By the time Hak, Yona and Soo-Won arrived, Jae-ha and Kija had put their clothes back on and were waiting for them in the living room. They hadn't had time to talk about the previous night, but decided it would be best to leave that for later - right now, there were more urgent matters to worry about. As soon as Hak entered the room, he threw Jae-ha a knowing look, which proved Yona had told him about what had happened at the club; even if he knew, however, he didn't mention anything about it when he began to speak.

"We've been following Hiyou for weeks," Hak said, "And we're not any closer to finding Kumji's hiding place then we were on the first day. We could keep following him for even longer, but as Soo-Won said and Yona and I agreed, we'll be wasting our time if we keep this up."

Jae-ha and Kija had to admit they were right. As much as they tried, the amount of information they'd been getting was limited, none of it enough to allow them to make a move against Kumji. Seeing that they were willing to listen, Soo-Won took a step forward, explaining what his plan consisted of. The more he talked, the more Jae-ha tensed, until finally he couldn't keep quiet anymore.

"You mean you want to use Kija as bait!?" he exploded, his hands closing into fists on his lap. Next to him, Kija fidgeted, his eyes going from Jae-ha to Soo-Won, who seemed unfazed by this negative reaction.

"That's a harsh way to put it," he said, "But yes. If he gets purposefully captured while pretending to be one of Kumji's men, they might take him to their leader to ask instructions on what to do. It's the only option we haven't explored yet. We will be following Kija from a distance, so we can interfere if anything happens."

"This is not a plan, this is suicide," Jae-ha protested.

"I know it sounds crazy, and I wish we could think of another way, Jae-ha," Yona said. She bit her lips, her eyes pleading for him to understand. "But this is our best chance."

Before Jae-ha could speak again, Hak added, "What does Kija think? Since he would be the one at risk, we should hear it from him."

They all turned to the demon, who had been quiet until then. He didn't look at Jae-ha when he spoke, but his eyes burned with that same determination he'd showed when he'd first offered to help them on their mission. "I'll do it."

"What?" Jae-ha turned to him, but when their gazes met, Kija's face was serious. Jae-ha could tell from his stance that he had no intention of backing down. "You're all forgetting something. What if they just decide to kill him on the spot?"

"That's why I said we'd interfere if anything like that should happen," Soo-Won said. "We'll be prepared to attack at any sign of a problem."

Jae-ha looked around the room. He knew they'd all been frustrated with the lack of progress in their investigation, and knowing that Kumji's men were free to act while they stood still bothered him as well. However, he didn't like the idea of putting Kija's life on the line in order to get what they wanted.

"Jae-ha," Kija said, his voice low as he reached to take his hands in his. Ignoring the others, he ran his thumb over the back of Jae-ha's hand, bringing his forehead to rest against the angel's. "I want to do this. If it'll help us end this thing, I want to do it."

Jae-ha closed his eyes and sighed, knowing he was fighting a lost battle.

"Fine," he agreed. He turned to look at Soo-Won, reluctance clear in his voice when he said, "What's the rest of your plan?"

Even while Soo-Won explained the last details and they discussed how things would go, Jae-ha refused to let go of Kija's hand. He could feel the other tightening his hold every now and then, a silent message that assured him everything would be fine. Jae-ha wished he could believe that so easily.

By the time every part of their plan was settled and Hak, Soo-Won and Yona left, it was already dark. Without a word, Jae-ha got up and opened the doors to the balcony, feeling the cold air hit him as he stepped outside. He leaned his arms on the railing, hearing more than seeing as Kija came up to stand beside him.

"So many things could go wrong," Jae-ha said, unable to hide the worry in his voice.

"I know. But it could work, and we'll have a chance to get rid of Kumji." Kija paused, hanging his head forward so the strands of hair covered his face. "I'm willing to bet my life on a chance like that."

Jae-ha lost his patience then, pulling Kija's arm so he could look at him.

"Well, have you ever thought that maybe I'm not?" he hissed. There were too many conflicting feelings inside of him - happiness from the way his relationship with Kija had changed over the night; anger at him for risking his life without a second thought, fear of losing him when they finally put the plan in motion the following day.

Kija stared at Jae-ha with wide eyes. "Jae-ha, what's going on?"

Jae-ha let out a short laugh, putting his arms around Kija and holding him close, nuzzling his hair. "You're so clueless, even now," he said. "Do you think last night meant nothing to me?"

He could feel Kija's body tense and then relax, his hands fisting around Jae-ha's shirt as he leaned back far enough to look at him. His eyes searched Jae-ha's face, reflecting the same turmoil that plagued the other's mind.

"I don't want to lose you," Jae-ha admitted. Kija's lips parted in surprise and Jae-ha took the opportunity to capture them in a kiss. It was short and sweet, unlike the ones they'd shared the previous night; it held the words they had yet to share at a more appropriate time.

"You won't lose me," Kija said when they separated.

Jae-ha smiled, doing his best to believe his words and leave his own worries aside. "Will you stay again tonight?" he asked.

Kija didn't hesitate before nodding. "I have to go get some clothes at my place, though."

"I'll have dinner ready when you get back."

It was Kija's turn to smile then. He gave Jae-ha one last kiss before allowing his demon form to show, leaping from the balcony to the nearest rooftop. Jae-ha watched as he disappeared against the darkness, thinking about how he'd once told Yona he only helped people experience love. Maybe that had been a lie; he couldn't claim the warm feeling on his chest was something he'd ever known before.

Once Kija was completely out of view, Jae-ha went back inside. However, he had barely stepped into the living room when his phone rang, Unknown Number flashing on the screen.

"Hello?" Jae-ha picked up, expecting it to be someone calling by mistake. The voice on the other end, however, was one he knew, and Jae-ha's eyes widened as he listened to what they had to say.

The slums were a place where its inhabitants preferred to stay in the darkness, so the dirty streets were empty as Kija walked through them at the crack of dawn. To the unsuspecting eye, he was alone; every once a while, however, someone paying close attention might notice the shadows that moved inside the buildings, silently watching as they followed Kija's movements.

To say Jae-ha was nervous would be an understatement. He was used to battles, but this was nothing compared to being in the middle of the action, where the only thing he had to worry about was to kill his enemy before he killed him. His muscles were tense as he jumped from one construction to another, his eyes alert to any presence other than that of his own companions.

It took a while, but eventually Kija found a boy no older than fifteen hiding among the shadows of an alley. With a few words and some money, he handed a piece of paper to the kid, who took off running immediately in the direction Kija pointed. Now, it was a matter of time before Hiyou got their message about a requested meeting.

They had chosen the warehouse Jae-ha and Kija had followed him to the first time for several reasons. It was the most common place used by Kumji's men, so it wouldn't be enough to set off any suspicions that might keep Hiyou from appearing, and even though the wide space surrounding it made it difficult for them to find a place to hide, the same could be said about the guards that always accompanied the weapons seller.

As he waited, Kija took on his demon form, letting his nails turn into claws and his eyes turn red. Jae-ha tensed as he heard footsteps approaching the place he was hidden; soon, Hiyou came into view, a sneer on his face as he eyed Kija up and down.

"You're on time," the angel said, "Kumji is finally learning some manners."

"You're quite pretty," he continued, stopping a few feet away from Kija. The demon still hadn't moved, his face set in stone as he refused to break Hiyou's defying gaze. "A bit different from most of Kumji's men. He usually sends the brutes."

"I'm not like most of his men," Kija answered. "The ones you've dealt with so far are nothing more than his disposable puppets. Weak."

"Oh, you've got spirit," Hiyou laughed. "What does Kumji want this time, then, that the weaklings can't handle?"

Kija extended another piece of paper. This was the critical point of the plain, because they'd forged the note to be slightly different from Kumji's usual methods. It was not enough to be seen as an obvious trap, its only purpose to alert Hiyou to the fact that Kija was an impostor. Knowing what came next, Jae-ha felt his legs twitch with the effort to stay still when all he wanted to do was grab Kija and run away from there.

"I see," Hiyou said, running his eyes over the note. He then crushed it in his palm, his features twisting into anger as he screamed, "You and your friends' pathetic attempt at fooling me is sickening. Men!"

In a second, the doors to the warehouse burst open and several guards ran out, grabbing hold of Kija. At the same moment, however, Jae-ha felt hands taking hold of him, forcefully pulling him from his hiding place. He struggled, twisting enough to get rid of their hold, kicking the nearest man in the face before more of them appeared. Jae-ha was skilled, but not even he could win against such a great number of opponents. He was full of bruises by the time he was brought to where Hiyou waited and forced to his knees, the same being done with Hak and Yona. Jae-ha could see the desperation in Kija's eyes as he fought against his captors, but one of them summoned a heavenly dagger, holding the blade close to his throat.

"I'd stay quiet if I were you, demon," Hiyou warned. "Or your companions will pay the price." He motioned for his guards to pull them all up, giving his back to them as he walked towards a different street from the one he'd come. "I hate people who treat me like an idiot. I'd have you all killed, but Kumji's already given me a large sum not to do it, so I'll have to let it slide for now. You wanted to find out where he's hiding? Well, congratulations. You'll be meeting him soon."

Even though he could barely move his head, Jae-ha's eyes scanned the area, but Soo-Won was nowhere to be found. He, Hak, Yona and Kija were forced to walk along with Hiyou's men as they moved further away from the warehouse, deeper into the poorest part of the city. Finally, they were led into an abandoned building and down steep stairs that looked like they could crumble at any moment, arriving at what once used to be the place's underground garage.

The space had been altered to serve as something like a base of operations; long tables where demons worked making the handles that allowed them to hold the heavenly weapons were lined up on the right side, while a training area had been cleared at the back. Maps covered the walls, some of them with huge Xs drawn in red. As soon as Hiyou arrived, the demons that swarmed the place turned their heads towards him and angry whispers filled the air. Ignoring them, the weapons seller marched towards a room that had been created on the left side of the garage, its concrete walls making it look like a bunker.

Before Hiyou could knock, the door opened to reveal a large man, his rough features twisted with scorn as he looked at the group, motioning for some of his own men to take the place of Hiyou's in holding them captive.

"They're all yours, Kumji," Hiyou said, leaving without another word.

"Well now, what do we have here? Aren't you a demon?" Kumji said, pulling Kija's head back so he could take a look at his face. Jae-ha struggled against his captors, hating to see that man touching Kija with his filthy hands. Kumji turned to him, understanding dawning on him. "Oh, I see." He let go of Kija. "You're an interesting bunch, thinking you could trick me. I wonder what you planned to do when you got here, though. Were you going to take on all my men on your own?" Kumji laughed. "Well, but it seems not all of you are idiots, at least."

"What are you talking about?" Yona asked. Her voice was a pitch higher than usual, but her eyes burned with hatred when she stared at Kumji. When he got closer, reaching his hand towards her hair, she spit on his face, and he backed away a few steps.

"You little..." he slapped her, and this time it was Hak that had to be restrained. "I have a nice surprise for you, girl. Bring them inside," he said to his men, entering the room as they followed.

Jae-ha heard Hak's sharp intake of breath and Yona's cry ahead of him. When they moved and his vision of the place cleared, he saw that, on the corner of the room, stood Soo-Won, his arms crossed as he observed them being carried inside.

"Soo-Won?" Yona's voice was barely audible as she stared at him, but his eyes were cold when he looked at her. "What are you doing here?"

"Soo-Won, explain this," Hak growled.

"I thought it would be obvious," Kumji laughed, obviously enjoying the situation. "Your dear boyfriend here - should I say ex-boyfriend? - told me all about your little plan."

"What?" Yona asked in disbelief. Both she and Hak waited for Soo-Won to deny Kumji's words, but when he stepped forward, his face had the same expressionless mask as before.

"Do you remember how I said the villagers don't give out their location easily?" he said. "All these years pretending to be your boyfriend were difficult, but it was necessary. In order for me to have the slightest chance at contacting them, they had to be convinced that I wasn't a foe, and what better way to do that than to be in a relationship with other fallen angels?"

Yona seemed to crumble with every word that left Soo-Won's mouth, tears streaming freely down her face. Next to her, Hak's entire body shook with barely contained anger, and Jae-ha was shocked to see that even Kija was growling, struggling to reach Soo-Won with his claws. Jae-ha gritted his teeth, his eyes going from Kumji to his men, trying to think of the best way to break free.

"Even when I found out the location, I still had a problem. I couldn't take them out on my own. They might be a small village, but it's well protected against even the strongest enemies." Soo-Won looked at Kumji, who couldn't keep his eyes off the despairing group in front of him. "With his men, we can beat their forces."

"Why wait?" Hak asked. "We found out about Kumji weeks ago. Why wait until now?"

This time, Kumji was the one to answer, his expression turning into one of disgust, "Those vermin think they can rebel against the natural ways of the world without consequences. They are proud of their secrecy, their defenses. How fun would it be if they found out they were the ones responsible for letting the enemy into their homes?" Kumji laughed. "If, say, they were preparing to welcome a demon and his angel companions, happy to lower their security waiting for them to arrive, only to be crushed like insects by my army?"

"Kumji." Soo-Won interrupted. "Our deal."

"Right, go ahead. This will be fun to see."

Kumji took a step back, allowing Soo-Won to move until he was in front of Hak.

"Bastard," Hak hissed as Soo-Won's eyes turned red.

"I only did what I had to do," he said, preparing to slash Hak's neck.

The next moment, they heard a commotion outside the door, the sound of screams and fighting reaching their ears. Soo-Won's claws cut through the air and Yona screamed, but instead of Hak, it was the man who had been holding him that fell to the floor, his head rolling away from his body. Jae-ha, taking advantage of the distraction, kicked his captor in the knees, turning around and summoning his dagger to pierce it through his heart as he dodged another guard's claws.

Chaos erupted in the room. Jae-ha had no time to see how Hak and Yona were doing; his eyes were on Kija, who had just finished killing his own guards and had turned towards Soo-Won, his teeth bared as he went to attack.

"Kija!" Jae-ha screamed, slashing at anyone who came close to him with his dagger as he ran to grab the demon's arm before he could strike. "Kija, don't."

Kija turned to him, and Jae-ha hated the look of betrayal that ran across his features. "Trust me," he pleaded, hoping Kija would listen.

In a sudden movement, Kija turned around and Jae-ha saw his claws flash next to his face. He waited for the pain, but there was only a thump as the man who had been about to attack him from behind fell down. He stared dumbfounded at Kija, who nodded, and Jae-ha smiled even as he twisted to finish the man off with his weapon.

By the time all the guards were dead, Kumji was on his knees, being held down by Soo-Won as Yona held a golden knife to his throat.

"Traitor," Kumji growled at the demon above him, but before he could say anything else his body crumbled, Yona's knife stuck deeply in his throat.

For a moment, they all stood in silence. Jae-ha could see Hak, Yona and Kija's confused faces, but the noise coming from outside reminded him that there was no time to waste.

"We'll explain later," he said, bursting out of the room into the garage.

The place had become a battlefield. Fallen angels hovered above, shooting arrows made of heavenly steel at Kumji's men. Others were on the ground, fighting with swords and daggers, and then there were the demons - not the ones they had seen when they'd arrived, but demons wearing armors such as those that only existed in movies nowadays, fighting off the heavenly weapons wielded by the enemies of their own kind.

Jae-ha's group joined the fight, though as soon as news of Kumji's death spread through the chaos, the few resisting demons left were easy to defeat. Soon, silence settled over the place, and Jae-ha could finally stop to look around at the scene that surrounded him.

Both the armored demons and the fallen angels grouped in the middle of the room, two figures detaching themselves from them to walk towards where Jae-ha stood with Kija, Hak, Yona and Soo-Won. One of them was an angel, his wings spreading wide behind him, their blackness a stark contrast against his white skin and blue hair. Next to him, there was a small demon. He took off his helmet, releasing a mane of yellow hair, a bright smile on his face as he approached them.

"Hello," he said, his eyes falling on Jae-ha and Soo-Won. "You were the ones that went to us last night, right? Zeno wasn't there, so he didn't get a chance to see you. Nice to meet you all!" Zeno shook their hands one by one. "This is Shin-ah." He pointed to the fallen angel, who simply nodded.

Jae-ha could feel Hak, Yona and Kija's astonished stares on the back of his head as he said, "Nice to meet you, Zeno. I'm Jae-ha."

"I'm Soo-Won," the demon introduced himself, pointing to the rest of them and announcing their names.

"What is going on?" Kija asked.

"It was all part of the plan," Jae-ha said.

"What? If it was part of the plan, then why didn't we know anything about it?"

"Because Kumji had to fall for it," Soo-Won explained. "Your reactions to my supposed betrayal had to be convincing, or he would've realized I was lying. Especially your reactions." His eyes fell on Hak and Yona as he took a step towards them. "I'm sorry."

Yona shook her head, unable to speak as she threw herself into Soo-Won's arms. He held her tightly, closing his eyes for a moment before looking at Hak.

"Bastard," Hak said, but this time there was affection on his voice as he ran his fingers through Soo-Won's hair and pressed a kiss to his lips. "You always want to do things on your own."

Soo-Won laughed. Jae-ha had been distracted watching them, but Kija turned his attention to him by grabbing his arm.

"How did you know?"

"That would be because of us," Zeno piped in. Jae-ha was startled; they'd been so quiet watching that he'd almost forgotten about him and Shin-ah. "You see, we can't let just anyone go to our village. Soo-Won had contacted us, but if he'd come alone, we might still have thought he was lying. But he brought his friend along, so when they both explained things we decided to help!"

"We have to thank y-" Jae-ha began, but Kija interrupted him.

"Wait, when exactly did you go? He said last night, right?"

Jae-ha swallowed, carefully avoiding Kija's eyes.

"Well, you have a deep sleep. And I was back before you woke up."

"You…" Kija was speechless. Jae-ha pulled him into a hug, ruffling his hair even as Kija struggled. "Let me go, you…"

"I'll make it up to you," Jae-ha said. He felt lighter now that things were finally over and he could feel Kija safe in his arms again. Even knowing about Soo-Won's true plan, he'd almost panicked several times, afraid Kumji would figure things out or the villagers' help wouldn't arrive.

Kija humphed but relaxed against Jae-ha's hold, his voice muffled by the angel's shirt when he spoke.

"Don't ever scare me like that again."

"You guys are so adorable!" Zeno exclaimed, making Kija blush.

"Thank you, Zeno, Shin-ah" Soo-Won said, untangling himself from Hak and Yona.

"No need to thank us!" Zeno said. He was practically bouncing on his feet. "Our village is a safe place for people like you."

"You'll be… welcome… if you want to come live with us." Shin-ah spoke for the first time, and Zeno nodded.

"There's always room for more people!"

Jae-ha felt Kija's hold on him tighten. When he looked down, he saw he was staring wistfully past Zeno and Shin-ah, at where the rest of the villagers were gathered. It was probably a reminder of his own village, and Jae-ha wondered if he longed for a place like that again.

"Well, Zeno has to leave now. You know how to contact us if you decide to come," Zeno waved goodbye, and he and Shin-ah went back to the rest of their group.

"Soo-Won," Yona asked as soon as they left the building, the morning sun a blessing after such a long time underground. "How did you convince Kumji you were on his side?"

"I said I'd tell him the location of the village."

"What? You told him?"

"I convinced him I'd tell him when I'd gotten their defenses down. Otherwise, word might spread that an attack was being planned and they could move to a different place." Soo-Won looked towards the sky, raising his hand to shield his eyes against the sunlight. "Of course, I never planned to actually tell him."

Exhausted from the battle, and now that everything had been cleared up, Jae-ha and Kija left to Jae-ha's apartment, while Hak, Yona and Soo-Won went home as well. They were all relieved that things had been solved; Jae-ha felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. One thing that remained in his mind, however, was Zeno and Shin-ah's offer, and the look on Kija's face as he stared at the villagers.

Later, he came out of the shower only to find that Kija wasn't in the bedroom where he'd left him. Searching through the apartment, eventually Jae-ha found him on the balcony, his eyes closed against the soft breeze.

Jae-ha put his arms around Kija's waist, pulling him against his chest and pushing his hair to the side to plant a kiss on his neck.

"What do we do now?" he asked.

"What do you want to do?"

Jae-ha looked ahead, thinking of how he'd lived his life until now. There were things that were part of him, and those couldn't be changed. However, now that Kija was by his side, there were other, more important things to consider.

"I don't like staying in one place for long," he said, measuring his words so Kija wouldn't misunderstand. "But I don't want to leave you."

Kija stayed quiet, and Jae-ha thought he was angry at him until he finally spoke.

"I missed having a home." He turned towards Jae-ha, raising his hand to his cheek. "Wherever you want to go, I'll go with you."

"Didn't you just say… Don't you want to go to the village?"

"It'd be nice, maybe, to stay there for a while. Have a place to come back to. But I said I missed having a home, Jae-ha. I don't anymore, and I don't need the village for that." Kija place his lips upon Jae-ha's, speaking against his mouth as he placed his hand over Jae-ha's heart. "I have one right here."