VIII
Giselle

Kouji woke up early the next day to prepare breakfast for everybody. The loft was entirely too spacious for five people however the more alarming thing was that the fridge was a barren wasteland. There were hardly any actual good stocked other than drinks and yogurt that Giselle had packed for them. It took some wandering around but he managed to scrounge up some bare groceries from a convenience store just in the lobby.

"Goodmorning…" Winter yawned and stretched as she entered the kitchen.

She was the epitomy of a messy sleeper. Her silvery blonde hair was either tangled or sticking up on ends. She wore nothing but an extremely oversized hoodie that Kouji got the feeling was her sleepwear.

Winter removed her headband when she smelled the eggs. "Did…Did you make breakfast?"

"Yup," Kouji smiled and slid the scrambled eggs onto her plate. "It's not much but I figured you guys should have an actual homemade breakfast. I get the feeling you guys eat out…a lot."

Winter's mouth seemed to water as she smelled her plate. "Is this an english breakfast?"

"Sort of," said Kouji. "I hate beans so I used asparagus instead. If you guys want some Korean food instead, I'll understand."

"N-No…" said Winter. "I've never had…homemade food before."

Kouji couldn't help himself from feeling a slight amount of sympathy when he looked at Winter oogling his food. They were idols, even more then that, they were angels. It was hard to believe she had never had a homemade breakfast.

"Well…eat up," Kouji smiled. "I'll wait until the others are awake."

"I'm digging in," Winter smiled and dug right in.

Kouji didn't really let it show but it made him happy whenever people ate his food. It was the one time he felt like he was doing some good for other people. Irina and King, even his dad on the rare occasion he was able to cook for him, liked his food. Even if it was a lie…he liked making other people happy.

Soon enough, Karina, Giselle, and NingNing joined them at the kitchen island to enjoy breakfast. Everybody had just woken up but he couldn't help but admire how…amazing they looked. No makeup, their hair was a mess, yet they still retained that angelic look that a lot of people would have to go through half an hour or more to obtain.

"Seriously…" Giselle swallowed her last piece of bacon. "This is the best thing I've ever consumed."

"You should cook for us everyday," NingNing beamed with happiness.

"I'll never get used to how good your food is," Karina smiled. "This beats that lasagna out of the park."

"You made her lasagna?" asked Winter. "Was it when you went to see him back in London? That is not fair!"

"He already made dinner," Karina smirked. "Not my fault you guys didn't wanna come."

"Can you cook dinner for us?" asked NingNing. "Seriously…this is better than going out."

"I gotta go grocery shopping though," Kouji opened the fridge to a vacant scene. "We have…nothing."

"I'll go with you," said Giselle. "I've been meaning to get more snacks too."

Kouji gulped. "It's not gonna take like…hours, right? Winter told me how long you take to pick out things."

"I like certain things! Sue me!" Giselle pouted.

"You guys have fun," Karina smiled. "I gotta head out in a bit anyway. I have a meeting with Lord Azazel and Lord Shemhazai."

"Is it about Kouji?" asked Winter. "Do you think they know what to do?"

"I think so," said Karina. "I would rather avoid contacting Lady Gabriel if I can but…it's looking to be the only option right now. The Archangels should know more about Kouji's condition."

"I thought it was bad for other factions to know about me," said Kouji. "Can we trust the Archangels?"

"We trust Lady Gabriel," said Winter. "It's more so Lord Uriel I don't entirely trust. He doesn't trust the Fallen Angels in general and since we work for the Grigori that's doubly so for us."

"Angels should stick with pure angels," said Giselle. "So he says. What a prick."

Kouji smiled. "How about you Winter? And NingNing? Any plans today?"

"I'm gonna nap until the sun goes down," said Winter. "That tour completely wore me out."

"There's a new book I've been meaning to start," said NingNing. "We don't really have a lot of free time so it's rare for me to start and finish a book."

After breakfast ended, NingNing stayed to do the dishes while Kouji and everybody else changed to start their day. Winter, of course, went straight back to bed with a "Do not disturb" sign on her bedroom door. Karina was already out the door by the time he and Giselle were ready to leave.

Kouji had been to Korea before but he didn't really explore the city of Seoul as much as he would have liked. Classes and after school activities took up most of his time, and what a city it was.

Giselle called a taxi to go into the city and took pictures of the scenery on the ride there. She told him of all the places Aespa had visited over Seoul: their picnics in Dokseodang park, their dates at Seoul Tower, even their hikes in Namsan.

"Where are we going exactly?" asked Kouji.

"Gwangjang," said Giselle. "I'm hoping for some seafood…I've been dying for some catfish."

Kouji smiled. "Catfish it is."

"Here," Giselle turned to him and fixed his bucket hat. "You know with the hat and mask, you almost pass for an idol."

"I can't sing nor can I dance," said Kouji. "Besides, the idol life is most definitely not for me. I'm way too self conscious to have people prying into my personal life."

"Magic helps," Giselle smirked. "Besides, singing and dancing come with time. You wouldn't believe how bad I was at dancing."

"Oh wouldn't I?" asked Kouji. "Are you forgetting I'm an Aespa fan?"

Giselle blushed. "S-Shut up, I was a bad dancer I know."

"You got better," Kouji smiled. "All that matters right?"

"Plus it doesn't hurt having Rina as a teacher," said Giselle. "The girl can do literally anything…except cook. Please, for the love of Gabriel, do not let her in the kitchen. I asked her to make me a bowl of soup for NingNing one time and she set the bowl on fire."

"Is that…even possible?" asked Kouji.

"I don't even know," Giselle sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I swear if I don't keep her in check, she'd burn the whole hotel down by now."

"I'm surprised you guys are so…normal," said Kouji. "I don't know, it's weird to meet your idols outside of your stages and fanmeets."

"You met us at a fanmeet?" asked Giselle. "What the hell? I don't remember."

"Not me," said Kouji. "King. I tagged along when you guys had a fanmeet in Japan when he went to visit me. I don't do so hot at crowded places."

"And yet you chose to attend a concert with however many thousands of people?" Giselle grinned. "And I thought you were smart."

"He really wanted to see you guys again," said Kouji. "I was more than comfortable just watching your concerts from my room. But he had tickets and I couldn't say no."

Giselle smiled. "It's always nice meeting fans…I don't get a lot of that whenever we're out."

That's right…Kouji remembered reading about that. Aespa were popular, definitely, but in every group there's always a favorite. Giselle was always at the bottom of the favorites list. He never understood why. She has gorgeous visuals, a fantastic soothing voice, she can rap, and she seemed a lot more down to earth and relaxed then the other girls.

"Well you're stuck with a fan 24/7 now," Kouji smiled. "Besides, I think you're important to Aespa. The background vocals…"

"You know it's me who does the background vocals?" asked Giselle.

"Of course I do," Kouji grinned. "Number one fan, remember?"

Giselle smiled. "Thanks Kouji, it means a lot. But I've been meaning to ask…back at the concert, how did you hear us? It was like you could hear our thoughts. The psychic link was only supposed to be between the four of us and Lord Azazel."

"That's why I don't like crowded places," said Kouji. "It's not even the fact that I see weird stuff, sometimes it's like I can hear everything all at once. What people are thinking…there's so much input that my brain feels like it's being mashed."

"And have you heard anything since?" asked Giselle.

Kouji shook his head. "Not since Winter bandaged me up. You think it has something to do with Imugi?"

"Probably," said Giselle. "I don't know as much about Imugi as Rina but tapping into someone else's thoughts doesn't seem out of the ordinary for that thing."

There's so much that he needed to know about Imugi, but he wondered if Imugi was all that bad. From the sounds of it and from the times that he had spoken to Imugi, that snake really does hate humans. Kouji wondered if it was always like that…or if something had happened to make it hate humans so much.

Gwangjang Market was…massive. Cramped into a large hall, the marketplace was filled to the brim with shops and stalls all set up to start their business day. The smells of cooked meat filled the air as soon as he and Giselle left the taxi and walked inside. Various flags hung on ropes, plenty of benches and tables, and luckily for them, not too many people.

"We should hurry," said Giselle. "It's gonna get more crowded as the day goes on."

"That's funny coming from you," said Kouji.

Giselle showed him around the market, taking him by the arm and trying out various snacks along the way. Grilled fish, eel, sausages, grilled prok, tteoboki, even a handful of deserts. Kouji got a good idea of what he wanted to make for the girls for dinner, grabbing the biggest catfish he could find and various vegetables for a stewed catfish dish he had in mind. To his surprise, Giselle didn't take too long picking out her own snacks. She bought various noodle dishes and tteoboki for NingNing, even Winter's favorite chips and Karina's favorite mango pudding.

The grocery shopping trip was fun until his eyes reacted to something. He stopped dead in his track, pulling Giselle to a halt as he looked down an alleyway meant for trucks to transport more produce. There was a kid…a single kid, crying as various adults simply ignored him. He was…transparent.

"What's wrong?" asked Giselle. "Don't you wanna try the unagi?"

Kouji's eyes shifted. "There's…there's a kid over there."

Giselle narrowed her eyes. "What kid?"

"You can't see him huh?" asked Kouji. "I think…I think it's another spirit. That kid…he died…"

"Show me," said Giselle.

Kouji showed down the hallway and to the kid. He didn't look any older than 13, an average looking Korean child wearing modern clothes. Unlike Izil back then, he died recently.

"Hey there kid," Kouji crouched down. "Are you okay? Are you lost?"

The boy lifted his head and sniffed. "You…You can see me?"

Kouji smiled. "Yeah, of course I can. The other adults can't see you?"

The boy shook his head. "I…I was looking for my mom…She left me here…"

"He's looking for his mom," said Kouji. "Should we help him?"

"Ask him where he lives," said Giselle.

"Do you know where your house is?" asked Kouji.

The boy shook his head. "We took the train here…I don't know how to get home."

Kouji got up and pulled Giselle to the side. "He's dead Giselle…and his mom…"

"We're taking him home," said Giselle. "No matter what."

It was weird. She looked more determined then anything.

"What's your name?" asked Kouji.

"Min-Ho," said the boy. "Park Min-Ho."

"Park Min-Ho," Kouji smiled. "Is it okay if we take you home? I'm sure your mom is worried sick about you."

Kouji propped the boy on his back and smiled, walking out into the market.

"How exactly are we supposed to find his parents?" asked Kouji.

"Park is too common of a name to look up…" said Giselle. "What's he wearing? Where does he go to school?"

"Min-Ho," said Kouji. "Where do you go to school?"

"Namseoul," said Min-Ho.

"Namesoul," said Kouji.

Giselle opened a magic circle in her palm and combed through page after page of what looked like text documents. He had never seen this spell before, it was like she was searching through a database as if they were in a library.

"Can she not see me?" asked Min-Ho.

"It's just me Min-Ho," said Kouji. "I don't know what happened but we're gonna help you okay? No more crying, you're big boy so you have to be strong."

Min-Ho sniffed. "I'll be strong."

"Good," Kouji smiled. "How long have you been waiting here Min-Ho? Do you remember how you got seperated?"

"The boogeyman took her," said Min-Ho. "I don't know how long I've been waiting…nobody could see me or help me. Everything I try to touch someone, my hand just passes through them."

Kouji gritted his teeth. How long has this kid been trying to ask for help…If they hadn't come to Gwangjang, would he have kept trying? What happens to spirits who stay in this world for too long?

"Found him," said Giselle. "Park Min-Ho. 13 years old in his last year of middle school. Says his mom's name is Park Su-A and his dad's name is Park Tae-Hyun. They live across the river…not too far. Is he on your back?"

"Yeah, why?" asked Kouji.

"Carry him in your arms," said Giselle, taking off her hat and opening a magic circle, slipping through all of their bags. "We're gonna fly there."

"W-Wait, wha-"

Giselle grabbed him from under his arms and took off in the skies. She had sprouted majestic white wings on her back and soared into the skies before Kouji could have a second to protest.

He was speechless. He had flown in an airplane before but this…this was something else entirely. The view of the city growing smaller and smaller the higher they went up, the air hitting his face, the feeling of weightlessness…it was a feeling he had never felt before.

"H-How are we flying?" asked Min-Ho. "Are you magic mister?"

Kouji smiled. "Would you believe me if I said she's an angel?"

Min-Ho looked up to Giselle who had a serious look on her face. "Is…Is she an idol? Is that Giselle from Aespa?"

"You know her?" asked Kouji.

"My sister loves Aespa," Min-Ho smiled, the first time he had seen her smile. "She said Giselle's her favorite…mine too."

"Giselle," said Kouji. "You got yourself another fan. He said you're his and his sister's favorite."

Giselle smiled. "Nice to meet you Min-Ho."

Giselle soared through the skies and crossed the river, flying into the residential areas. Most of the houses looked identical to one another, with the exception of decorations, however there was one house that caught his eye.

"What the hell is that?" asked Kouji.

"You see it too huh?" asked Giselle.

They landed in front of a house that was somehow seeping with shadows. It was a plain two story house, not unlike any other house you would see in a middle-class urban area in Seoul…however there were black mists seeping through the very foundation of the house.

"My house!" Min-Ho jumped out of Kouji's arms and ran for the door, however stopped seconds before entering the residence. "M…Mom…"

"What is this?" asked Kouji. "Is it haunted or something?"

"Something like that," said Giselle. "There's a vengeful spirit attached to this house. I'm sorry Kouji…the kid's mom died. It said she was murdered a year ago…a few miles from Gwangjang, she and her 13 year old son."

"So that's…that's his mom?" asked Kouji. "His mother's spirit is haunting the house?"

"I can guess why…" Giselle balled her fists. "Don't speak, okay? We're going in."

"You wanna break into someone's house?" asked Kouji. "Are you crazy?"

"We're with someone who lived here…it's not breaking and entering," said Giselle, opening a magic circle under their feet. "We're invisible but it doesn't mean we're undetectable. Whoever's inside can still hear us so…let's try and be quiet."

Kouji took Min-Ho's hand and smiled. "Let's go inside, okay?"

Min-Ho didn't look like he was ready, however he took a deep breath and nodded.

The interior was…something. It reeked of week old food, filled with dust and the sound of television static filled the air. Even before stepping in, Kouji could tell just how attached Min-Ho's mother's spirit was attached. The ground was seeped with an ethereal darkness that gave him shivers down his spine. It wasn't until they turned into the living room that he understood why…

"Mom!" Min-Ho cried. Kouji stopped him before the kid could run to it…

Standing next to a sofa chair was a tall, very tall, menacing dark figure. It was covered in shadows, black mist originating from its feet. The darkness radiating from its head almost looked like hair and it was staring down at someone sitting on the couch.

Kouji and Giselle quietly made their way into the living room. He was nervous that the shadowy figure would attack, however it was quiet and unmoving. The living room floor was filled with empty beer cans, piles of takeout containers, and newspaper articles detailing the murder of a mother and her son.

Sitting on the sofa chair was a man who looked to be in his forties, however he was a frail shell of a man. His face was sunken in, his eyes were lifeless, his beard and hair were unkempt and flowing. He wore nothing but a robe over a white t-shirt that was stained with either food or beer, Kouji couldn't tell.

"This is why his mother's spirit haunts this place…" said Giselle, her eyes glaring at the man. "Him."

"Y-You don't mean…" said Kouji. "This is his dad, right? Min-Ho's dad? You're saying Min-Ho's dad killed his wife and son?"

"Is she here?" asked Giselle. "She's a vengeful spirit so…she should be here somewhere."

"She's standing next to him," said Kouji.

Giselle took his hand and opened a large, very large magic circle. A bright but gentle light shined as her eyes turned to the shadowy figure. Giselle could see her?

"What did you do?" asked Kouji.

"Expansion spell," said Giselle. "It won't last long…but for now, everybody in this room can see her spirit…everyone…"

The man's eyes widened and turned to the shadowy figure. He screamed, falling out of his chair and crawling away.

"No! No! Get away from me!" he cried. "Get away from me!"

"Dad…" said Min-Ho. "Daddy!"

"Don't touch him Min-Ho!" cried Giselle. "Come here…"

Min-Ho was startled, however he obeyed Giselle as he took her hand. "This man…your father killed you, Min-Ho. He killed you and your mother…he's the boogeyman who took your mom."

"He…No, daddy wouldn't…" Min-Ho's eyes teared. "Daddy would never hurt mommy…"

"Get up," Giselle walked over to the man and grabbed him by his hair. "Get up! You pitiful excuse for a man…you killed them, didn't you."

"W-Who…Who are you-"

"Answer the question," Giselle's eyes glowed.

The man's eyes glanced over and saw the shadowy figure. "Please…Please don't hurt me…"

"Pathetic," she dropped him and walked over to the shadowy figure. "It's okay, Mrs. Park. Your son is here…We brought him home to you."

The shadowy figure turned her head before seeing Min-Ho, staring up at her. The shadows that had seeped into the ground, the very house, began to soak back into the shadows. Her figure shrank until she was normal sized, regaining her human features…until she looked human again.

She was a beautiful woman in her late thirties with long black hair and kind brown eyes. Tears fell down her cheeks as she smiled at Min-Ho, who ran into his mother's arms.

"My baby…" Mrs. Park caressed her son. "I'm so sorry…my boy…"

"Look at them," Giselle glared at the man. "Look at your murder victims dammit!"

"I didn't…I didn't mean to…I thought she was cheating on me…She would disappear for hours…She never called…" the man spoke in rapid breathes, curled up on the ground like an infant. "I thought she would leave me…I didn't have anything…I didn't have anybody…She was going to leave me…leave me and take Min-Ho…I didn't…"

Kouji's heart shattered. "Oh my god…"

"This ape killed his wife because he thought she was cheating on him…" Giselle balled her fists. "He ended a life because of his own selfish needs and pathetic insecurities…How can you kill your own wife? And your son? Did he deserve to die before even having lived his own life? Who are you to take someone's life away from them!"

"He was…he was going to go with her…I would…I would have no one…" the man cried. "No one!"

"Good!" cried Giselle. "Someone like you…Someone like you shouldn't even-"

Giselle had held out her hand and opened a magic circle, however Kouji grabbed her wrist.

"What are you doing?" asked Kouji.

"Out of the way Kouji," said Giselle. "I'm carrying out our mission…ridding the world of evil."

"Killing him won't solve anything," said Kouji. "He needs to live…to live the rest of his days knowing what he did."

"And what good will that do?" Giselle's eyes were cold as she turned to him. "Do you think they deserved to die? Min-Ho's 13 years old! He never got to have a life…have friends…make life long memories…All of it taken away because of some man and his selfish desires!"

Kouji was taken back. This…This wasn't about Min-Ho at all. This was about her. Whatever happened to Giselle, it must have been something like this. Like Karina said, they all had their lives before Aespa.

"You're not a killer," said Kouji.

"Let go of me!"

Giselle tried to pry her hand away, however Kouji held firm. "You. Are not. A killer. I won't let you go down that path…killing him won't do anything."

"He…He deserves to die," tears swelled up in her eyes.

"His time will come," said Kouji. "But you are better than this. Besides, think about Min-Ho. You think he wants to see his dad's corpse? We can't do that to him…"

Giselle bit her tongue, however she dropped her hand.

Kouji smiled as he walked over to Mrs. Park and Min-Ho. "I'm sorry…both of you. It shouldn't have been like this…"

Mrs. Park picked Min-Ho up in her arms. "I wasn't cheating on him…you know. His birthday was coming up…I was meeting with his brother to surprise him with a trip to Europe." She smiled sincerely. "He always wanted to visit Paris, we both did."

"I'm sorry…" said Kouji.

"No…I should be thanking you," said Mrs. Park. "You brought my Min-Ho home to me…I thought I would never see him again."

"Thanks mister!" Min-Ho's smile beamed.

Kouji smiled. "I know it was wrong…and I know it's been tough, but you both need to pass on now. You can't stay in this world anymore."

"I know…" said Mrs. Park. "I just didn't want to go without my son."

"What's Heaven like?" asked Min-Ho.

"I don't know," said Kouji. "But you'll be with your mom, isn't that the important thing?"

"Thank you…" Mrs. Park teared up. "I don't even know your name…"

"Kouji," he smiled. "And you don't need to thank me. Just…rest now, okay?"

"Thank you Kouji," Mrs. Park's body began to sparkle and fade away. "I can never thank you enough for this…"

"Bye!" Min-Ho waved. "Thank you for taking me home…and thank you Giselle! I really liked flying."

Giselle finally turned, wiping her tears away and smiling, waving as the boy and his mother faded from this world, moving on to whatever's next for them.

Kouji took a deep breath before shifting his eyes. He walked over to Mr. Park, lifting him up by his hair and looked into his eyes.

"You're going to suffer for what you've done," said Kouji. "But death is a mercy I don't have the heart to give to people like you, nor should I. Fall into madness…and think about what you've done."

…

An hour had passed since the Park house had been purged of its vengeful ghost, and five minutes since the police had come and cleared out the entire house.

Kouji and Giselle watched from down the street as Mr. Park was dragged from his home, screaming and kicking and yelling about how the Devil had found him. The neighbors all looked from the sidewalk as a killer was being put away…and Giselle looked happy.

"Thank you, Kouji," she crossed her arms.

"For what?"

"For stopping me," said Giselle. "I would have killed him…I wanted to."

"You're not a killer Giselle," said Kouji. "None of you are."

"What did you do to him anyway?" asked Giselle. "You used the Phantasm?"

"Yup," Kouji smiled. "I gave him a few centuries, showing him what he did over and over again. Hopefully he'll learn his lesson…he still has the rest of his life left to live…in prison."

"Thank you," Giselle looped her arm around his and rested her head on his shoulder.

"So are you going to tell me?" asked Kouji. "It's fine if it's too personal. I know we don't know each other too well so I won't pry."

There was a silence before Giselle's grip on his arm wavered.

"I was murdered," said Giselle. "In my human life. I remember going on the train with my mom and dad…it was the first any of us had been on a train. Japan was just coming out of its industrial revolution so there were so many new things none of us had ever experienced before. We got off the train when this guy…this guy tried to rob us. My dad tried to stop him from hurting my mom but…he got shot. And then he panicked when my mom started to shout and cry so he shot her too. Everybody who got off with us tried to stop him but…I was shot in the struggle. He took the life of my entire family…and me. I have very little space in my heart for killers…especially ones who murder children."

"I'm sorry," Kouji balled his fists. "You must miss them a lot."

"That's why I mean it when I say I know what you're going through, Kouji," said Giselle. "My family's long gone, but your family's still here. You can never see them again but they're alive and they love you. Hold out some hope…"

"I know," said Kouji.

Of course…Of course they weren't perfect. They weren't born angels. Aespa were humans once, with their own history and their own heartache. They had each gone through their fair share of suffering and had come out of it stronger than ever. They were a beaming example of hope…He had to do the same. His father and sister were still out there…He'll see them again one day.

"C'mon," Giselle looked up and smiled. "Let's go home."