Dear parents all over the world, have you ever truly regretted a gift you gave your beloved offspring?

Maybe you made the mistake of gifting them a recorder and a few music sheets of their favourite movie themes. Oh, the joy of furious neighbours that would forever keep you in their books of personal hatred for the sleepless nights your kids would grace them with as they became world superstars in their own orchestra.

Or perhaps, you presented them a single video game, and it became an obsession you wished they had never begun because their grades dropped at record speeds once they fell deeper into that rabbit hole.

Several gifts shouldn't ever be made for the sanity of yourself, your kid, and every other human being on Earth.

Seonghwa couldn't anticipate for the world of it how the eight pieces of drawing chalk he got for two dollars at the stationary store brought the best and the worst visitor he had ever allowed on his couch upon him. When purchasing the gift for Wooyoung, he had been pondering the places he could draw on, to tell him not to run off onto the streets, and the mess of dust the boy would have on his pants later.

But even if it was a lot to clean, Seonghwa didn't mind. He cleaned Wooyoung all the time anyway, so if he had to clean him once more or less in exchange for the boy having a fun time in their driveway with his chalks, then he would take that.

Seonghwa had expected flowers and cartoon characters underneath his car tires. The literal demon that appeared in his garden was entirely uncalled for.

After a long few hours of driving around town and getting all the groceries Seonghwa needed over the holiday, he had finally made it home that fateful day. He had picked up Wooyoung from kindergarten after his last visit at the thrift store to get a new pair of shoes for Wooyoung since the boy's feet grew quicker than bean sprouts. At the sight of the chalk on the back seat, Wooyoung had gleamed like a firefly in the night. His little hands had attempted to reach for it right then and there, but Seonghwa had promised him far more space to draw on once they got home.

All through the rest of their ride back, Wooyoung thrummed with energy. He tapped his little thick fingers on his thighs, at the door, and on his seat as he kept glancing at the bucket with chalk as if he had to check it was still there.

Seonghwa had never gotten chalk for Wooyoung before. But seeing his kid so excited about it had him relieved that the trick had worked. His son was too distracted with his extraordinary mission to guard the chalk all the way home that he forewent any nagging about Seonghwa driving too slow.

The moment the engine turned off and Seonghwa reached to unbuckle Wooyoung's seatbelt; the boy was off with a flash. Impressed, Seonghwa counted the dust particles he left behind. Before he had even gotten his key from the hole, Wooyoung already pulled at the back door impatiently. Quick, Seonghwa got out to help him with the weight of the heavy thing. Together, they managed to free the chalk bucket from its seatbelt and set it down on the ground.

Again, Wooyoung made little noises of exertion as if that would aid his clumsy fingers that pulled on the lid.

"Let me do it," Seonghwa offered with his hands outstretched. Huffing, Wooyoung showed him his cold shoulder.

"I can do it myself!" Once more, he scratched his blunt nails over the plastic. Seonghwa wondered if a part squirrel had sneaked somewhere in his son's DNA. He couldn't remember dating a squirrel.

He stood there for a moment longer, waiting. Then, Wooyoung threw the bucket around with a pout on his lips.

"It's a stupid bucket; it doesn't like me."

Seonghwa chuckled at him as he knelt down. He deftly undid the little safety tag and then pulled the top open with a 'fhump.' The lid found its place neatly next to the bucket.

"Good thing you guys don't have to become friends. Here, just take the chalk instead, it's far nicer."

At the single prompt, Wooyoung already snatched the first piece with his whole fist and ran off. Seonghwa called after him as he got up.

"Don't run too far! You can't see your artworks from your window if it's on the other side of the city!"

Wooyoung giggled at his lame joke, but he found a place not too far from Seonghwa where he crouched and begun his masterpiece. The occasional patter of the chalk roughly meeting the cob stone lulled Seonghwa into a sense of security. For a moment, he left Wooyoung from his eyes to unload the car.

He had gotten a lot of stuff. Food for the both of them that included Wooyoung's special honey chocolate cereal that made Seonghwa gag if he just looked at it; a little present for easter that was nothing more but a mug with a bunny in front that was filled with little chocolates; another bar of chocolate for Yunho, Wooyoung's kindergarten teacher; a set of new brushes for San who had been complaining for weeks how his had frayed to every single one of his friends and now probably got about a hundred brushes for easter; and the shoes that Seonghwa neatly set into their shoe rack behind the door.

While he was busy going to and fro to the house to get all of his bags inside, Wooyoung cheerfully chatted with his imaginary friend as they drew what Seonghwa believed to be a classic house with a tree, and the sun in a corner. In front of the house were three people. Seonghwa himself with hair that was blindingly yellow on his oversized stick-figure head, Wooyoung with a big grin on his face, and on his hand, his imaginary friend.

Sometimes, Seonghwa worried why Wooyoung would have an adult as a friend his mind made up. When he had asked Yunho about it, the man had explained that most lonely children just made someone up to talk their loneliness away with. Usually, those people were either characters from the media the children consumed or fellow children.

However, Wooyoung's imaginary friend was a grown man with dark hair. Whenever Seonghwa inquired about his appearance, Wooyoung cheerfully described what might as well be a robber that visited their home at night. No trails led to that, though, and Wooyoung assured Seonghwa that his friend - Yongguk, as he called him - helped him beat his fear of the monsters underneath his bed.

At first, Seonghwa had been dejected that it hadn't been him who had aided his son with his fear. But in the end, he was glad as long as Wooyoung was fine. Yunho had promised him to keep an extra eye on Wooyoung, too, and he would notify Seonghwa immediately if his five-year-old hung out with scary-looking men.

Wooyoung explained the picture to his invisible friend quietly as he drew. Upon Yongguk's suggestion, he also gave the house a chimney - something their home didn't have, but Wooyoung had always dreamed of owning one. Large and horrid like a dangerous parasite, it stuck to the roof of the house.

In passing, Seonghwa commented how beautiful his birds were that were symbolised by the expressionistic letter m. Wooyoung flicked his hair back how he had seen it girls do on TV.

Wooyoung had always been interested in the arts. It might have been because many of Seonghwa's hobbies and also work included working with his hands a lot, so maybe he passed it down to his son. While he wasn't particularly artistic for his age, Wooyoung always had fun drawing. In times like these, he lost himself in his little fantasy world as he imagined anything he created at the moment and dove into that picture. Usually, it meant a bit of a breather for Seonghwa and no trouble for an hour or two.

However, he had just crawled halfway into his car to get the last bag that had sunken into a corner like a little heap of misery when a surprised squeal behind him had him jolt. The sudden movement had him hit his head on the roof of the car hard as he worriedly looked around to check on Wooyoung. He had heard no car approaching or people around. However, sometimes a dog strayed around these corners of the city and Wooyoung feared it a lot.

What he found was no car, and neither was it a dog. It was remotely human, but Seonghwa wouldn't have dared to call it one. The creature he faced was unlike every human he had ever seen. It was but an imitation of what man was supposed to be, but it failed miserably in several aspects.

Seonghwa froze in fear at the first moment. The man - if he could be called that - that stood in front of Wooyoung was surrounded by a faint red glow that was the most unnatural thing Seonghwa had ever seen. It bent the light around him and sucked it in so that the closer to him it got, the more it paled and turned grey. As if that hadn't been the most off thing about him, though, the person had characteristics straight from a fairy tale.

All his life, Seonghwa had never once believed in the existence of supernatural creatures. He liked the idea of fairies that tended to nature and made the flowers in his gardens bloom. He also didn't doubt that some witches had actual spirituality connected to other worlds and powerful energies. But all those were little urban fantasies that he could support in their harmless character. Fantasy books counted to his favourites, and who as a child hadn't dreamed of riding on the back of a dragon while their elven friends accompanied them?

This was no flower fairy, and neither was it a witch. Not even an elf. The most he looked like was a dragon.

Undeniably, the first thing that came to mind after reading many books and watching a good deal of bad horror movies was a different word, though.

Demon.

The leathery wings on his back that were larger than the man himself and the two pairs of horns that grew from his forehead were the most Seonghwa could go by.

He only noticed that he had remained frozen in the back of his car and trembled with fear when Wooyoung made a noise. Awed, he stood up to stare at the man. With dark eyes, the creature glared down at Wooyoung as if he was ready to eat him. Then, ever so slowly, the demon extended his hand in Wooyoung's direction.

Finally, his ability to move returned to Seonghwa. With his mind reeling about this probably being a prank, no matter how eerily real the man looked, he dashed from his place and towards his son. Before they could touch, Seonghwa snatched his son up in his arms and stumbled back. His heart beat in his throat.

Curious, Wooyoung twisted his little body to look at the demon. No fear crossed his features even when the winged man gave the hint of a smile. He had teeth. Many of them. They were sharp like little shark chompers in his mouth.

"Dad, he's got wings! Isn't that cool?"

With his face drained of any blood, Seonghwa stared at the man.  A cold wind that had not been there a moment ago swished through his hair, and a bunch of clouds all too conveniently covered the sun.

Seonghwa would have liked to believe that this was all a prank so much. But with the way the man's eyes glinted ominously in his delicate face full of pointy features, his heart doubted it.

"Who are you?"

A lopsided grin appeared on the man's face. He rose one hand to point it straight at the pair, or rather, Wooyoung's back. His clawed fingers that tinted black about halfway down the digits curled as if he beckoned them closer. Protective, Seonghwa wrapped his arm tighter around Wooyoung even when he made a protesting noise.

"The young master has summoned me. I have come to serve."

Beyond confused and trembling like a rabbit that faced a hawk, Seonghwa held onto Wooyoung as if he was a lifeline.

"Don't take him away from me! Please..."

The demon shook his head. Like mighty weapons, his horns followed the movement. Seonghwa could see where they connected to his head. No makeup would fool him like that.

The air reeked of fire and smoke. Paranoid, Seonghwa wanted to look around to check if something was burning, but he was too entranced by the appearance in front of him. He feared to wake up too soon.

"I am bound by my contract." His hollow voice ghosted over Seonghwa's skin creepily and left goosebumps in its wake. The wind angrily blew his hair into his face.

"C-contract?"

At that, the demon pointed downward. Slow, Seonghwa's eyes trailed down his black-clad figure. His boots ended right on Wooyoung's drawing that he had idly scribbled over. He had written the first few words he had learnt to spell already and drawn a flower right over his original picture. Nothing out of the ordinary.

"He summoned me. I will fulfil my contract and demand my price."

"What is your price?"

Seonghwa was stupid for asking. Of course, if this were a real demon, he would have to reply something along the lines of 'his soul' or 'his firstborn' or something like that. He was foolish to dare question the man. Yet, he had no idea what else to do. No movie had prepared him for the reality of this situation.

"The price accumulates over the contract. Fear not; it is fair."

Another cryptic answer.

Seonghwa swallowed heavily before he asked further.

"Then... What does your contract state to do?"

Now, the demon drew his eyebrows in. For a second, he looked scarily hostile. Defensive, Seonghwa took a step back to protect Wooyoung.

"I do not know that."

"What?"

The demon nearly rolled his eyes at him. His thundering voice rose to rush at Seonghwa with another gust of wind.

"Your kid mumbled incomprehensively; I have no idea what he said!"

Heaving, the demon stared Seonghwa down. None of them knew what else to do than helplessly looking each other up and down.

Wooyoung, on the other hand, had no qualms.

"Hey, uncle, can I touch your wings?"

And that was the beginning of what Seonghwa described as the Chalk Incident.