(In which Irene agrees to help the devil.)

"Don't forget, my little miracle, you're the strongest person I know."

Irene paused in the doorway and spun around. "Mom, I'm not little anymore."

"You are to me."

Spinning the car keys around her index finger, she continued, exasperated, "And I'm not a miracle."

Her mom smiled in her usual gentle, confident, and positive style. "You are to me."

Sighing, Irene stepped backwards out onto the porch. There really wasn't any point in arguing with her mom anymore; in fact, this was probably the millionth time Irene had told her to stop using that nickname and the millionth time her mom had refused to listen. "I'm going to go now. I'll call you once I'm done."

Nodding, her mom's eyes started to glisten with tears as she waved goodbye.

Suddenly feeling guilty for being so brusque, Irene darted back to hug the woman who passed on her dark eyes and petite figure. "Mom, I'm not leaving for college. This is just a job interview."

Mom gently patted her back. "I know, but this is your first one. I can't help but be proud."

Irene almost snorted. Proud? Attending her first job interview when she had been alive for twenty-five years just sounded pathetic. "You know job interviews never work out for me. We've been trying for the past ten years. And you know what this is actually about." She spun around and walked towards her car. Her mouth suddenly felt bitter and her insides boiled with residual anger.

Mom, her shoulder drooping just a little, opened her mouth, closed it, and then said, "Be careful."

"Will do," Irene called out as she slid into her car. Backing out of the driveway, she watched Mom's fingers fidget, the only indication of her anxiety. That was Mom, though; despite having protested against meeting with this "recruiter", she always put on a confident facade for her little miracle. A characteristic that definitely helped her twenty-five years ago.

Turning on the radio, Irene sang Post Malone's "Rockstar" on the top of her lungs, trying to calm her own nerves as she rolled down her window and turned into main street. When she stopped at a red light, a curious driver turned to look at the person making the raucous, then faced the road again with glazed eyes. That was a reaction Irene had seen plenty of in the past, so much that she refused to go out in order to avoid that sight.

As she turned into the parking lot, she suddenly realized just how important and dangerous this job interview could become.

A week ago, to Irene's and her mom's absolute shock, Irene had gotten a text.

What was so surprising about one text? Well, besides the fact that her mom was the only person in the world with the abilities to text her, the content of the message said "Hi! Irene, we reached out to schedule time to discuss the next steps in our recruiting process. Let us know when you would be available to connect."

Two sentences that froze Irene's world and started it at the same time.

Two sentences that should've been impossible.

Two sentences that indicated another person knew of Irene's existence.

Why?

Because Irene was cursed at birth to be never remembered by a single human being.

Twenty-five years ago, her mom made a deal with the devil, not that she knew the consequences or implications of her decision. No, she simply wanted to keep her precious baby, wanted to love and give her baby the world, wanted to get the baby's dead heart to start beating again.

It wasn't until after Mom was almost sent to a therapist because she insisted that her baby was delivered from her usual doctor, despite continuous searches of Irene's nonexistent birth certificate, that she realized the devil had tricked her.

And indeed, something was wrong. In kindergarten, Irene waited for an hour in the front office before a confused employee came over to inform her that strangers weren't allowed at school without registering, although they have done it five times. In the park, Irene watched other children around her age laugh and play together, always thinking they were purposely leaving her out, not realizing that they simply didn't know she existed. During the yearly checkups, the same pediatrician would always have her information recorded in the computer, but have no actual recollection of who the person was, labeling the file as a mistake, apologizing, making a new file, and then repeating the cycle next year.

Finally, Mom, so frustrated Irene sometimes heard her sobbing behind closed doors, stopped trying to force people to remember Irene; instead, she always reminded Irene that even if nobody in the world loved her, she always had Mom and herself. "My little miracle," Mom would say as she smoothed Irene's hair. "who decided to survive and accompany me in life, despite the consequences. What a selfless soul." She was always determined to stay positive, refusing to admit that she had been fooled around.

So, that was how Irene lived twenty-five years of her life. Home-schooled for her whole life, she had nobody, much less people her age, she could stay up late to finish difficult homework with. She couldn't earn any money, forced to rely on her aging mother for money, shelter, and food. Her only companions were book characters: Percy Jackson when she was young and Marvin the Paranoid Android when she was older.

In other words, Irene despised the devil, and in different immature phases of life, vented her anger out on the only person who could remember her. When Irene was old enough to understand why she had no friends, no teachers, or no one to talk with except her mom, she blamed her for agreeing to the deal.

"I would rather be dead!" Dramatic sixteen-year old Irene had screamed after watching a video describing the cutest prom proposal. "I'll never have a friend, a husband, or a mentor." She shouted in frustration. "What's the point of living?"

Although her hands were trembling, Mom pulled Irene into a huge hug and whispered, "I'm so sorry, my little miracle. I'm so sorry."

Thinking back, Irene gave her Mom the hardest time for something she had no control over. In the end, Mom was simply blinded with agony and need, and the devil had used those emotions to its advantage. Furthermore, Irene was really fucking lucky to have such a caring and kind Mom to teach her morality, or else she would've really snapped on a frustrating day and committed some horrendous crime. (After all, nobody would discover her secrets, so what was the point of staying dormant?)

Needless to say, Irene wanted revenge against the root of the problem. And when that text was delivered, Irene knew that whoever sent it was going to become her victim. Who else had the abilities to remember her besides the person who cast the curse? So, she had dressed really well for this interview - a velvet baby blue suit, silver hoops, and black high heels - an outfit that made her feel powerful. This was her only chance to confront the devil, and she couldn't bear to mess up.

The place that the devil had suggested to meet was a coffee place with a sleek and modern design: beige table surfaces, dark brown wooden chairs, dangling black lamps, and cool slate grey and navy blue walls. As Irene walked into the cafe, scanned the place, and decided that no one stood out, she scoffed at the idea that a devil could have taste or preference. Ordering a vanilla iced coffee, she chose the seat next to the window, staring at the people walking by on the street as she sipped on her drink.

She remembered that one particular day when she had been so desperate for someone to know her name, she had grabbed someone's arm and twisted hard. "Look at me!" she had shouted, tears streaming down her face. "I'm hurting you. Go on! Tell your parents! My name is Irene Bae."

Yet, although the person started crying, by the next second, she had forgot why her arms were throbbing with pain in the first place.

Mom scolded Irene for a whole day, and grounded her for a week. "I understand your frustrations," she had said, "But please don't harm others. There's a reason why the devil allowed me to remember you. Take it out on me."

From that day onward, Irene had given up and resorted to-

So lost in thought, she didn't even see the man standing in front of her until he cleared his throat.

"You've definitely grown since the last time I saw you," he mused in an unfamiliar accent.

There was no other word to describe the devil but "ordinary". Besides the breeches and the brown vest layered over a long-sleeved white shirt, he looked very human, nothing like the images depicted in many religious sites and works. But then again, to walk into a crowded street and cafe without raising alarms probably meant he looked relatively normal.

But that didn't matter. She came to this place with only one purpose.

Before he could say another word, Irene shot up as she reached inside her pockets to where her switchblade rested securely against her. Drawing it out, she flipped the knife out, leaned forward, and stabbed the sharp blade into his heart. She grinned at her success, at the satisfaction of seeing dark blood spill out of the wound, at how easy...

No, something was wrong. This was too easy; there was no way a human could kill a devil so easily. No way.

Before she could do anything else though, he drawled, causing her to jump in surprise and fear, "Are you done?"

Irene stumbled back. "How?" she stammered.

Amusement shone on his face as he plucked the knife out of his body, like it was nothing but a needle. "I admit. You're pretty brave for trying, especially in front of so many people." He paused. "Right. I forgot. Nobody in this world will ever remember you, so it doesn't matter."

Irene blinked rapidly, watching the blood disappear into smoke and the skin knit itself back together.

Seeing the shock on her face, he asked, "Did you really think we'll be that easy to kill? There's only one way to get rid of us, and of course, I'm not telling you."

"Then, shall we sit?" He sat across from her and laced his fingers, which was also a really mundane activity, his eyes not wavering and unusually dark, almost black, as he stared at her. He waited for her to slowly settle back down into the seat before saying, "Should we start over? Nice to meet you. I'm assuming you know who I am already, since you did try to kill me." He didn't wait for Irene to confirm before continuing. "You can call me by my human name, Taehyung."

Irene's laugh was brittle. "Well, since we both know each other's true identities, I'm going to cut to the chase. Why the fuck did you come back? To see how the person you ruined is faring? For a cuddle buddy?"

Narrowing his eyes, he said, "Before I answer your question, can I ask one? I don't understand why I was stabbed."

Her eyebrows have never shot up faster. "You've got to be kidding me," she spat. "You cursed me."

"I saved you."

"What's the point of living if nobody remembers you? I'm not even invisible. I was basically not born into this world."

"You still have your mom."

"Do you expect a medal?" Irene snapped.

"Then, did you expect to get a heart for free?"

"No," she growled, "But I expect fairplay and one fucking word of warning."

Shrugging, he said, "And you got that. Your mom knew the terms."

Irene was going to stab the point of her heels into his cunning, scheming, evil heart for the second time; even if he couldn't die, he definitely should feel pain. "My mom was in too much pain with the labor and the stress of losing another baby. You think-" She almost started screaming out of hatred. "-someone could make a logical decision in that situation. You, on the other hand, was still capable-"

Quicker than light, in a movement her eyes couldn't track or else she would've jumped away, he grabbed her wrist. Her hand automatically clenched the cup so hard, she was surprised the glass didn't shatter. His grip tightened until they became steel beams locking her arms down, like handcuffs. "You humans-" like the word was a parasite "-make foolish decisions and yet, blame us, even though we are the ones who save your lives." His voice was as hard as diamonds and his eyes were stormy. "Don't you think that's hypocritical?"

"Let go of me," she gritted out, feeling repulsed.

Taehyung released his hand and leaned back into his seat. His face back to being amused and casual, he said, "Feisty."

"Disgusting."

He chuckled and asked, "Do you want me to answer your previous question? Why did I come here?" Glancing at her coffee, he said, "A drink that gives humans energy. What a delightful substance." At Irene's stony stare, he held up both hands in mock surrender. "Ah, yes, the reason why I'm here. I need your help."

Irene couldn't help but laugh: loud and condescending. "Help?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Why me?"

Shrugging, he replied, "Nobody remembers you, so you won't be missed. Better than picking someone else."

If Taehyung was trying to comfort her, he only managed to add ten more gallons of gasoline into her fiery rage.

"Ah, that was the wrong thing to say," he breathed, observing her pinched face. "I forget humans don't like brutal honesty."

"Most people prefer the bliss of ignorance over the truth," she muttered.

"Then that's a difference between humans and us." Taehyung smiled. "So, are you willing to help me?"

Frustration was a broken dam in her body. She had no way to stop him from leaving if she declined him. She had already tried killing him. Although Irene could always strike a deal, the cards weren't in her hands; he could leave if he wanted to. On the other hand, if she agreed, what if he was planning to harm humans? Or could it be personal help? She also couldn't imagine herself helping devils. However, even if Irene had no way of knowing what her "help" encompassed, she would be lying if she said she wanted to reject him. She had waited twenty-five years for the devil to appear, and if he left now, then she was sure she would never see him ever again. Besides, she had nothing to lose and everything to gain.

"Yes," Irene said before she could second guess herself.

Sorry, Mom, I hope you understand. There really is no point in me living the rest of my life without trying to accomplish my only goal.

He grinned. "I expected that answer. Nonetheless, I am delighted. Then, we leave tomorrow."

-AUTHOR'S NOTE-

Um... So, I have half of a world, regarding devils and more, in my head, but like no actual plot and no hint of solid plot in the near future, except for the basic premise of the story, so I decided to just post this as an one-shot (is this even an one-shot lol if there's no conclusion?) for now. Maybe one day, in the far far far future, if I think of a plot, then I will continue this one-shot (mostly because I actually like this premise rip). However, until then, it's going into fire on fire.

Also, I rewrote this chapter so many times and I'm still not completely satisfied with this version LMAO ripppp. I literally went from "Irene accidentally saving Taehyung and in return, he grants her a favor" to "Irene begging Taehyung for a favor and he completes her wishes but with a consequence" to the one that you just read. There were probably 65 drafts in total; for real, I restarted this chapter everyday because none of them was good enough for me.

Lastly, Taehyung has been bias-wrecking me so hard these days. Like I cannot. He's too adorable. 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! 💞💞