Demon and Stalker
"Phew!"
Dahong flopped onto the sofa and stared up at the ceiling. Her belly was full. Mala tang. Tteokbokki. Chicken. Jajangmyeon. It was the most she'd eaten since coming to Earth. Not bad at all.
Seha spoke up as he cleared the table. "I'll handle the dishes, Dahong. You rest."
"Yeah."
Dahong half-closed her eyes. She could hear Seha heading to the kitchen. The clatter of dishes. The rush of running water.
Dahong stretched her arms with a yawn. "Huuuuh~!" Her body felt languid. And speaking of water...
"I wanna shower," she muttered.
Seha's hand froze mid-air as he was about to tie on his apron. "...A shower?"
"Yeah."
"R-right now?"
"Yeah."
"H-here?"
"Where else?"
Seha stood rigid, clutching the apron, his eyes shaking wildly.
Dahong rose from the sofa and approached. "Where's the bathroom?"
"D-down there. End of the hall..."
"Towel?"
"I-I'll get it for you!"
Seha bolted toward the bathroom. Dahong's red eyes followed him languidly.
Thud thud. Rattle. Seha burst into the room, yanked open a drawer, and grabbed a towel.
'Calm down, Yoo Seha... It's just a shower. Everyone does it. Nothing big...'
Seha gripped the towel tight. He took a deep breath—in, out.
Then Dahong's voice came from behind. "What's up?"
Seha jumped straight up. "N-nothing!"
"Your face is red."
"I-it's not!"
"Even your ears."
"They're not red!"
Seha shoved the towel at her, avoiding her gaze. Dahong took it and asked, "Clothes to change into?"
"...Huh?"
"Clothes. You know."
"Oh, uh, that... um..."
Seha's eyes spun. "I-if mine are okay..."
Hmm~ Dahong flashed a mischievous grin. Her hand drifted to her shirt buttons.
Click. One button undone.
Seha's eyes went wide. Dahong looked at him. "Wanna wash together?"
"...Hweh?"
Seha's brain short-circuited.
"Need someone to scrub my back."
"..........."
"Don't wanna?"
Dahong stepped closer. Seha flinched back—but the dresser blocked him.
"Seha?"
Dahong leaned in curiously. Her warm breath brushed his nose.
"N-n-no... I mean, uh... that is..."
Seha babbled incoherently, nonsense spilling from his lips. His head felt like it might explode.
Then.
"Pfft—ahaha!!!"
Dahong burst out laughing. "Just kidding."
"...?"
"Look at your face."
Dahong couldn't hold back her laughter as she opened the bathroom door. "Thanks for the towel."
Click. The door shut.
—AHAHAHA! Laughter echoed from inside.
"......"
Seha was left alone outside. He stood there for a long while, neck to ears flushed crimson.
"...Ah."
His strength drained. He slumped against the wall. Hands covered his face.
'A joke... Of course it was a joke.'
"Haa...!"
Seha sighed deeply and rubbed his dry face. ...Better do the dishes.
He staggered to the kitchen. But the moment he picked up a plate—
Shhhh— From the end of the hall, the shower turned on.
Seha froze. The water sounded deafening.
'Dahong's in our bathroom right now...'
Unbidden, images of her ample curves flashed in his mind. Too much for a pubescent boy.
"Ughhh!!"
Seha cranked the faucet full blast. Water gushed out. But the shower noise lingered in his ears. Worse, Dahong's sweet humming drifted over, like she was enjoying it.
Seha dunked his head under the cold tap.
"Gahhh!!"
***
The bathroom steamed up thick. Dahong stood with eyes closed. Warm water cascaded from her hair down her body. White strands clung wet to her back. Rivulets traced her collarbone, dipped between her breasts, and dripped from her toes. Steam rose from her skin.
She stood motionless for a long time, just letting the water pour over her.
There was no rain in hell. Heat, yes—but scorching, not this gentle warmth. Burning agony was worlds apart from this embrace.
"......"
Droplets beaded on her long lashes, then slid down her pale cheeks to her chin.
Not bad. Honestly?
Pretty damn good.
Ramen had been like that. Sunlight. Stars. Morning coffee. Mala tang. And this.
One by one, sensations she'd forgotten were coming back.
Dahong cupped her breasts. A body that had changed somewhere along the way. In hell, survival left no room to care. Dangers everywhere, demons and beasts hunting her life... Once strong enough, she fought off challengers nonstop. After, mental exhaustion made it irrelevant.
But now? She had the luxury to reflect.
'Why did my body change?'
From human male to female demon. Truth be told, she had no desire to go back. Since becoming a demon, her human self was as good as dead—no lingering regrets.
Still...
'There must be some reason.'
Then.
She sensed presences. Outside the building. In the hall. The ones tailing her earlier. More of them now.
Dahong's eyes slowly opened. Steam veiled the tiled wall. Her good mood plummeted.
...Was feeling nice.
A rare unpleasant twinge.
Shhhh— The water kept running. But it wasn't as enjoyable anymore.
"Haa."
Dahong sighed.
***
Eleven at night.
"Dahong, not sleeping?"
Seha yawned at her bedroom door. Dahong didn't look away from the TV.
"Finishing this."
"What're you watching?"
"Movie."
Seha glanced at the wall-mounted TV. A masked killer stood at a door, chainsaw revving.
Vrrr— The door splintered with eerie whines.
Seha grimaced. "Eek, scary stuff. I'm off to bed. Finish up and sleep."
"Yeah."
The door clicked shut. Dahong kept watching. The killer breached the door.
She grabbed the remote and turned down the volume.
***
Past midnight. Apartment hallway.
Five shadows moved silently. All in black clothes, masks, hats.
One gestured at the light—bulb flickered, pop, out.
They nodded and advanced.
Swish swish. Precise, trained movements.
The leader halted at a door, knelt, eyed the lock. Old model—taser would disable it easy.
Hand signals. One pulled a taser from his belt.
As he raised it—
Gone. The taser.
"...?"
He tilted his head. Then.
"Looking for this?"
A voice from the dark.
They whipped around. A figure stood in shadow.
Clack. Moonlight through the window revealed her. Woman. White hair. Red eyes. Horns. And in her hand—
The taser arm dangled from her grip.
Its owner stared at his stump. Gone. His arm.
"!!!"
He opened his mouth to scream—
Slash! The wall splattered red.
Thud. Body crumpled.
"—!"
The nearest hunter lunged. Dahong didn't move. He swung his knife—but lost balance, stumbled past her, crashed down.
"!?"
Propping up, he turned in panic. His own legs stood behind him, rooted.
His ankles—gone.
'When...?'
Crunch. A knife plunged into his throat—his own blade.
The last two charged. One barreled in with brute bulk; the other spewed fire from his hands.
Dahong flicked her finger like snapping at a fly.
The flames exploded back like dust igniting, engulfing the fire mage.
"Wh-what!? Gaaah!!!"
He thrashed to pat out the blaze.
"Damn...!"
The leader rushed to help. Meanwhile—
The brute swelled gorilla-huge, smashed down with hammer-fists.
Dahong flowed aside like water, slapped his side lightly.
Crack—!
"Guhak...!"
Ribs shattered wholesale. Guts exploded in blood and meat. As he fell, Dahong seized his tree-trunk neck.
"G...uh..."
"Gaaah! Help—!"
The fire mage charred black and collapsed. The leader tried quenching him, but the flames burned fiercer, devouring faster.
"......"
The leader was speechless. Four A-rank hunters down in seconds. Not even a fight—one-sided slaughter.
Crack. Something snapped. The brute's body went limp.
Thud.
Red eyes turned to him from the dark.
The leader slowly raised hands above his head. "I-I surrender. Spare me, and I'll tell you who sent us."
Dahong grinned.
"Don't need to."
"Wai—!"
Slash.