MY TRUE DEMON: BECOMING A DEMON BRIDE

CHAPTER 2: THE DEVIL'S PROPOSAL

“I should have run the moment he said revenge… but something in me had already stopped obeying fear.”

Rain still falls like it has no intention of ending.

I stand at the bus stop, soaked through, my wedding dress heavy like it is dragging my body down into the ground. The ring on my finger feels colder than the rain. My breath comes out uneven, but I don’t even know if I am breathing properly anymore.

The man in front of me doesn’t move like a normal person.

Kang Si-Hwan.

He stands under the black umbrella like the rain itself avoids him.

His voice is calm when he speaks again.

“I am someone who helps people with broken hearts, people like you, Han Seo-Yeon.”

I stare at him slowly, trying to find anything normal in what he just said. His words don’t feel comforting. They feel… too precise. Like he already knows where my pain sits inside my chest.

He continues.

“Someone who can feel your pain… and occupy the hole it left.”

I squeeze my hand tightly, nails pressing into my palm. I don’t like how he talks. I don’t like how he looks at me like I am already understood.

“…You’re a therapist?” I ask, my voice low, unsure.

For a moment, there is silence. Then he laughs. It is not a normal laugh.

His eyes flicker, just for a second, like something red flashes behind them.

“No.”

His smile slowly changes. “Something far older.” I take a step back without thinking. My body tells me to leave.

My heart tells me I already left something behind earlier today.

He tilts his head slightly.

“Han Seo-Yeon…”

My name sounds different when he says it. Like it belongs to something else now.

“Would you like revenge?”

I froze because, that word… revenge… it hits deeper than I expect. Because I don’t answer immediately. I should say no. I should walk away, but my body doesn’t move.

Then he snaps his fingers. The sound is soft. But the air reacts.

Like reality bends for a second.

He speaks again, quieter now.

“Your fiancé’s company, Lee Min-Jae… is built on lies.”

My eyes narrow instantly.

“…What did you say?”

“And your best friend…” he continues, ignoring my question, “has been stealing from you for years.”

My stomach drops. That should not make sense, but it does. Somewhere inside me… it feels like truth instead of shock.

I slowly turn fully toward him now. For the first time, I don’t walk away.

He notices, and that is when he smiles again like he expected this exact moment.

He extends his hand.

“Marry me,” he says simply, “and I will give you what you seek.”

My mind breaks for a second.

“…Are you insane?” I whisper.

Because nothing about this is normal. Nothing about him is normal. But he doesn’t get angry.

He kneels instead, right there on the wet ground. Rain hitting his shoulders like it doesn’t matter.

And then—

A rose appears in his hand, not picked, not bought. It forms from nothing. Red petals unfolding slowly like they are being written into existence.

My breath catches. I take another step back.

“What… are you?”

His eyes glow faintly again, just a trace of crimson under his calm expression.

“I told you,” he says softly, “I help people with broken hearts.”

The rose dissolves into petals that scatter into the rain.

“And I collect contracts.”

…

At Min-Jae Penthouse, morning light hits glass windows high above Seoul. The city looks peaceful from here, too peaceful.

Lee Min-Jae sits at a long dining table, dressed perfectly like nothing happened yesterday. His wine glass is already half empty even though it’s morning.

Across from him, Ha-Rin laughs while scrolling through news on her phone.

“They’re still talking about her,” she says casually. “Seo-Yeon must be completely broken by now.”

Min-Jae exhales slowly.

Good.

“Good,” he says aloud. “Maybe she’ll finally disappear quietly.”

Ha-Rin smiles, leaning back.

“People like her always disappear eventually.”

She takes a bite of food like nothing in the world has changed. As if destroying someone’s life is just breakfast conversation.

At the far end of the room, Min-Jae’s business partner, Kin Soo, sets his cup down more carefully than necessary.

His expression is not relaxed.

“It’s not over,” he says.

Min-Jae looks at him slightly annoyed.

“What is not over?”

Kin Soo hesitates.

“The public reaction. It’s shifting. People are starting to feel sympathy for Seo-Yeon. And your company… is getting dragged into it.”

Ha-Rin laughs immediately.

“Oh please,” she says, waving her hand. “Seo-Yeon is nothing without Min-Jae.”

Min-Jae nods slowly.

“She’ll recover,” he says flatly. “People always do.”

But Kin Soo doesn’t look convinced. He glances toward the glass window.

Outside… something moves, a shadow, but not fully there, just watching.

He frowns slightly. But when he looks again, it’s gone.

…

The Marketing Café

Again, I walk into work like I am walking into a room full of knives. No one speaks directly to me at first. But I feel it: eyes, whispers, phones turning slightly when I pass.

“…that’s her…”

“…the wedding girl…”

“…did you see the livestream…”

My chest tightens. I lower my head and walk faster toward my desk. I try to act normal. But normal doesn’t exist here anymore.

Someone coughs softly behind me. Another whisper follows. It feels like the walls are talking. Then, “Leave her alone,” A voice cuts through the noise.

I stopped. A girl steps forward from the group, Kim Ji-Eun from the sales unit. She looks annoyed at everyone around her.

“Are you people done?” she snaps. “She’s still a person.”

Silence falls for a moment. I don’t know what to say. My throat feels tight. Ji-Eun turns to me.

“Are you okay?” she asks more softly now and politely, like she is the only one who cares.

I try to answer. But nothing comes out properly. My breathing shakes instead. The room suddenly feels too small, too loud, with too many eyes.

I turn quickly and walk away before anyone can see my face properly because I don’t just feel shy, I felt disgrace in front of my peers.

I end up locking myself inside a small storage room. Only then do I breathe again.

Slowly.

Messily.

My hands are still shaking.

I press them against my chest like I am trying to hold myself together physically, but I don’t feel whole, not even close.

…

Lunch hour.

I sit alone on a bench outside the café. I had food in front of me untouched. My phone stays silent, no messages, no calls, no nothing. It is strange how loud silence can be.

I decided to scroll through my contacts once, then I found something that intrigued me. Here, I stopped on this page.

Some names I used to call easily… now feel far away. Some have blocked me. Some have disappeared. Some probably just don’t know what to say.

I put the phone down.

The world keeps moving like I am not part of it anymore. And that is when I realize something simple: I am alone, not just today and maybe from now on.

…

High above the city, Si-Hwan stands still atop a tall building. Wind moves through his coat. He was watching from a distance.

Below him… I am sitting alone.

He watches without blinking. Something about the scene irritates him, not pity, not sympathy but something sharper, annoyance. Like a plan is not going the way it should.

“She’s breaking too slowly,” he murmurs.

Then he turns away.

…

In Demon World – Under Seoul

The air is different underground, louder, heavier, alive in a wrong way.

A hidden club exists beneath the city possessing lights, dark energy, and creatures that look human only at first glance.

On the street, Si-Hwan walks through it silently like the world around him is none of his concern. No one stops him. No one dares.

Demons lower their heads as he passes.

“Bride Collector…”

“Lord Si-Hwan…”

Whispers follow him like respect mixed with fear.

At a long table, higher-ranked demons sit waiting for his arrival. Some were discussing, having fun, while others drank alone. Silence falls instantly when he arrives.

A woman steps forward front amidst them, Yuri, with long coat, straw hat, calm eyes that don’t match her smile.

She looks him up and down.

“Well,” she says lightly, “you finally showed up.”

Si-Hwan sits.

“Still trying to steal souls instead of earning them?” he replies.

Yuri smiles.

“And you’re still collecting broken humans instead of eating them.”

Si-Hwan pauses for a moment. Then she leans slightly closer to him, dragging him by the arm while speaking with soft words.

“I heard you found your thousandth bride candidate.”

Si-Hwan’s expression doesn’t change.

“Rumors travel fast I see.”

“Careful,” she says softly. “You promised me those thousand souls.”

“I promised results,” he corrects. From the side, another demon watches, Jin-Woo. His eyes stay on Yuri longer than necessary. Jealousy sits in his expression like poison.

“You waste your time on humans,” Jin-Woo says suddenly entering their conversations. Yuri instantly excuses them, as she sigh irritated by Jin-Woo.

Si-Hwan glances at him once, not impressed.

Jin-Woo continues.

“If you want power, stop playing with fragile things.”

Yuri sighs lightly.

“Both of you are loud.”

Si-Hwan stands the moment Yuri returned.

“I don’t have time for this.”

He leaves without another word. Jin-Woo watches him go, anger building silently. Yuri smiles sipping her wine again.

…

Night returns to Seoul.

I walk alone again. Streetlights flicker above me. My steps are slow, tired and empty. Then, I stop. Something blocks my path, a man, not human.

I can feel it immediately now. After encountering Kang Si-Hwan before, I knows abnormality when I see it.

His eyes glow faintly red when he smiles.

“So you’re the one Si-Hwan is watching.”

My body freezes. Dark pressure builds around him. I instantly try to take a step back. The stranger tilts his head and spoke coldly, like he really wants me dead.

“You should die now. It would be easier.”

My breath catches. Before he moves, a black blur suddenly hits him. The ground cracks in that moment, wind explodes outward and before me as my guardian angel is Kang Si-Hwan himself.

Si-Hwan appears between us instantly. His voice is cold and steady, like he is furious.

“Jin-Woo.”

The demon from earlier smiles.

“.So you came.”

The air around them changes instantly. Power pushes against power. Streetlights explode one by one.

I stumble back in shock.

“What… are you people…” I whisper.

Si-Hwan doesn’t look at me.

“Run.”

That is all he says. Then the battle begins.

…

And somewhere far beneath everything… something begins to wake. Is this demon, Kang Si-Hwan protecting me, or is he going to be like my older demon, Lee Min-Jae?