Chapter Text
Looking back on the situation, Lee Gilyoung wasn’t entirely sure how he ended up stuck in a floating cage, dangling from the ceiling, threatening to be eaten by an old woman turned literal Demon King of Hell. He did know, however, that the situation was getting much too weird for his liking, and that he should have suspected something was up much sooner than he did.
It all started that morning. When Lee Gilyoung had woken up, he noticed that his sister was gone. Her blanket was pulled back, her shoes were missing, and the spot she had layed in the night before was completely cold to the touch. Now, this wasn’t unusual as Yoosung was always an earlier riser than he was, but Gilyoung guessed he should have found it strange how there were no voices coming from the other room.
The cottage was as quiet as a graveyard in the dead of night, the stale air still waiting to be cut through.
Alright. There was no need to panic. Had Yoosung and the old woman left the house for some reason?
The idea popped into his head, but Gilyoung was more focused on the wonderful smell wafting in from the kitchen to care too much about where they were. He could almost taste the buttery dessert sitting on the table, and imagined the feel of putting it into his waiting mouth. He was drooling even in his imagination.
“Are you hungry, Titanos?” Gilyoung asked as he reached into his pocket. The cricket was still there, and his big bug eyes stared back at his human companion. Gilyoung smiled at him, thankful he hadn’t been crushed in his sleep.
“C'mon buddy, I’ll sneak you some crumbs.”
With a big yawn escaping his mouth, Gilyoung put his companion back in his pocket, stretched out his limbs, and walked up to the door. He shook the handle (a peculiar looking candy with stripes of red and white), and shook it some more when it refused to turn in his grasp.
“Hey,” Gilyoung complained, annoyance filling his voice. He pushed his weight against the door, confused how a doorknob made of candy could even lock.
“Is anyone out there? Yoosung? Ajumma? The door’s stuck! I can’t get out of the room.”
Complete silence.
“Is anyone home? Hellooooooo,” Gilyoung said as he cupped his hands against his mouth, but he was met with the same response.
Alright, maybe there was reason to panic. Gilyoung paced around the room for a bit, briefly considering the option of just breaking down the door. Would the old woman mind? Probably, but there wasn’t another choice besides waiting for her and Yoosung to get back, and only the constellations knew how long that would take.
And, Gilyoung reasoned, what if they were in trouble? They could be miles away, lost and disoriented, face to face with the bloodthirsty creatures of the Wild Woods, and— as much as he didn’t want to admit it— Gilyoung worried about Yoosung whenever he wasn’t with her. He considered it his responsibility to look after his sister, his one and only true family in this world. There was nothing they didn’t do together so— call it a brother’s instinct— but Gilyoung could always sense whenever his sister was in danger.
He looked down at Titanos. The alarms were going off in his head, and Gilyoung knew he had to act fast.
“Ok. Here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to put you down, and I want you to crawl under the door and look for a key or something. Maybe the ajumma has one lying around. If you can’t, just chirp and come back to me, alright? I’ll just break down the door if it comes to it.”
Titanos rubbed his antennas together in agreement. The cricket scurried off, and after what seemed like a century, chirped back at the boy. He had unfortunately not been able to find anything.
“That’s ok, I’m coming. Just stay back from the door alright? I don’t want you getting hurt while I do this.”
With all his might, Gilyoung pushed off his backfoot and slammed his body straight into the center of the door. Bamm! The door, surprisingly strong for being made out of chocolate, did not crumble under Gilyoung’s weight. It was like there was a force field keeping him from breaking through.
Undeterred, the boy tried the action several more times.
Bamm, Bamm, Bamm!
On his fourth attempt, Gilyoung gave up on the door and focused on targeting the lock. Balling his fist, he finally managed to displace the latch and sent the door handle flying to the ground with a successful grunt.
Now that the lock was no longer in place, the door easily gave in to Gilyoung’s efforts and sent him sprawling on the outside floor.
Bamm!
“Oh dear,” a voice cooed all the way from the doorway of the cottage. Gilyoung looked up.
To his side stood the old woman, a finger pressed against her cheek as she took in the sight of the boy and the broken door. Though he was about to apologize for making such a mess, something stopped Gilyoung in his tracks.
Besides the fact that Yoosung was nowhere to be seen, the old woman did not look like the kind ajumma that he had met the night before. A devious smile played across her lips, and she looked at Gilyoung with such an intense… interest? that his skin began to crawl in on itself. Gilyoung knew he had been right to worry.
“How did you manage to break out of your room, dear? I put a hell of a security charm on it,” the old woman sighed. Her eyes gleamed a darker and darker shade of red as something began to sprout out of her back and head.
“You’re much stronger than I expected!” she exclaimed.
“Amazing, truly! I have no doubt you are just as talented as your sister, but I can’t have my bait running amuck like this. I guess that means I’ll just have to put you in an even stronger cell.”
_______
And, that essentially explained how Gilyoung had ended up in his current predicament. He had been rotting in the cage for hours, yelling his lungs out before realizing no one could or cared to hear him.
Gilyoung cursed himself for his stupidity, but there was nothing he could do about it now. He had bigger problems.
The demon was currently in his sister’s face, caressing her hair, eyes filled with disgusting intent. It made Gilyoung sick to his stomach, and he was determined to do something about it.
“Hey!” he yelled at the demon who had introduced himself as Asmodeus by now, “Get away from Yoosung you creep! I don’t care what you’re planning, if you’re going to eat us or sacrifice us or whatever, just leave her the hell alone!”
Asmodeus turned to the boy with a look of confusion on his face.
“Were you even listening to what I just said? I’m not going to eat you. Though some of my fellow brethren have that taste, I have no such desires, boy.”
“Then,” Yoosung interjected, her voice shaking like a leaf, “What do you mean you need a new host body? And what are you going to do to Gilyoung if you’re not going to eat us?”
“Well, I—”
“I mean, I thought the whole point of the gingerbread house was to lure children in and fatten them up so you could eat them, right? That’s why you’re in an old woman’s body, to make it easier for children to trust you? Was that all just a ruse or…”
Yoosung rambled on for a couple of more seconds, listing off flaw after flaw of the Demon Lord’s plan while staring intensely into Gilyoung’s eyes. It was almost like she was trying to tell him something.
Oh. It clicked in his brain. Yoosung was stalling, wasn’t she, to give Gilyoung a chance to escape his cell. He understood the message and hurriedly began to think of a way out.
Titanos! The boy thought, remembering his cricket friend. He had always seemed to be able to understand him at a telepathic level.
Can you find me something to pick this lock? Something small and sharp, or maybe a coin if you can find one? Please, I really need your help right now.
Though he didn’t hear the cricket’s reply, Gilyoung did see him scurry into view after a few seconds. He was pulling two needles and a copper coin with him, loose items he had probably found lying under a forgotten crevice in the house.
As quiet as possible, the cricket jumped into the floating cage and placed the items near Gilyoung before jumping back into his pocket. He was lucky to have such a loyal (and strong) companion.
Gilyoung got to work. He examined the lock before slipping in the two needles, fingers trained to perform this maneuver a thousand times over.
Though he usually preferred to break whatever stood in his way, years of experience of being locked in his room with no dinner taught Gilyoung the necessity of the skill, an instinct born of not wanting his sister to go hungry over his stupid mistakes. He worked as quietly and efficiently as possible.
“So do you use this oven to cook your victims?” Yoosung asked. She pushed past the demon king and moved over to the stone oven on the left side of the house.
Yoosung opened it and peered inside, the heat from the ever-lit fire burning tears in her eyes.
“Small, but definitely big enough to fit a person inside it. Wait, is that what your desserts are made of, childrens’ remains? I guess that makes sense since the ajumma’s powers involve baking, but I don’t really want to be made into a pie though…”
“Enough!” Asmodeus yelled, clearly frustrated with the girl’s questions. Even though his face was that of the old woman’s, the yell was still enough to scare Yoosung into silence.
“I already told you, I’m not going to eat you! Rid the notion from your skull, girl. I simply need a new body if I wish to stay in the Mortal Realm, and yours happens to be to my liking.”
“And— why do you even need me? Or a host in general?”
Asmodeus sighed.
“I forgot that you're just a clueless little girl. I am a Demon King, no? Demons can not enter the Mortal Realm without the encroachment of probability, and after the truce reached in the Demon Wars, we are not allowed to roam free even if we have a vessel. Your previous ruler made sure of that. The Woods are now the only place in this realm that Eden can not reach me, and the side of Good has grown too powerful as of late. Let’s say I’m here to tip the scales back into balance.”
Click. Click
“So you’re looking for a vessel!” Yoosung exclaimed, raising her voice to cover the noise that Gilyoung was making, “But why me? Why the ajumma? Why lure children from the village when there are stronger choices you could have? Is it just a limit on her abilities?”
Asmodeus scoffed. “Please, the ajumma is just a means to an end. A decrypted piece of flesh I first possessed when making my way into these Woods.”
“Her ability,” he rolled his eyes, “Involves the creation of this cottage which can only be detected by children, as well the ability to brainwash the consumer of her baked goods. That’s why you forgot all about your precious past and guardians after a while, hmmm?”
A look of surprise appeared on Yoosung’s face as the Demon King continued his monologue.
“I admit, however, that her powers have been useful for my overall goal. This vessel and her worthless abilities have done well to lure many victims to this cottage, but still, not a single one of them was good enough to be my true vessel.”
Asmodeus wrinkled his nose in disgust.
“You see, Yoosung, all of these children who entered the Woods were weaklings. They did not possess a single drop of magic in them and, since a demon is limited by their host’s abilities, they were all deemed worthless in the end. The only use they have now is as fertilizer for my roses,” he sighed.
“They weren’t special like you, Yoosung.”
“M-m-m-me?” she stammered, eyes widening even further than they already were “I’m… a mage?”
Deeply amused, asmodeus let out a hearty laugh.
“Goodness, you can’t be that stupid, can you? How did you think you managed to tame that beast, hmmm? Or all those other animals back in the village, for that matter?”
“Well I–” she mumbled.
“Y-y-you what?” Asmodeus mocked, “you thought you were some sort of animal whisperer? Some sort of fairytale princess whose magical voice could bring animals flocking to you? Don’t make me laugh.”
He spread his hands out wide. “You and your brother are starblessed, my dear, some of the most powerful mages I’ve seen in ages. I knew the second you stepped in this cottage that you two were different from the rest, children capable of controlling the strongest of foes. I just had to be sure, and you’ve managed to prove me correct without a doubt.”
Asmodeus smiled as he put a finger to his chin.
“Truly, either of you would be worthy of acting as my vessel but, it just happens your powers are more to my liking. That, and well, your… appearance.”
Taking a step closer to Yoosung, both demon and girl were in front of the oven now, the waves of heat licking their faces as if inviting them into the depths of its hell.
Gilyoung, please finish soon, Yoosung prayed desperately. I don’t know how much longer I can do this.
As Yoosung tried to steel her nerves against the Demon King once again, he cupped her cheek in his hand in an almost paternal manner. It was the audacity of a monster trying to mimick human affection.
“Yoosung, you asked why I choose children, remember? Why I choose them despite being able to have my pick of the litter,” Asmodeus nodded as if he understood the apparent paradox.
“The truth is, how could I refuse such adorable specimen? I’ve always admired such delicate forms, especially charming little girls such as yourself. The heart wants what it wants, after all, and who am I to deny myself such taste?”
As the Demon King’s wicked confession left his mouth, a strong force pushed him from behind.
In any other body, perhaps the demon would not have been so easily moved. He would have caught himself, turned around, and snapped the neck of whoever dared to stand against a demon as mighty as he. However that was not the case this time.
The mighty demon king Asmodeus, stuck in the hunched-over body of an old woman, stumbled blindly into the heat of the oven. Despite the protruding horns and wings, his form managed to be the perfect fit for the small opening in the wall. The sudden displacement allowed Yoosung to wretch herself out of his grasp, her heart almost bursting with joy.
Gilyoung!
Her brother, having broken himself free from his cage, slammed his body into the demon's back with such strength that he too almost went tumbling into the oven. Yoosung managed to catch him by the collar, however, pulling him back to his feet. They shared a knowing glance as the same thought entered their minds.
The oven door!
Before Asmodeus had the chance to pull himself out, the two siblings pressed their backs against the cover and firmly held it closed. They did not budge even as the demon’s cries came whaling from behind them, his voice changing to match the pitch of the old woman’s.
The children closed their eyes. It was the only thing they could do as they waited for the screaming to end, a horrifying cacophony of sharp cries and sputtering coughs. They couldn’t even afford to pinch their noises shut as the smell of burning flesh wafted into the room, mixing with the sickening sweet smell of the cottage.
The final dessert was being prepared.
Though tears sprung in their eyes and bile regurgitated in the back of their throats, the siblings held firm. They did not move an inch, even as the last of the screaming came to an end. Neither of the children wanted to look inside to see what they had done.
“Do–” Gilyoung panted, trying to catch his breath from the adrenaline, “Do you think we killed him?”
His eyes looked weary even with the hint of optimism in his voice.
Yoosung shook her head. She knew nothing could ever be that simple.
“He’s a demon king, Gilyoung. There’s no way he’s dead, but I think we managed to burn his vessel. He said he couldn’t stay in this realm without one, so getting rid of his host should have gotten rid of him as well. At least, I think so.”
Gilyoung laughed nervously, “You better be right about that.”
“Dummy, of course I’m right.”
“Who are you calling a dummy? I just saved your life!”
Joking more than bickering this time, the two siblings backed away from the oven and made their way over to the cottage entrance. Gilyoung, deciding it was better to be safe than sorry, pushed the table against the oven door. It was a precaution that did little except ease the paranoia in their minds, but it was enough.
“There,” Gilyoung said as he wiped his brow, “Now we can go. I’ll grab Titanos and we can head out.”
Sooyoung chewed on her fingernail. “Ok, but how are we supposed to get home? Wait— oh stars, what about Imobu and Imo? You don’t think they’re still alive, do you?”
“Well if they are then screw them,” Gilyoung scoffed, “We’re better off without them. If they're dead, we’ll just go back into town and find our own place to live, ok? Maybe Donghoon-hyung will let us stay with him.”
“Ok,” Yoosung agreed, “but what about our escape plan? How are we going to get out of the Woods without Imobu?”
“Oh ummm— we can just figure it out as we go? We’ll find some insects or animals or something ,and ask them how to get out of here. Titanos can at least get us back to our camp.”
Yoosung crossed her arms, considering the idea.
“Hmm, alright. I mean, we are mages,” she reasoned. “Our powers have to be good for something. “Now let’s get out of here, ok? I don’t want to even smell gingerbread ever again”
As the siblings quickly grabbed their things and looked around the cottage with one final glance, it occurred to them that the nightmare they had found themselves in was over. In fact, it was as if it had never happened in the first place, like the sweet old woman they knew was just sitting in the other room, waiting for them to say their farewells before yelling “Travel safely, my dears!”
The thought of it made Gilyoung feel guilty. The truth of the old woman’s fate and what they had done to her hung heavily on his shoulders, but he knew there was nothing else to be done. She was dead, her soul possessed by a Demon King, her body disposed of by two children who had never truly gotten to know the real her. It occurred to Gilyoung that they didn’t even know the old woman’s name.
He closed his eyes. Although Gilyoung had never been the religious type, he prayed that the ajumma passed peacefully and that her soul would find a better place in the afterlife. She deserved that much at least.
So, with his sister and faithful companion by his side, Gilyoung stepped out of the cottage and took his first steps into the dark night of the Woods.
Several stars shone down on them as if illuminating the way forward, and Gilyoung couldn’t help but smile. There was a fire blazing in his heart, and, for the first time, he felt truly hopeful about the future before him.
“Oh my,” a voice of death taunted behind them. Horrified, the two children froze.
“You didn’t really think it would be that easy, did you?”