This Is an Unfair Contract
This was an unfair contract. Under Hana’s relentless, velvet-soft assault, I squeezed my eyes shut and muttered a desperate prayer.
“Almighty Lord God, shield me with your eternal light…”
“What kind of provocation is this? Praying to the pigeon bastards’ god of light right in front of a demon like me…?”
Hana’s face darkened the moment she overheard my prayer. Instead of backing off, she pressed her body even tighter against mine in protest.
Hey, hey, hey! Please stop the violence! You know exactly what you’re doing, don’t you?
Her hair smelled sweet, and the combination of scent, touch, and the sight of her was attacking every one of my senses in real time. While my reason and instincts were both undergoing the Trial of the Soul, the subway finally stopped at the station and a large crowd got off.
The once-packed car now had some breathing room. The forced full-body press I’d been trapped in finally loosened. I took a quick step backward into the newly opened space, escaping Hana’s offensive.
“If you suddenly pull away like that… whoa!”
Hana, who had been leaning forward the whole time, lost her balance the instant I retreated. She spun her arms in frantic circles, trying not to fall. Even her neatly folded wings fluttered wildly. It was so adorable it looked like I was watching a pet.
Seeing her like this, she really did still seem like a kid. I set the shopping basket down for a second, grabbed both of her flailing hands, and steadied her.
When I did, I felt her nails dig into my arm. Those marks were definitely going to linger until tomorrow.
“Thanks, Seha… I didn’t fall because of you.”
“Calm down a little. I get that Balrogs run hot, but sometimes you need to show the cold composure of the frost clans.”
“I want to argue, but I can’t this time. Tch. Sorry~ I’ll reflect on my actions~”
Hana clasped her hands behind her back and spoke in a breezy tone. I really wanted to plant a righteous fist between those horns, but since she had picked up the shopping basket I’d abandoned, I let it slide.
We got off the subway and arrived home safely. With Hana’s help, we put away all the groceries in the blink of an eye.
“Just need to put the ham in the fridge and we’re done~ But didn’t you say we’re having budae jjigae for dinner? What are we eating for lunch then?”
“You were planning to eat lunch with me? I thought I’d just rest at home and you’d come back for dinner.”
“You little brat~ How dare you think of abandoning your baggage and claiming free time for yourself?”
Hana poked the tip of my nose with her finger as she scolded me.
Come on… I want some alone time too. Between the mental trial I endured on the subway and lugging all these bags from the mart, I was physically and mentally drained. Right now all I wanted was to crawl across the bed like one of those exhausted sparrow characters.
“I’ve been up since early morning and I’m completely out of battery~ I’m not getting up~ I’m just going to crawl~ I’m becoming a single sparrow~”
Whatever happens, happens! I don’t want to do anything right now!
When I declared my strike with more sincerity than usual, even Hana hesitated to push or scold me.
“Ugh… so that’s how you’re going to play it, Yoon Seha? Fine. Then I still have a few trump cards left!”
Trump cards? What kind of trouble are you about to cause now? We’re in my house, so I’d really appreciate it if you could just sit still. It would be perfect if you just watched Netflix or something on the TV.
I lifted my head from where I was sprawled on the sofa and looked at her. Hana was literally setting the air on fire. I know the phrasing sounds weird, but that’s exactly what she was doing—creating flames in mid-air. Soon she pulled out what looked like an old parchment scroll from within the fire.
That’s… a contract?
It looked like a scene straight out of a movie where a demon appears. But why pull out a contract now? I didn’t need anything at the moment. If she tried to make me sign something for “rest time,” I was going to grind those giant horns of hers into velvet antler powder.
“Se~ha~ya~ Can Nuna have a moment of your time~?”
She called me with an exaggeratedly bright, artificial smile.
“Dear honored sister, I must repeat myself: my battery is currently at zero percent. I don’t know what strange thing you’re about to do, but please leave this little brother alone so he can close his eyes for a while.”
“Hehe… I wonder if you’ll still say that after you see this? It’s the genuine article—personally stamped by Papa himself. The Balrog’s Contract!”
Hana shoved the contract right in my face with a look that practically screamed what do you think?
What kind of contract was this? I didn’t remember signing any insurance or life-risk contracts recently. And it was a Balrog contract? Sure, I could be a little dense, but I wasn’t the type to sign a contract with a demon without thinking.
“What kind of contract is it? Let me take a look. This isn’t some scam, is it?”
“Great demons like us don’t scam people! Everything—the terms, the compensation, the risks—is written clearly on the contract!”
I half-listened to Hana’s protest and carefully read the document.
Contract! (A cute bear sticker was stuck beside the title.)
Contractor A (Balrog): Lee Hana
Contractor B (Human): Yoon Seha
The Balrog of this contract shall be referred to as Party A, the human as Party B. Both parties hereby pledge their souls and enter into the following agreement:
1. Party B shall not abandon Party A.
2. In other words, Party B shall come to show goodwill toward Party A.
3. Terms 1 and 2 shall be fulfilled regardless of how much time it takes.
4. Party A must not receive goodwill from Party B in one direction only. Party A must also give to Party B and provide help.
5. When either Party A or Party B feels lonely, they shall stay beside each other.
6. That said, because Party A is delicate, Party B must remain by her side almost constantly to protect her.
7. By doing so, Party B shall receive the blessing and protection of the Great Demon Balrog.
8. Should any interfering flies appear, Papa’s assistance may be requested at any time. (If you make my daughter cry, I will throw you into a pillar of fire.)
9. Whoever breaks the promise and causes severe loss shall have their soul captured. (I, the Balrog King, shall personally visit their home to investigate.)
10. All of the above clauses and contract terms may be terminated if one or both parties completely change their minds.
“When the hell did we make this contract?! It’s invalid! This contract is invalid!”
I jumped up from the sofa and tore the contract in half.
“This is a contract stamped by a demon, so physical damage won’t do anything to it.”
The torn contract burst into flames and restored itself to its original form.
“This was a minor contract made when I was in kindergarten! It should be completely invalid! Besides, Korea follows the principle of nationality. If you’re Korean, you should follow Korean law!”
“Our demon race prioritizes the laws set by the Demon King. You learned that too. A contract arranged and stamped by a demon can only be formed when the contractor truly desires it. Plus, this has your parents’ stamps on it too.”
“Mom and Dad sold me to a demon?! Aaaaaah!”
“Hehehe. According to clause one, you have to stay by my side and relieve my boredom. Don’t run away—come here!”
Hana tossed the contract aside and lunged at me.
So this crazy demon girl is finally going to devour me…
“At least be gentle… ugh…”
Hana grinned wickedly, then lifted me up. I cursed my fate and closed my eyes. But instead of pain, I felt a soft cushion behind my head. When I opened my eyes again, my head had been turned forward and I was lying on Hana’s lap.
“What exactly is this situation, Lee Hana, eldest daughter of the Great Demon Balrog?”
“You looked tired. Contract clause four! Rather than receiving from Seha one-sidedly, I must also provide help to Seha~”
“I didn’t expect the contract terms to come up here.”
“Hehe. It’s true that you’ve put up with a lot of my selfishness, so I’m giving you special service. Nice, right? Really nice, isn’t it?”
“Well… it would be a lie to say it’s bad.”
“Hehe! I’ll even clean your ears for you. Just lie still and doze off. If I poke you wrong and you end up in the hospital, I won’t be able to fulfill the contract about making budae jjigae for dinner.”
Hana blew gently on the ear pick, then began carefully cleaning my ear. The tool, warmed by her flames, made soft scratching sounds as it gently scraped inside. It tickled, but it didn’t feel bad at all. And Hana’s lap wasn’t just soft—it radiated a pleasant warmth, like a deluxe version of the ondol floor in a hanok.
Ughhh… my eyes were closing on their own.
“How do you like the special knee-pillow service~? Is the temperature of my lap just right? If you’re cold, I can raise it a bit more?”
“It’s perfect right now… I feel like I’m melting in the warmth…”
“Pfft, are you a lava slime? We sell them as pets back in our homeland.”
“Isn’t that the slime made of lava? If you put it on your arm it would probably melt you into jelly.”
“Really? But you have the Balrog’s blessing, Seha. You should be able to touch and stretch a lava slime without any problem.”
“When exactly did you give me that blessing?”
“It’s written right there in the contract. We Balrogs rule the scorching zones, so we’re naturally resistant to extreme heat.”
Hana took a sip of water before continuing.
“Puha! If a contractor appears, we provide our own blessing as a bonus service. Think about it—when you were in middle school, you broke a few bones playing sports, but you never once got burned by hot water, right?”
“Now that you mention it… I remember touching boiling water while getting ramen at the convenience store, but it only felt warm. Wait, so the reason I can eat hot food so well is because of the blessing you gave me?”
“Probably. There’s a reason so many of us Balrogs love spicy food. Our sense of taste is a bit duller compared to other demon races, so we crave the strong stimulation of spice. When my family first had to choose a country to live in, Dad picked Korea for exactly that reason.”
“It was such a simple reason… I thought there was some business or political motive behind it.”
“Well, thanks to that, we met back in kindergarten, didn’t we? The result was good, so let’s drink to it~”
Hana giggled softly.
“Turn your head the other way. I’ve finished cleaning this side.”
“Yes, yes~ Whatever Nuna says.”
I yawned, heavy with drowsiness, and turned my other ear toward her. If I fell asleep like this, would she keep letting me use her lap as a pillow until the very end?