Chapter Text
Abby was a demon. A monster condemned to the underworld for his inconspicuous sin of desiring strength to protect those he cared for. The cost was a life plagued in darkness after the bite of death had consumed him, forcing him into the chains of Gwi-Ma for eternity.
For the first twenty years, it was lonely - almost unbearable, but Abby considered himself strong beyond muscles that could move mountains and abs that would make even the Dokkaebi next door swoon.
However, strength between body and mind were vastly different - a fact Abby himself suppressed deep down.
That was, until he met him.
All things considered, the demon before him seemed broken beyond repair. He was confused, disorientated, and lost. Denial didn’t even cover the sheer amount of grief the man before him expressed.
Yet he hid it perfectly, like a blanket of snow which glistened over a lone tree which stood silently in the wilderness.
How could Abby tell he was torn on the inside then? Well, Abby was carved from the inside out too, and therefore, could immediately understand the pain the demon before him held deep within.
As much as Abby wished to approach the serene raven which had crossed his path, for the first time, he felt like an ember next to a burning lantern.
He was beautiful. Otherworldly in fact.
How could he possibly even look Abby’s way? For the first time, Abby himself had a complex about his own perfectly crafted body - a gift bestowed upon him by the wretched god of the underworld himself, Gwi-Ma.
He was adorned with all the markings of a demon tethered to this world, but the stunning man before him held all the beauty of a benevolent fabled being. His eyes were golden but sinister, like that of a venomous snake. His skin a morbid violet - flaunting death’s touch as if she were more beautiful than the kiss of life. Patterns of shame danced all over his smooth skin as though it were performing a sorrowful waltz.
But what really grasped Abby’s attention was his hair. His gorgeous, long, silky black hair.
The length stretched down just above his behind, cold and unwavering as the demon that stood before him. Abby could almost imagine him basking in the lands above - the silent winds gliding through his stunning, raven locks.
His face was framed by heavenly bangs which reminded him of chimes that swayed on a hot summer morning - such an allure never going unnoticed by his own golden eyes. Furthermore, fragments of hair nestled down his shoulder like a waterfall by an unreachable glimmering moonlight.
He was the beauty of death personified.
Abby watched, captivated by the man before him. He did not approach him - of course he didn’t. How could he? Such a beauty was surely not meant to wander within his proximity.
So he gazed from afar, like spring admiring winter, wanting to draw near but knowing that mixing together would be akin to that of disturbing the balance of nature - completely unthinkable.
Abby listened intently to the sound of the demon playing his bipa - each careful strum divine. Heavenly. His sorrowful voice chimed like that of angels.
How ironic.
Irony was in fact a funny thing, for a few days later, Abby was forcibly summoned to the throne of the fiery king himself. Typically, a meeting with Gwi-Ma was one to be feared - it either meant death, torture, or a job to collect human souls if there was an opening within the Honmoon - which these days, was getting rarer and rarer.
Abby winced internally, prepping himself for the shadows of the unknown.
Just what kind of mood was the king in today?
But it seemed luck favoured the cautious.
Draped over the other side of the throne was death’s beauty, kneeling down before the fiery king. Abby’s breath caught in his lungs. Why was the demonic raven also summoned before Gwi-Ma?
Abby mimicked the long haired demon, kneeling down before his king. He awaited orders silently - anyone knew to hold their tongue before the great fire that sat atop of the mountainous throne. Gwi-Ma was a merciless God, he would make any demon pay relentlessly if one even thought about stepping out of line.
Death was desired, a reprieve from a never-ending tunnel of torment. No, Gwi-Ma liked playing with his toys, setting them alight - making sure they suffered for eternity.
“Abby, take a look. This fresh new face here is Jinu.” Gwi-Ma purred delightfully, fire licking up like a whip to cup Jinu’s chin and meet the eyes of the devil that condemned him to this foul place. “Such a pretty little lost thing. So unsure. So shameful. So human.”
Jinu was his name? It made sense. A pretty name for a man who was as beautiful as the unreachable heavens.
Perhaps the heavens weren’t so clouded, for the raven sunshine was just within reach.
Maybe this call was a blessing from fate herself.
It was at that moment Abby realized just how foolish he was.
While he was busy gawking at the long haired demon that he craved to make acquaintance with, he realized Jinu was trembling under a carefully crafted mask.
Trembling from fear.
Abby was already acquainted with shame and guilt - Gwi-Ma ensured it was ingrained into every aspect of his mind as a demon. Torment ended up being a part of the unfair bargain struck between himself and the fiery King - so the fact that an integral aspect such as guilt was forgotten to him in favour of swooning made Abby feel sick to his core.
He had fallen so low.
“Don’t worry, we can fix that in time. But for now, I need you to show him the ropes. There is a tear in the Honmoon. Guide him. Nurture him. Feast on souls and devour his humanity.”
An ugly ripple tore in Abby’s gut as the Demon King’s fire surged forward, just shy away from his demonic shell. A threat lingered on his King’s lips - a threat he had no choice but to heed if he didn’t wish for the promise of torture awaiting him every moment of every day. “Don’t disappoint me Abby.”