HE HELPED

"So that is how I ended up here, somewhere far from my home and alone." She ended her story.

"I can relate to you and it is funny. We are at the same phase and the reasons are so different." Kristen nodded her head and laughed dryly.

"I hope you can go back home soon too."

"I really have to or else I am straight away visiting the devil and spending the rest of my life with him. It would be very annoying, right?" She asked hoping the other would agree but what came from her was totally surprising.

"You would be lucky in that way. I also wanted to stay with him but he said that I can't go with him." An evident sadness lingers in her words.

"W-what?"

"It is quite surprising to hear someone like me, right? The image that the devil has on humans is very funny. Someone with two horns and red skin, uneven teeth, and scales but sorry to break the fact, he is amazing in real." The woman chuckled, she finally tossed her head to look at Kristen, and her eyes held so much fondness.

"Do you know him?" Kristen asked curiously, a little annoyed because everyone except her seems to know him.

"I do because I am one of the lucky humans chosen by him. I consider it a luck even though he said, it would cost a lot in my life." She said carelessly as if his warning didn't bother her.

"Are you not scared? Devil is someone who can hurt you and ruin your life."

"He helped me instead when no one did. I used to pray in the church every day for a helping hand but the God seemed to be blind. My husband used to tell me when we say something, the devil listens because he is closer to humans." She explained making Kristen confused.

"You want me to tell you about him? This is confidential so promise this stays within us." Mrs. Hwang asked only to get aggressive nods from the other one.

"I really want to."

"Are you not afraid of him perhaps? Like you asked me."

"Not at all and in fact, I am very much interested. I was always like this because I was grown reading a lot of books." She gave a childish smile to make it look more believable.

"Now there is no going back." The old lady sat back comfortably, maybe her back was hurting her really bad.

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TWENTY YEARS AGO...

"Are you sure, we have no other way?" an old man asked while sitting on the pavement, next to the metro station.

"Yes honey, we are going to do this now. What are we supposed to do if not this?"

"I am sorry to have brought you into this hardship. I should have been careful." He spoke, his head hung down to hide the tears that were filling his eyes.

"What are you saying? You took care of me all along and gave me a luxurious life. I never would be able to thank you for everything that you have given me." She sat down next to her husband and held his hand in her cold ones.

"T-that cannot be used as an excuse. We are old and what will we do without a home now? Where should I take you?"

"To the place I suggested and I promise that my home is where you are with me."

The couple finally stood up, after contemplating for a while and trusting that the woman's suggestion was the best for them. Mr. Hwang wanted to knock on his son's doorstep before taking such a drastic step but his wife stopped him saying they should never be a problem to their children. They were both lost in their thoughts while walking across the road to the metro station and the car which dashed towards them went unnoticed.

"HEY! MOVEEEE." A man shouted from the other side, as he ran towards the couple.

In an instant, the car approached them but it hit the man who ran into the road and stopped. The old couple was startled as they held onto each other and crouched down thinking death just passed by them. The time seemed to have stopped and nothing stopped for a moment but there was something moving, a person in particular. He stood up and cracked his neck, proceeding to dust his outfit before turning to the car which was half broken by now.

"That did hurt." He muttered while pressing his jaws as he walked to the car.

He saw the man inside the car had passed out, his head resting against the steering wheel. He sighed and leaned against the door frame, hands on the open window pane and looking inside.

"How ridiculous?" He groaned while looking at the half-empty bottle of alcohol spilled on the seat.

The man was very disappointed that he changed his mind, immediately walking back to the old couple who were still crouching down on the road. He flicked his finger and the time revived but this time, he and the couple were at another place. The couple looked around in surprise, still scared as everything looked so strange. The place was a mansion as far as they could see, a luxurious monochrome-themed mansion, they were sitting on the best couch ever experienced.

"Are you both fine?" A voice appeared from behind and the couple turned back terrified.

"Oh, please do not be scared. I am no harm." He spoke again, now showing his face as he stepped from behind the wall with two cups in each hand.

"W-who are you? Where a-are we?" The old man asked as he held his wife's hand.

"That is very lovely. You seem to love her a lot, don't you?"

The man placed the cups on the table, in front of his guests and sat down on the opposite couch.

"A-answer me."

"My name is Lucifer and as I mentioned, I am no harm. You both just fainted near the metro station and I happened to see it. It was out of concern that I took you both here." The man had a very adorable smile, resembling a stuffed toy.

"W-we fainted? I d-do not remember. Do you remember something?" He asked his wife who shook her head in confusion.

"Well, does that matter when you both are fine now? I just wanted to help." He shrugged casually while pushing the cups to the couple.