- Lee Minhyuk POV -

(PRONUNCIATION: Min-hyok)

IT WAS A NIGHT like any other. My mom was working overnight at a diner named Heaven's Hell. It wasn't that busy because it was already late, and my dad just so happened to be the last customer to enter the diner. It wasn't anything special, but through that encounter, things blossomed between them.

    My dad took care of mom when she was pregnant with me, but that all changed when he suddenly disappeared. 

    When I was born, my mom was the only family that I know. I wasn't a nosy child so I didn't ask about my dad since it might be a sensitive topic for her.

     I grew up to be a chubby child that every kid in the neighbourhood would bully because of some excess fats. It didn't bother me at first because my mom taught me to just let it go, but when I got older, the insults started to affect me. People kept on bullying me and discriminating against me because of my size, so I did what every insecure person would do...

     I worked my ass off and proved them wrong.

     I worked out day and night until I achieved the body that was immune to the insults that I received when I was chubbier. People started accepting me...

     But have I accepted myself?

 "Thirty-minutes," I said as I stared at my timer. I've been running for thirty-minutes none stop, and I couldn't feel any better. Of course, that was after doing a hundred pushups and a hundred sit-ups.

     I stretched my legs and tried to catch my breath before drinking from my bottle. After freshening up, I checked my phone and looked at the time. It was already 7:40 AM. So I jogged my way back to our residence, the sweat on my body dripping down on me as I entered the house.

     "Mom, I'm home," I said, but no one replied, which was peculiar since mom always greeted me back after my morning run.

     I went to the living room, and then to the kitchen, but she still wasn't there. Her absence was starting to worry me.

     "Mom?!" I shouted, but still, no one answered. So I went upstairs to check if she was in her room. I opened the door but no one was there either.

    "Where could mom be?" I asked myself, trying not to panic. 

      With my heart now beating fast, I went to my room and opened the door...

     "Happy 18th Birthday Minhyuk!" My mom suddenly shouted as she threw confetti above my heads. The moment I saw her, I thought I was gonna get a heart attack.

     "Mom! I thought you were kidnapped!" I honestly said, making her laugh like crazy.

     She brushed away the confetti that got stuck in my hair and hugged me. The gesture finally calmed me down so I hugged her back.

     "To make it up for you, here, I made you your favorite breakfast," she said as she excitedly presented a tray with a turkey sandwich and a glass of smoothie. 

     "Thanks mom, but you should have just greeted me a happy birthday...downstairs," I told her, making her laugh again.

     "I know, but it will be a hassle if I'll carry Gula's cage (Gula's a hamster)." My mom explained, and I just chuckled in defeat. She's always so extra.

    "Okay, but I need to take a shower now. I'll eat downstairs," I said, and my mom nodded her head, carrying the breakfast she made for me and left the room.

     When she closed the door, I took off my sweaty clothes and took a shower. While on the shower, I started meditating. This added 20 more minutes to my bath routine. After washing up, I got ready and went downstairs to see my mother brewing coffee. I sat on the chair where my food was placed and I started eating.

     "Do you have any plans for tonight son?" My mom asked me while I was eating.

     "No, why?"

     "Well, I took a day off from the restaurant because I want us to eat dinner together. I'll even be giving you something special," mom said with an excited smile.

     "You took a day off on your own restaurant?" I asked with my right eyebrow raised, and mom just nodded her head as an answer.

     "Well okay then," I said with a smile, making her smile even more.

      I then looked at my watch and saw that it was already 8:20 AM. I quickly ate the sandwich with only a few bites, and then I chugged down the smoothie until its very last drop. Mom didn't even say anything as she watched me devour everything in a flash. She was probably already used to it.

     "I gotta go," I told her as I took a table napkin and wiped my mouth with it before standing up from my seat. I kissed my mom on the cheek, and then took a bag of chips from the cabinet first, grabbing my bag on the sofa after. I then rushed outside and walked my way to school like I always do.

     As soon as I arrive at the university, a man who I was familiar with approaches me with a nervous smile. If I could remember, he's a classmate of ours in one of our lecture classes.

     "Lee Minhyuk right?" He asked as he approached me.

     I stared at him from head to toe. He hasn't said anything but I already knew what was about to say. Because I don't really attract boys (but I do attract girls a lot), but I know someone who does.

     "That's right," I answered with a serious expression, making him gulp.

     "You're friends with Hyunseung, right?" He finally asked, and I couldn't help but be proud of the fact that I guessed that right.

     "Why?" I asked even though I already knew the reason why he was asking me that.

     "Can you ask him if he's free tonight?" He asked nervously, making me try my best from not laughing at how ignorant this guy was. Doesn't he already know that JS is famous for rejecting guys in the harshest way possible?

     "And why would I do that?" I asked back.

     The guy scratched the back of his head, his ears turning red because of embarrassment, "Because I want to ask him out tonight. I kinda...like him," he blurted out, making me close my eyes to compose myself. Now I'm starting to feel embarrassed for him too. 

    "Okay, I'll ask him," I lied, and the boy suddenly smiled thankfully that I ended up feeling guilty. I guess asking JS won't kill me.

     "Thanks man," he said before patting my back and leaving.

     When he was out of sight, I sighed and took out the bag of chips that I brought with me. I opened it and ate a handful. It's almost like my stress reliever.

     Ever since I became friends with Jang Hyunseung, every guy who knows that I'm friends with him would ask for his name or his number. Some weird ones would even ask for his address or even a picture of him. That's the exact reason why he doesn't have social media. Of course, as his friend, I try to scare off the perverted ones. People are just so damn attracted to him, which always made me wonder...

     What's with that guy anyway? Nothing about him is attractive at all! Even his personality is horrible! But I guess that's from a close friend's perspective. People don't really know who he is, so maybe that's why they think he's the most desirable man on earth.

     "Speak of the devil," I said as I arrived at the bicycle area.

     I smirked and sneaked behind him while he was chaining his bike. Without him suspecting anything, I grabbed his shoulders to surprise him, and as I expected, he immediately turns around, getting ready to push me away from me.

     "Hey JS," I immediately greeted with a smile before eating another handful of chips.

     JS stopped just in time and sighed heavily, "Hey Minhyuk. Chips for breakfast again?" he asked me while glancing at the large bag of chips that I was holding.

     "You know I can't live without these bad boys," I answered, and JS sighed again before going back to his neglected bike. He locked the chains and looked back at me with an annoyed expression, "You know I don't get it. You eat a lot but you're so damn fit." He told me.

     Memories of me running miles and performing hours of hardcore exercises suddenly flashed before my eyes. But I pretended like being this fit is just a god-given talent so I smiled and ignored his question.

     JS sighed for the third time and left me while I was still licking my cheesy fingers. I immediately ran to his side to catch up with him. While the two of us were walking in silence, I suddenly remembered my encounter with this guy earlier who has a crush on my dear friend here.

     "Oh yeah, another guy approached me today. He's asking me if you're free tonight." I asked even though I already know what he's about to answer.

     You owe me one random classmate.

     "You know Minhyuk, you shouldn't entertain anyone. Especially when I'm a guy!" He angrily told me, and I just shrug my shoulder again even though deep down I still wanted to laugh.

     Well, at least I tried.

     "But seriously though, are you free tonight?" I still asked, but this time it was a question for me and not for that guy earlier. 

     Hyunseung looked annoyed, but he answered me anyway, "No, I have a dinner date with my mom."

     I furrow my brow and ate some chips. Why is he suddenly having a dinner date with his-

     "Oh yeah! Today's your birthday!" I said with a shocked expression. Soon after I remembered another fact that I shouldn't have been able to forget, "And so is mine!" I told him next, and JS looked back at me like I was the dumbest person in the world.

     "Well happy birthday to you too Minhyuk," he still greeted. I thought it was just that, but then my always serious friend suddenly smiled, causing the hair on my skin to stand because I don't usually see him smile like that.

    I smiled back and draped my arms around him, which JS didn't mind. The two of us then headed to our building that was packed with students. I had to pull JS closer to me just so he wouldn't get caught with the crowd.

     "Shit it's Sunggyu," I heard someone say, immediately making me look at the area where everyone was looking.

     I looked around the sea of students to look for Kim Sunggyu, but someone suddenly bumped into me so hard that I accidentally let go of my bag of chips. I was about to curse at the person who wasn't even planning to apologize, but when I turned my head, I was welcomed by none other than Kim Sunggyu himself. Apparently he was the culprit who murdered my chips.

    "Watch where you're going you glutton," Sunggyu said with an angry tone, angering me even more because he was acting as if I bumped into him when in fact he bumped into me on purpose.

     I pulled my arm away from JS. I was about to grab him so I could shove his face on the chips that were already on the floor, but my best friend immediately grabbed me by the shoulder to stop me from doing anything further. 

    When Sunggyu saw that I wasn't going to fight back, he smirked and walked away, stepping on my chips while he did so.

     I stared at the chips on the floor with a sad expression, "I'm so sorry my dear chips," I mumbled to myself.

    "You okay?" JS asked, snapping me back to my senses.

    "Yeah. But someday I'm gonna beat the hell out of that guy, and I'm not letting you stop me." I declared while clenching on my fist from complete anger. 

*****

"So, how are you going to celebrate your birthday?" JS asked when he grabbed the things on my desk so he could put it inside my bag.

     I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. We just ended five lectures today and I'm worn out. Any more information and my brain will explode.

     "Well, my mom told me that I should go home directly after class because she'll be giving something to me," I answered.

     I was about to fall asleep when my dear friend suddenly slammed my bag at me. I lazily stood up from my seat and took my bag from his hand before saying, "Thanks Jang Hyunseung. You know I love you right?" I said while rubbing my eyes, but JS  just completely ignored me as he continued, "Well isn't that good? It has been a while since you and Aunty Lee bonded," he told me, and the two of us walked out of the room.

    Since both of us had appointments that night, the two of us decided to just head home.

     "So, see you tomorrow?" I asked JS while he was unlocking the chains off his bike.

     "Yeah, see you tomorrow," he simply answered.

      Without waiting for him anymore, I went the opposite direction from where Hyunseung goes to. But when I passed by the gate, I suddenly saw the guy who asked about JS earlier. He must have been waiting for me because when he saw me, he ran to where I was and asked, " Did you ask him?"

     I didn't stop walking and just patted his shoulder to comfort him, "Give up man. He's not worth it."

     The guy looked so confused, but I was already walking away from him so he didn't have the chance to ask me about it further. 

     The campus is a ten-minute walk away from my house, which is super convenient. But other than being close to my house, we're also near a community park. It's the perfect place for me to exercise. 

     While I was walking past the park, I stopped when I suddenly saw a guy sleeping on one of the benches. I wanted to ignore him but my conscience was bugging me. It was getting late and I didn't want to see in the news that a guy got murdered near our park. So I went closer to see who the guy was.

     As I was only a few steps away from him, a tall scary-looking guy suddenly arrived and woke him up. It looked like they were friends so I didn't bother them anymore and just left.

    When I got home, I directly went to the dining room to see my mother placing plates on the table while wearing an apron.

     "Hey mom." I greeted.

     "Oh Minhyuk, just in time. I finished preparing our dinner," she said as she removed her apron.

     I went to the dining table and sat down. The table was filled with food. There were tons of meat and side dishes. My mouth was already watering just by seeing it.

     "This looks delicious. Thank you mom." I said as I took my chopstick, and mom grabbed a bottle of soju from the fridge and sat opposite to me.

     "Then let's eat," she happily said.

     I thanked her for the food again and we started eating. Mom kept on asking me about how my day was and I did the same to her.  After dinner she brought out a cake, and I blew out the candle as if I was a kid again. 

    As usual, I ate the entire cake all by myself while my mom cleared the table. It was crazy how I still wasn't full even after eating all that. This was my problem ever since I was a kid. I never felt full, so I ate and ate until my body couldn't cope up. I think mom even brought me to the hospital once because of it. That also became a reason why I started exercising. If I don't lose the fat from all the food that I eat, I'll end up getting sick without me knowing.

    "I have a gift for you son." My mom suddenly told me after clearing the table.

     I thought it was another box of cake, but my mom placed a small old-looking box on the table instead. I examined the box without touching it. Who knows, that box might be cursed.

     "You can open the box after our talk," she suddenly said with a serious expression.

     I stopped her from saying anything further as I ran to the kitchen cabinet to grab a bag of chips. When I went back, mom sighed upon seeing the chips, but I ignored her and sat back down. I opened the chips and started eating, and then I told her to continue.

     Mom took a deep breath and finally said, "What do you want to know about your father?" 

     The question was so sudden that I almost choked on my chips. Mom grabbed a pitcher of water and poured it in my glass. I drank the water and looked back at her, "Are you serious?"

     "Yes. Now what do you want to know?" She told me.

     "W-Well I don't know! How about...where the hell is he?" I asked, and mom suddenly grabbed my hand and answered, "In hell."

     The answer was so random that I couldn't even laugh. Mom might have seen my confused expression so she explained further, "He's in hell because...he's Beelzebub."

     "Beelzebub? The anime?" I joked, but my mom didn't look impressed at all.

     "No son, I mean THE Beelzebub. The ruler of the realm glutton", my mom tried to explain again, and this time, I choked on air.

     "Son are you okay?" my mom asked as she poured water on my glass again. I quickly drank the water, making me breathe properly. Then I look at my mother and said, "Mom, are you serious right now? Are you telling me that my father's a...demon?!" I shouted from complete shock. Repeating it myself sounded even crazier.

     "Yes son, he is one of the Seven Deadly Demons of hell," she calmly answered.

    I covered my mouth from shock. She's fucking serious.

     "Mom, maybe you drank too much soju?" I asked her, and mom looked angry now.

     "I am serious Lee Minhyuk. I know it's hard to believe, but your father really is a powerful demon, and you gotta accept that." My mom desperately tried to explain, but it was still too crazy for me to comprehend.

     "And gula, he's a guardian that your father sent to protect us. He's been watching us through him." Mom added, and I covered my mouth again before saying, "Even Gula? He's a demon too?"

    I grabbed a handful of chips to relieve my growing stress. I remembered Gula just staring at me whenever I'm in my room. It's creepier now since mom said my father uses him to watch over us. 

     I then remembered everything that I do in my room.

     I choked again.

     "Can you please stop eating that!" Mom said with an annoyed expression, now grabbing the chips from my hand so I could stop chocking on them.

     "I know you're confuse right now." She said while pouring water on my glass again.

     "Nope, not at all," I sarcastically answered. But mom ignored my remark and pushed the old box closer to me.

     "Open it. Maybe it can help you understand," she told me, so I did open it. Inside the box was a ring and a letter. I took the letter out first and closed the box.

Happy 18th Birthday Minhyuk.

At the time you read this, your mom had already told you about who I really am. You don't have to act stubborn because she's telling you the truth.

I am one of the Seven Deadly Demons in hell, which means you're a half-demon child. I am sorry if I left you and your mom alone. I never intended to do that but I had no choice. If I stay with you and your mother, your safety will be questioned.

I know growing up was hard for you because you always have the urge to eat an insane amount of food portions, which caused you to a lot of problems. But now that you have reached 18, you will experience an even greater threat besides this uncontrollable habit of yours.

That is why I suggest you wear the ring. The ring will help you control your habit and suppress your other unknown abilities. And it will also unleash a weapon, a weapon that only you can wield.

You might be wondering why I am telling you this now. The reason is because someone is after you. Our kinds archenemies, the archangels. These archangels are just like you. They are human-angels. They are creations of god, and they are here on earth to kill and destroy you.

You alone can't kill them. There are six more like you, they are also sons of the Seven Deadly Demons. The ring will also help you look for them; it will light up when someone like you is near. Unite with them and fight the Archangels. I know I can count on you. 

Please be strong, and may the King of Hell be with you, and your spirit.

- Beelzebub.

     When I reached the end of the letter, everything my mom told me earlier started sinking in. But it was honestly still so hard to believe.

     "You should go to your room and think about it more," my mom suggested.

      I nodded and went to my room with the box at hand. Once inside my room, I saw Gula running on his wheel. I approach him and place the box beside his cage.

     "Hey, Beelzebub...dad...demon father," I tried to say, making me aggressively scratch my head in frustration because of how crazy this all was. Even calling him is hard.

     I sighed and calmed myself down before continuing, "Mom said you could see me through Gula. I know you love us and you never intended to leave us, but I still can't believe that you're a demon. It's hard to believe, but I'll try to believe it. I'll try to protect mom from these archangels and I'll also try to look for the others too."

    Gula looked at me while he wrinkled his nose, making me chuckle on how stupid I look.

    "I can't believe I just talked to my pet hamster."

     I look back at the box and opened it once again, but this time I took the ring out. If you look closely, the ring looks like it's ready to implant a curse on you since it was shaped like a mouth.

     "If I wear you, will you help me understand?" I asked out loud, and then the ring suddenly lit up. It was almost like it actually answered me.

     "Well I won't die right?" I asked next. And without any hesitation, I wore the ring. And as I wore it, everything went black, and I slowly fell on the floor.

- END -