The cold, wet pavement was all Jin Seon-mi felt as she hit the ground, a desperate gasping "Help me" torn from her lips. She lay there, her body frozen by the spiritual assault from the house, a helplessness she hadn't felt in twenty-five years washing over her.
Then a sudden warmth enveloped her. The air was no longer thick with despair but charged with the scent of ozone and the clean, exhilarating energy of a storm. Son Oh-gong was in front of her, his presence was like a powerful shield against the malevolence of the house. He knelt, his golden eyes filled with a predatory glee as he stared at her.
"What was that?" he asked whispering "Did you just ask for my help?"
The demon from the house shrieked again, a sound of pure hatred and fear. It was being repelled by Oh-gong's power.
"I need your help", Seon-mi whispered, the words tasting of ash and defeat. "Save me from that".
He smiled, a beautiful, cruel curve of his lips. "And what will you give me in return? you know demons always want something. A soul, maybe? or a life?"
She could only stare at him, her mind racing. She had nothing to offer
"I know", he said, and with a lazy flick of his wrist, a dark pulsing orb of energy flew from his palm and slammed into the front door of the house. The demon inside shrieked a final, deafening sound and the malevolent aura that had choked the air for days vanished. The house was once again just a house.
Oh-gong stood up and extended a hand to Seon-mi. "I told you. I'm a great demon king. Your problems are nothing to me".
She took his hands and the warmth that passed between them was electric, a jolt that went straight to her heart. As he pulled her to her feet, his expression grew serious. "But that was a one-time thing. Our deal is over. Now, I'm just here for my meal".
He began to walk towards her, a slow deliberate predator's gait. The playful arrogance was gone, replaced by a cold calculating hunger. This was the moment she would be devoured.
Suddenly, a new presence arrived. Woo Ma-wang appeared between them, a look of profound frustration on his face. He was dressed in a pristine white suit, and his eyes, dark as midnight, burned with a mix of fury and relief.
"You're a fool, Oh-gong ", he spat, "You can't just eat her. There's a proper way to do this". Oh-gong hissed. "Why should I listen to you? You've failed to eat her all those years ago".
'I will let you eat me" she said in a trembling voice "But you have to grant me one wish ".
"Anything for my prey" he said, laughing mischievously.
"I have not been to a dinner date ever since my childhood, I will love to go for one then I can die happily" she replied with hatred in her voice.
"A date ?" Oh-gong asked, his voice laced with disbelief "Why would I take you on a date? You are my food, not my girlfriend ".
"Because its part of the deal", Seon-mi said, "A deal is a deal. You will grant me this wish, and after the date, you can eat me"
"Then I will leave you alone for now till your wish is granted ", Oh-gong said, turning back and left.
Seon-mi collaped to the floor, breathing a sign of relief. Left with the Devil king, Woo Ma-wang.
"I can help", he said. Seon-mi asked "how?" lifting up her sad face with the thought of ending up in the stomach of someone she trusted to protect her.
"Come to my office tomorrow morning, I will give you a solution to your problem ", Ma-wang said with a cruel smile on his face. "Will be expecting you ".
The next morning, Woo Ma-wang sat behind his grand desk, a flicker of cunning in his eyes as he looked at Seon-mi.
She stood before him, a fragile human surrounded by a world she could barely comprehend. Her life, once so quiet was now a constant, terrifying.
"I have a gift for you" Ma-wang smoothly said. He placed a small, elegant box on the table. Inside, on a bed of silk, lay a single, intricate gold bracelet. "This is the Geumganggo. It is a very special piece of jewelry ".
Seon-mi looked at it with a mixture of suspicion and awe. The bracelet was beautiful, its delicate design contains the immense power she could sense within it.
"What does it do?' she asked . Ma-wang smiled, a cold calculating look in his eyes. "It is a piece of ancient magic. When a demon is forced to wear it, they are bound to love and protect the human who put it on them. Their love for you will be so strong, so powerful that they will not be able to harm you. They will be your protector, your shield and your willing slave".
Seon-mi's heart pounced in her chest. She had been searching for a protector her entire life, a powerful being who could keep her safe from the ghosts and demons that haunted her. But this felt different. This was not a deal; it was a form of magical slavery.
"The great safe Son Oh-gong is a powerful, chaotic demon" Ma-wang explained, a subtle hint of malice in his voice. "He is the master of the heavens and earth, and he will not be controlled by a mere human. He is a monster and he will devour you if you don't find a way to bind him. This bracelet is your only hope".
He handed her the box. "Use it wisely, Samjang. And remember the love it creates is a painful, powerful thing. But it is the only thing that can save you".
Seon-mi took the box, its cold, heavy weight a testament to the terrible, beautiful power it held. She walked away from the Devil king's office, the Geumganggo in her hands, a newfound sense of hope and a profound fear of what was to come. She has a protector now, but he was a reluctant, furious monster who was about to be trapped in a cage of her own making.