He's here!

I hid carefully inside the pile of pillows, hoping this demon guy would give up searching for me. He is annoyingly persistent and a fool.

A fool for his daughter. 

When I was a babe and still crawling, he never was as exhausting as he is now, knowing that his daughter can walk and run around albeit inside the baby room only.

There was never peace with this man.

"Channa... Come out my little owl," he whispered.

A chilled run down my spine. Why does this demon have to be my father?!

Why can't I be reincarnated as some simple farmer daughter that does not overly obsessed with his daughter?

Is this your revenge old man? For when I whack your horn so brutally a few months ago?

Such a petty man does not deserve to be my father.

"Catch you!"

A big hand with slender fingers, and finely clipped nails hold my tubby stomach and lift me out of the pile. His roar of laughter resounded through the hall.

No!!! Unhand me you pervert!

I struggle to run away from him thinking the horror that shall befall me. 

His slanted eyes shone red and his fangs bared. His whole aura was painted purple and black. Looking at his face up close made me squirm in fear. Not to mention now that I can distinguish my bearing, this height made me picture the horrible fall of such distance.

"My baby owl shall never escape me now," he said with a menacing face that I instantly cried out of fear.

The fear of such fierce love he had for me. 

It's scary. So scary.

The thought of such love was not too foreign for me. It was a double edge love that brings pain to my past self that whenever it flooded the wall, it pushed me into the corner and suffocate the life out of me.

Scary.

Scary.

"Sorry."

I stopped wailing. A tear fell on my tear-stained face. 

"Daddy sorry," he cried. A demon who looked so much scary and menacing turned into a crying lamb. "Don't cry, daddy sorry for scaring you."

He kneeled and put me down carefully. No more extraordinary vigor and purplish aura. 

I looked at him with my leftover hiccup slowly easing up. His face was a mess with tears - no different than I do. 

"Daddy just so happy that daddy can play with daddy little owl," he explained while trying to wipe my tear away near the end of my left eye where a small scar marked my face.  

Truthfully, I know how much he loves me. Too fierce and overwhelming. But sometimes, he is gentle and soft just like now. Nonetheless, he is too much for this small size body of mine. Almost a year to pass since I was born, I realize I find it hard to receive love especially love from such a parent like Linden. 

My previous parents were present figures, they were there when needed but never intrusive. Once my idol life was at my peak, they were already too far for me to go back and feel at home. It feels like a stranger for I was too busy with my schedule - live concerts, tv programs, photoshoots, and meet and greet. The cycle was never-ending and if it stops it equated to my idol days becoming obsolete. 

That fear pushed me away from them and my absence made them hesitate to intrude on my life. 

Now, Linden is my chance to get back the familiar love that I lose. Yet, it felt scary and my hands are trembling. 

Linden is a force of a combination of love that pushed me to the corner and of familiar love that I seek. 

That is why whenever he came to play, I hid. Because - 

A loud snort distracts me from my spiral thoughts. 

When I look at his face, he gave me a goofy grin. "Is my little owl sad because daddy is sad?"

What?!

"I knew it that my daughter is a caring baby. That's why daddy loveeee Channa so much!" he said with a smile.

This demon is in his own delusion.

I sigh.