Rom-Com Demon Hunter

I always thought my biggest fear as a hunter was a demon trying to kill me.

Turns out, the real nightmare is trying to hide one in your apartment while your magical guardian does a surprise inspection.

I paced in front of the wardrobe, watching the hole Malcor burned through the back. The smell of charred wood lingered in the air.

"This is bad. This is very, very bad," I muttered, tugging my hair.

Malcor, with his face poking out of the wardrobe, looked far too calm. And oh, the stars—was that my pink Talking Angela fluffy bathrobe he had thrown over his shoulders?

"Really?" I gawked. "Really? That's what you choose to wear?"

He better be kidding.

"I was cold," he shrugged, not looking apologetic in the least. He pulled the robe tighter, eyes dead serious. "And it was soft."

I groaned, pressing both hands to my face, "So this is what my life has become."

"Relax, I won't eat you."

I glared at him. He smirked.

BZZ! BZZ!

My wristwatch vibrated violently.

"Elia Crimson," Guardian Myrr's voice boomed. No longer audio—this time, a glowing orb flickered into my apartment, expanding into a shimmering hologram of him. His ghostly form floated above my coffee table, robes billowing like he was caught up in some dramatic wind that didn't exist here.

"I've come to scan your space for traces of demonic aura."

I froze. "Scan? Now? Here?"

"Yes. The signal is unusually strong in this sector," his eyes narrowed. "We must be thorough."

I cleared my throat, throwing on my best fake-calm voice. "Of course! Please, scan away. Nothing demonic here." I laughed nervously, stepping in front of the wardrobe like a human shield.

Myrr's orb pulsed, casting a pale blue glow as it swept the room.

Meanwhile, Malcor shuffled silently behind me, clutching my bathrobe around him like armor. I shot him a look. Hehe… not now. Better behave.

Malcor shifted again, and I growled, "I do regret saving you!"

"No, you don't."

His voice was low for sure, and for some stupid reason, it made my cheeks heat.

The orb hummed louder, and I panicked. I grabbed a throw blanket from the couch and chucked it over Malcor's head that seemed to want to poke out.

"What are you doing?" he whispered.

"Camouflage," I hissed.

"Really?" his muffled voice came from under the blanket.

"Shhh!"

Myrr raised an eyebrow at the scene, looking past me to the wardrobe. He must have noticed my little movement. Was I caught? Omg, I hope not…

"You're acting… strange."

I forced a grin. "Just redecorating! Stress cleaning! You know how it is!"

The orb's glow intensified. Myrr's gaze swept my tiny apartment, lingering on the scorch marks near the wardrobe.

My heart thudded, like the start of a Netflix show. I could hear it in my ears.

Please don't see him. Please don't see him. Stars.

After what felt like forever, the orb dimmed.

"Hmph. The aura is faint but still nearby. Stay alert."

The hologram flickered out, and I collapsed onto the couch with a groan.

Malcor poked out of the wardrobe, tossing the blanket dramatically.

"That was close."

"Ya thanks?" I shot him a glare.

But the sight of him—rumpled hair, pink bathrobe slipping off one shoulder, barefoot, and looking far too serious and comfortable with it—had me holding my stomach, with no way to suppress the laughter. I couldn't help it.

"What?" he blinked at me.

"You. In my bathrobe." I shook my head, laughing hysterically. "This is not how demon hunting was supposed to go."

Malcor leaned back on the wall, arms crossed, "You're not how demon hunters are supposed to be either."

I stifled a laugh. "Gee… thanks."

We fell into an awkward but not entirely unpleasant silence.

My gaze drifted to my wrist, and I spotted the faint flame mark glowing softly beneath the surface of my skin. My reminder of the day it all began.

The day I woke up with the mark, my whole life changed.

Suddenly, I was chosen to fight against demons I never believed in in the first place.

My life was no longer normal. No more quietness, not even a breath to watch the latest K-drama. Just when I was about to finish an episode, I'd start getting calls.

I was hunted by both sides—the light and the dark—and caught in this endless war I never asked for.

Malcor noticed my look, his voice softened.

"That mark… you reminded me of someone I once knew. A human. Before the fall."

I blinked, closing the mark with my cardigan, "You knew a human?"

His smile was sad, "Yes. And I destroyed her."

My chest ached at the pain in his eyes. I wanted to say something… anything… dammit, why was I feeling this way for someone I just met? Apparently, I just needed to give him shelter for the night.

He would be gone after tonight, and I was going to put all of this at the back of my head like it never even happened.

Yep. My aim was to hide him till tomorrow and never get caught.

Suddenly…

KNOCK!! KNOCK!!

My blood froze.

Malcor tensed and stood alert.

Our gazes met, and I shrugged. No one ever knocks at my door this late, and it's not like I have many friends from school…

"Stay quiet," I whispered to Malcor. Then I tiptoed to the door and peeked through the peephole.

My breath caught, and I instantly stepped back. Another hunter?

I recognized her immediately. Rox, one of Myrr's newest elite agents. One could know her anywhere from her purple hair and dark, cat-like eyes—and of course, the tenor voice. She was tall, stoic, and all business.

"Elia," she called through the door, "Guardian Myrr sent me. I'm here to assist you."

I cursed under my breath.

Malcor stepped back, pulling the bathrobe tighter like it could cover his face.

He whispered, "What now?"

"I don't know."

I raked my hair. What do I do? Rox was outside, and inside… stood a demon in my bathrobe, with scorch marks all over my apartment.

I'm so dead…

"Elia," Rox's voice rang again. "I'm sensing something off. Open up!"