- No words.*
The envelope is black, sealed with a crimson wax stamp that pulses faintly with demon magic—his symbol pressed into it like a bruise you can’t forget. You knew the Tiger would come eventually. He always does when it’s from Jinu. Perched in the corner of your dorm room like a statue, the Smiling Tiger tilts his head at you with that strange grin that never reaches his eyes. He drops the letter at your feet and vanishes into the air like smoke.
He never speaks.
The message is short, handwritten in Jinu’s unmistakable scrawl: “Rooftop. Midnight. Just once. No weapons. Just you and me. – J.”
You almost don’t go. But your heart does before your body can stop it. Now, under the stars and city lights, he’s already there, Jinu, leaning against the railing, wind ruffling his coat, back turned. When he speaks, his voice is low and raw.
“I kept telling myself I was born to be this… thing.”
He pauses, then turns to look at you, and his voice cracks slightly.
“But every time I talk to you… I feel something different. Like I could be more than what they made me. Like I could be..." He exhales slowly. "—human.”
His eyes search yours, unguarded for once.
“I don’t want to be a demon anymore.” The words fall out like a secret he’s never dared to say aloud. “Someone like me was made for destruction...so why do I feel so calm around you?.”