in the background, then when Y/n and Taehyung stared at him, he smiled and waved. "Ignore me. Continue. Y/n, what do you say to the nice man offering you a cute date?"

She turned her attention to Taehyung. "No."

Taehyung's lips formed an o shape. "No?"

"I'm sorry, but you're not my type."

But he was. Looks-wise, anyway. Kim Taehyung had the most perfect dark hair with captivating eyes she could sink into. His adorable nose made him appear two times younger, and his jawline sharpened the ends of his face. His personality seemed fine other than the cleanliness thing and that cheesy ass pick-up line, but she didn't care to get to know him. And that was because his attractiveness didn't intrigue her the way it should have.

Her eyes flickered to the demon leaning against the wall behind them. Once Jimin spotted her, he stiffened. Any amusement drained from his expression, replaced by a sheet of paleness cloaking his flesh. The sudden loss of color made his cherry-like lips stand out. The smoothness of them allured her. If she could draw, she'd love to spend hours perfecting the plumpness of his mouth. Not a single person, man or woman, had ever attracted her the way Jimin's lips did.

When silence prevailed, Y/n cleared her throat and backed up. "Maybe you should hang out with June when I'm not here. Please leave, you're making me uncomfortable. Goodbye."

Without waiting for the answer, Y/n departed. The door of her bedroom shut and locked behind her, and she slid down it with the squealing Harry in her grasp. The poor pig had no idea what was happening, but he cuddled up with her regardless. She stroked his soft coat and smelled the hay he had eaten earlier that day. The solace Harry brought didn't match the discord in her mind.

Park Jimin was an asshole. He had no respect, he was selfish, and he insulted her. She hated his guts. It didn't matter how funny and charming and attractive he was—Park Jimin sucked. But, somehow, she couldn't stop thinking about him to the point where her body felt clammy. She tried to write it off as the house not having air conditioning yet, though she knew that was far from the truth. The truth was what she hadn't wanted to accept. What she couldn't accept because Jimin never would.

Maybe she wanted to be his soulmate after all.

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