IT WAS ALREADY MIDNIGHT, but the Demons still practiced for the contest. Minhyuk taught them the steps one by one. It was good as perfect, especially if Jackson would already join them.

     "Let's call it a night," Sunggyu said, panting heavily after their intense practice. They've never felt exhausted in their life, which is crazy since they've already gone through extreme training sessions with their guardian Kharon.

     "Yeah, that's a good idea," Taeil said as he lies down and breathed heavily.

     The Demons lied down and immediately fell asleep, but just in time, Jackson woke up. He took a deep breath and stood up from the sofa, only to see his brothers all tired and unconscious. So instead of waking them up, he walked through the tired bodies and went to Tamo's table. On the computer, he saw the folder of the CCTV footage, so he watched it once again.

     While watching, Hyunseung slowly sat up, "Jackson?" he called out as he rubbed his eyes.

     "Oh sorry, did I wake you?" Jackson asked as he looked at Hyunseung. Hyunseung stood up, stretched his arms, and went towards Jackson.

     "You need to rest. You've never had a chance to sleep," Jackson said with a concerned tone in his voice.

     "It's okay, I can rest from time to time like Taeil," Hyunseung stated as he looked at Taeil who was snoring, making the two Demons chuckled.

     "So what are you doing?" Hyunseung asked as he looked at the monitor.

     "You're watching it again?" he added when he saw the CCTV footage.

     "It's just that I need to know what I did so that I will know how I will flirt with her again," Jackson said while staring at the monitor. And then, the footage shows the smile that Hyunseung rarely sees.

     "That's the smile that you only give to Mark, isn't it?" Hyunseung pointed out, and Jackson sighed and answered, "Yeah, but not anymore."

     Hyunseung looked at Jackson and immediately turned off the monitor.

     "Hey! Why did you do that for?" Jackson asked, but Hyunseung just pulled Jackson out from the chair and said, "Lets drink."

     Jackson didn't have time to give a reply because Hyunseung was already walking out. Jackson looked at his sleeping brothers and sighed, then he followed Hyunseung outside the office. When Hyunseung saw Jackson behind him, he smiled widely, "I thought you were going to bail on me." He said as they were standing outside the Raven's headquarters.

     Jackson smiled back and draped his arms around his brother, "I don't bail on people. So come on, what do you want to drink?"

*****

Hyunseung and Jackson arrived at a nearby pub that didn't have a lot of people. But even though there wasn't a large crowd, the two demons were already catching everyone's attention thanks to their strong presence.

     "What would you like to drink?" the bartender asked when he saw Hyunseung and Jackson enter. Hyunseung doesn't even say anything and only smiled at the bartender. Just by that, the male bartender blushes and pulls his tightening pants down a little.

     Jackson saw what happened and just rolled his eyes. Then the bartender quickly cleared his throat and asked again, "W-What would you two like?"

     "Saki please," Hyunseung requested, and the bartender immediately nodded his head and went to get what Hyunseung asked for.

     "Why did you bring me here?" Jackson asked as he looked at the place.

     "Nothing really. I just wanted to drink, and apparently, you're the only one available to accompany me." Hyunseung explained. Then the bartender arrived and placed two shot glass and the saki in front of them.

     "Arigato," Hyunseung stated.

     "If you need anything else, just ask." The bartender said as he gave Hyunseung a flirty smile, and Hyunseung returned the smile before the bartender could leave to attend the other customers.

     "How can you naturally do that?" Jackson asked as he looked at Hyunseung who was pouring their shot glass with saki.

     "Do what?" Hyunseung asked as he placed the saki back on the table.

     "You flirt naturally with people even though you have a lover," Jackson explained. Hyunseung took the shot glass, gave the other one to Jackson, and said instead, "Cheers!" Jackson just nodded and both drank their drink.

     "Wow, that was smooth," Jackson said as he placed the glass on the table, and Hyunseung nodded in agreement.

     "Remember what I told you at the mall?" Hyunseung asked as he poured Jackson another glass.

     "Kind of, why?" Jackson said as he drank his drink.

     "Well from the start of this 'mission' you've been, I don't know, down in the slumps?" Hyunseung said and he drank his drink before adding, "What's really on your mind?"

     Jackson looked at his empty glass, then he looked at the people inside the pub before looking back at Hyunseung, "It's just that this plan is really messing up my mind, and I don't want to let you guys down because you guys did your plan on your mission without any second thought," Jackson answered.

     "Why? Because it involves you flirting with the Sinner? Or because it feels like you're betraying Mark for the sake of the mission?" Hyunseung asked.

     "Both," Jackson answered, resting his head on the table in defeat. Hyunseung just stared at his brother and poured him another glass.

     "Does it really bother you that much?" Hyunseung asked.

     Jackson quickly lifts his head and looks at Hyunseung seriously, "It does! I mean, before we went to this mission, me and Mark were in conflict, and doing this plan is more than enough for Mark to hate me." Jackson said, and Hyunseung just looked at him with a playful grin, and this made Jackson embarrassed.

     "It's the same with me, Suho and Taeil you know." Hyunseung said, and then he drank his drink in one go and continued, "This is just a mission. We're doing this for everyone, including Mark. If he truly loves you like how you love him, then he will understand."

     "I don't know man. I mean I don't even remember when I became so attached to Mark. And besides you and the others, Mark is one of the few people that is occupying my head right now," Jackson said as he drank his drink in one go. Then he called the bartender and said "Another bottle please."

     When the bartender took the empty saki bottle, Hyunseung looked back at Jackson, "You should separate your private life to your Demon life you know." Hyunseung said as he drank his drink and waited for the new bottle of saki.

     Jackson didn't say anything and just sighed.

     Hyunseung saw how troubled his brother was and thought of a way for Jackson to feel at ease in doing his mission. Then Hyunseung suddenly thought of something when the bartender arrived to give them the new bottle of saki. Before the bartender could leave, Hyunseung called for him.

     "Is there something wrong?" the bartender asked, and Hyunseung shook his head and smiled in a flirtatious way. "No, I just wanted to ask you something. What's your name by the way?" Hyunseung asked.

     "Matsumoto." The bartender answered.

     "Matsumoto? Well, I'm Hyunseung, and this is my friend Jackson. We're tourists from Korea," Hyunseung introduced, making the bartender look at Jackson to smile at him as well.

     "So what can I do for you two fine gentlemen?" the bartender asked.

     "Nothing really. I just wanted to ask you something else. If that's okay?" Hyunseung asked, and the bartender nodded as an answer.

     "Do you have a girlfriend or a boyfriend?" Hyunseung suddenly asked, surprising not just the bartender, but Jackson as well. Jackson quickly looked back at Jackson and said, "You don't have to ask something so private JS." But Hyunseung just ignored his brother and continued to look at the bartender with a smile, "Don't worry, we won't judge." Hyunseung pushed the bartender into talking.

     The bartender didn't look that fazed anymore. He cleared his throat and answered, "I have a boyfriend." The bartender said rather shyly, and Hyunseung just his head and said, "No need to be shy, we also have boyfriends."

     Jackson just groaned audibly and asked, "JS, is this really necessary?"

     Hyunseung ignored his brother again and continued, "You're a bartender right?"

     Matsumoto - the bartender - nodded his head, and Hyunseung continued, "It's only natural for a bartender to flirt a little with their customers right? Then how do you do?" Hyunseung asked, finally making Jackson interested in where this conversation was heading.

     "Hmm..." the bartender hummed while he wiped the table with a dry cloth that he was holding. Then he placed the towel below the barstool and answered Hyunseung's question, "I think just the normal kind of flirting."

     "And that is?" Hyunseung asked, urging the bartender to explain it more.

     "Well, like telling them they look pretty or beautiful, or they look good. Something casual like that." Matsumoto explained further as he refilled the glasses of the two Demons.

     "Then how do you flirt with your lover?" Hyunseung asked, and Jackson waited for the bartender to answer.

     "Well, I don't flirt with my lover," Matsumoto answered, and Jackson raised an eyebrow in confusion.

     "I mean, why flirt with the person you love right?" Matsumoto stated, then he seriously looked at the two and added, "Flirting is something playful. It's not really with feelings. It's more with desire. So with your lover, flirting isn't applicable, because sincerity is what they need."

     Hyunseung smiled, agreeing to him one hundred percent.

     "And besides, this is my job. My lover knows what I do. I flirt for the sake of my job, but he knows that my seriousness and feelings are only for him, not for my customers." The bartender added.

     "Thank you, Matsumoto," Hyunseung stated, then Jackson nodded his head and smiled too, now understanding what Hyunseung was trying to tell him earlier.

     "So..." Matsumoto started, then he gestured at the empty bottle and asked, "Do you want another bottle?"

     "No, it's okay. We'll ask for the bill." Hyunseung answered, and the bartender nodded and left to take their bill.

     "Do you understand it now?" Hyunseung asked as he looked at Jackson.

     "Yeah, thanks Hyunseung. I owe you one." Jackson said as he smiled at his brother. Hyunseung smiled back and patted Jackson's back. And when the bill came, Hyunseung grinned and pointed at it, "We'll, since you owe me, why not pay for the bill."

      Jackson couldn't help but laugh as he nodded his head and took out his wallet, "You really are a demon."

     After paying for their drink, Jackson and Hyunseung went out of the pub just to realize that the sun was already rising.

     "Whoa, it's already morning," Hyunseung said as he inhaled the scent of the morning street.

     "I'm sorry for keeping you awake," Jackson stated as he stared at the people who were opening their stores and people who were about to head to work.

     "It's okay." Hyunseung answered, and then he looked at Jackson with his bloody-red eyes, "Apparently since I became a full-blooded demon, I don't really get tired or sleepy a lot." Then Hyunseung immediately changed his eyes into their normal state before anyone else could see.

     "Then let's buy our brother's breakfast." Hyunseung offered, and the two went to the 24 hours convenience store and bought a lot of food for their brothers.

     Hyunseung and Jackson arrived at the office and saw that their brothers were already awake, except for Taeil, who was still sleeping on the floor.

     "Where have the two of you been?" Sunggyu asked the moment he saw Hyunseung and Jackson.

     "We bought a breakfast," Hyunseung answered as he showed them the plastic bags filled with food. Hyunseung and Jackson went to the center and removed the food from the bag before giving everyone their share.

     "I smell bread." Taeil suddenly said as he yawned and rubbed his eyes.

     "Good morning sleepyhead," Jackson said as he offered him the bread. Taeil took the bread from Jackson's hand and ate it even though he was still half asleep.

     "So where did you go last night?" Sunggyu asked as he took another bite from his rice ball.

     "Jackson and I went out on a drink," Hyunseung answered, also eating.

     "You went on a drink and you didn't even invite us?" Minhyuk asked with his mouth full, making the crumbs fly out from his mouth.

"Damn Minhyuk, show some manners," Suho said as he wiped some of the crumbs that landed on him.

     "Sorry," Minhyuk said as he swallowed the food.

     "Well you were sleeping so I didn't bother waking you up." Hyunseung answered, then he looked at Jackson and added, "And besides, we talked about something serious."

     Hyunseung looked at Jackson, then the two brothers smiled at each other, making the brothers look at them confusingly.

     "Seeing you smile so freely is weird." Suho honestly said, and Jackson playfully sticks his tongue out, then everyone laughed.

     Sunggyu looked at his brothers and said, "Let's practice after eating. And Taeil..."

     "Yeah?" Taeil asked while drinking his iced coffee.

     "Have you signed us up in the contest?" Sunggyu asked, and Taeil shook his head and said, "Yup. So who's ready to win?" 

- END -