When A Ghoul Falls In Love

I find a grumpy Devil lying on the bed. The door is closed and there is no sign of Devil.

Eli’s robe is a little bigger on me. I don’t understand why though. He is more slender than I am. But his robe is bigger. Is it because of his height? The guy is too tall. I wonder if Baek Joon-Woo would have grown that tall.

“He wouldn’t have,” Devil tells me with an angry voice. “Eli is a ghoul. He doesn’t even look completely like Baek Joon-Woo when he’s in his true form. Have you noticed how different his eyes, hair, skin, and hands are?”

“Why are you agitated?” I mutter under my breath as I head toward the wardrobe. Eli’s room is simple, neat, and clean. There’s only a wardrobe, a bed, a wooden couch, a table and a chair — all of them are arranged in a strange manner.

The bed is against the wall. The wardrobe is covering half of the window. So, the window can’t ever be opened. The table is next to the wardrobe with two books. I don’t know what he keeps in the drawers. As for the chair, it’s next to the door.

But his bathroom is larger than his room. There’s a small pool with a huge golden window that gives a peaceful view of the silver river and the city.

My future husband might be a little strange.

I pick up the book from the table. It’s not in English. There is not a single picture in the book. I put it back where it was.

“You should show more attention to Little Marshmallow, ” Devil complains. “He loves you so much. How could you do this to him?”

My wet hair clings on my back. The robe is slightly wet. I open the wardrobe. Everything in the wardrobe is black.

But Eli wears more colours in the human world.

I pick up the black A-line sleeveless dress with a low cut neckline. Would it fit me? I might have gained weight because Eli made me eat three times a day in the past weeks. I let out a sigh. Should I go on a diet? I want to look good when I am next to Eli on our wedding day.

“Dress will fit,” Devil comments, turning his back to me. “Change quickly.”

When did he get shy?

Just as I take off the robe, I hear the sound of footsteps. Devil jumps off the bed and hisses at the door. I pick up the robe quickly, barely able to put it on. Just then, a man enters the room.

I turn my back to him and tie the belt around my waist. “You should knock before you enter.”

The man, dressed in completely black clothes, has light brown hair, pale ghoulish skin, attractive pink eyes, and a high nose. There is a small mole near the corner of his lips.

He smiles at me. “You are human.”

I have no doubt that he’s Eli’s brother. I did not see him during dinner yesterday. “You are a ghoul.”

“I guess I am.” He glances at Devil who is glowering at him. “A spirit created out of a human soul Which idiot did this?”

“You should introduce yourself first,” Devil growls at him, “before I decide to bite a chunk out of you.”

“Scary.” The man chuckles. But he doesn’t take another step. He glances at me with a warm smile on his face. “I am Eoin Sanguine, Eli’s older brother.”

“Oh.” I relax my shoulders. “I didn’t see you last night.”

“I was away with Siouxie.” He leans against the door. I stand awkwardly under his scrutinizing gaze. After a heavy silence, he asks me, “Are you wearing that dress?”

“Yes.” Suddenly, I am highly conscious of the fabric of the dress. It’s soft, glossy, and cool to touch. “Is something wrong with it?”

“It won’t suit you.” He crosses his arms, turning his head to his left. “He’s here.”

Carrying a tray of food, Eli appears right at the time. He scowls at Eoin darkly. “Why are you here?”

“I rushed back home when I heard that you returned.” Eoin reaches for Eli’s shoulder. But Eli takes a step back with a chilling look in his eyes. Looking dejected, Eoin retracts his hand. “My brother, is she your bride?”

Eli doesn’t answer. He grips the tray so hard that his knuckles turn white. Does he hate Eoin that much?

“Are you?” Eoin gives me a measuring look. “He isn’t the type to have fun with a random human female.”

“Don’t talk to her.” Eli puts down the tray on the chair near the door while he says to him crisply, “Get out of this room before I kill you, Eoin.”

“Still the same.” Eoin peers at me. “Are you sure that you want to marry a devil who has killed countless people?”

Eli pales. He looks at me with a glint of fear. When our gazes meet, he bends down his head. His bangs overshadow his eyes, hiding the changes in his emotions. His hands are fisted.

“Hmph!” Devil grimaces at Eoin. “Are you a saint then? A bloody saint? You reek of only crap and rotten corpses.”

“What do you smell on him?” Eoin’s eyes turn darker. “If I reek of corpses, what does he reek of?”

“He is –” Devil opens his mouth to retort.

I interrupt Devil, “Are you really his brother?”

“Why do you ask?” Eoin puts his hands in his cloak pockets. “Do we look that different? We have the same father though.”

“I am still an outsider,” I say to him, “since I haven’t married Eli yet. But you are his brother. Are you supposed to badmouth your brother in front of an outsider? Stop pretending that you mean well. It’s clear as a day that people like you only like to jab at others’ wounds. I am speaking fromexperience.”

His eyes flash with rage. “What do you know? I am only warning you for your good.”

“Thanks a lot then.” I am not some naive girl. Technically, I have lived alone since my mother and my stepfather died. I know about people. “He’s six-hundred and five years older than I am. If he doesn’t have a past, I would have considered him a boring person. Even I, who have lived only for twenty-seven years, have a past. It’s not anything glorious. Now, get out of our room before I decide to punch your face.”

“Woman, you think that you can do that to me?” Eoin steps towards me, only to be blocked by Eli.

“My wife doesn’t want to see you.” He pushes Eoin out of the room. “If you ever threaten her again, I will forget that we have the same father.”

When the door closes, I notice Eoin’s hateful eyes fixed on Eli. This family might be more complicated than I have been expecting it to be.

Eli takes a few deep breaths before he turns around and finally looks at me. “I am sorry that you had to see this.”

I throw the dress back in the wardrobe and slam it close. Then, I grab the book and hurl it at him.

The damned ghoul catches the book without any difficulty and asks me cluelessly, “Do you want me to read it to you?”

I gnash my teeth. Is he dumb or he acts dumb?

“Nell, are you angry about Eoin?” He widens his eyes. His red lips quiver uneasily, waiting for my reply.

“Idiot.” Devil jumps on the bed and curls his body into a furry ball, closing his eyes. Both Eli and I know that he isn’t going to sleep.

“That’s why I told you that we don’t have to do this.” Eli walks toward me. “Let’s run away. I will kidnap a priest. We can get married in an hour and go for our honeymoon.”

I yank his hair hard. He squeezes his eyes in pain, begging me to release him, “Nell, not my hair hurts do you want me to cut them short? Please tell me what’s wrong.”

“Oi.” Devil raises his head. “This is domestic violence. Don’t ruin his hair.”

“Should I ruin yours?” I snap at Devil.

His eyes dart between me and Eli. Then, he yawns and closes his eyes again. “I like my fur.”

“Nell, my sweet addiction, at least tell me what I did wrong.” Eli cries harder when I grab his bangs with both hands. “I am sorry. Please forgive me.”

“Sorry?” I yell at him. “You don’t even know what you did wrong.”

He seizes me by my wrist, pushing me into the wardrobe. He plants a kiss on the tip of my nose, pressing his body against mine. I find myself breathing hard. My fingers loosen in his hair.

“What did I do wrong?” He whispers in my ear. “If you don’t tell me, I won’t behave.”

“…”

I am not sure about him being a devil, but this man is a wolf for sure.